Burnaby Heights’ annual, 10 day celebration of food is back from September 17th to the 26th, 2026.
So to celebrate we spent the day enjoying special menu items from two “colourful” bistros: Grey Olive and Burnt Orange. Both are Korean run, both specialize in brunch, and both serve with classic breakfast sandwiches and American diner-style egg platters.
Grey Olive is staying in their wheelhouse by offering a limited time only Corn Beef Hash with house
made corn beef, hashbrowns, sautéed peppers, two poached eggs, and a side of toast. This was pretty standard with crispy potatoes and sweet peppers. I liked it with ketchup for tang. The eggs made the breakfast picture complete, but I found the toast unnecessary as I would not pile starch on top of more starch.
My guest ordered a BLT sandwich with bacon, lettuce, and tomato; of course. It came with her choice of side, which she made hashbrowns. These came out as cute triangles. And for drinks we both ordered their Thai ice tea.
The Gray Olive Cafeteria
4190 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC V5C 2J4
(604) 566-9664
thegrayolive.com
As for Burnt Orange they aren’t normally open for dinner, but for Crave the Heights they are hosting a 10 day, Spanish themed dinner series at $47 per person. This is by reservation only. Apparently the owner/chef is a fan of Spanish cuisine, so prepared a 3 course prix fixe menu with options, upgrades, and the possible add-on of Spanish wine. And if visiting on Saturday, guests can enjoy all the above alongside a live jazz performance.
I went with a friend and we both enjoyed this 3 course set menu. We had planned to start with wine. I eyed their Spanish white to start, however it was poured at room temperature and their offer of having with ice didn’t seem all that appealing to me. My guest however was okay with watering down her sparkling brut. I was not interested in a high ball and at this point I was already too disappointed to be persuaded with a red. So opted out of a drink.
The appetizer course was Pan Con Tomate with Jamon Serrano. This was finely chopped tomatoes over a fresh slice of crusty baguette, topped with thin slices of Jamón Serrano.
You can also upgrade your ham to Jamón Ibérico for $8 more. We did this to be able to compare the two. They are both, the two primary types of Spanish cured ham, distinguished by pig breed, diet, and curing time. Where the former is an everyday, mild, salty, and lean budget-friendly ham. The other is considered a luxury known for its extremely tender, melts in the mouth texture due to its marbled fat.
Truthfully we both preferred it with the Serrano as a better match with the rest of the crostini bite. I preferred the firmer and leaner cut that allowed the flavour of the ham to shine. Whereas the Iberico was too thin and was better as a stand alone moment.
The main was a paella and between the two of us we were able to try both varieties of a meat and/or seafood. I preferred the Paella De Mariscos with fresh clams, mussels, tiger prawns, baby squid, spanish bomba rice, and roasted bell peppers. There was so much flavour in the rice and I loved how crispy some chunks of rice were burnt at. The gentle seafood offered a nice textural chew and less zesty bites to be able to break on.
Whereas I thought the Paella De Pollo & Chorizo Valenciana with Spanish bomba rice, Spanish Chorizo & Saffron marinated Chicken, Roasted Red Peppers, and confit garlic too salty. You had the option to add shrimp here and chorizo above, but the dishes were already very flavourful as is, with a very generous ratio of protein to rice. This was also a good amount of food, a little more than enough to fill. With this version I found that the sausage made things too salty and I wasn’t able to finished it as a result. Here, I wanted less meat and more rice, but did like how this one had a smokier finish.
And for dessert the Crema Catalana was the only option. Custard topped with Caramelized sugar done to order. It was basically crème brûlée topping over an eggy, orange flavoured custard. I liked the spice from the cinnamon and the contrast from the tart raspberry garnish, but I found the sugar topping a little overkill. The custard was tasty as is and the burnt sugar had it toppling over sweet.
In short, these were great reasons to come down and visit my home neighbourhood. Be sure to check them out before time runs out.
Burnt Orange Cafe + Bistro
4332 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC V5C 2J9
(604) 568-2224
burntorangebby.com
