Today we were back at Selene for brunch. I originally visited with my friend, who suggested the Mediterranean Bistro for a night cap.
One Selene Martini later I liked what I had and we decided to come back for a proper meal. And today was that day, in celebration of my birth.
Coincidentally our visit coincided with when actor Owen Wilson was dining in. He is in town filming a golf themed series called “Stick” and has apparently been frequenting this restaurant for brunch every Sunday. I managed to grab a photo when I was waiting for my table, and he on the way back to his from the washroom.
The Aegean Kipos was Selene’s take on a mojito with lime tequila, cucumber, basil, and mint.
The Yasas with skinos mastiha, pisco, umeshu, and greek mountain tea was a refreshing muted tea based cocktail that was slightly bitter.
And the Fysalides was their take on a mimosa with sparkling brut, pomegranate, and charred lemon.
After a round of drinks and not being able to choose what we wanted to share between three, we decided to just order what Owen did.
Normally I would not order anything I can make myself at home, and in this case that was Selene’s Strapatsada Omelette. However, seeing as Owen did, we had to too. Sun-dried tomato, barrel aged feta, cucumber, and a courgette salad. This was a lovely and lighter breakfast option. Vegetable forward with the tomato leading the charge with its bold and tangy flavours.
Similarly, I don’t typically opt in for a sweet breakfast option, but seeing as Owen did, we did too. This is Selene’s take on a French toast. Tsoureki Pain Perdue served with a side of honey cream and preserved fruit for self application. Not too sweet this eggy toast served as a wonderful last bite to end our meal on.
The Cilbir was basically eggs and toast, but made into a dip. Except that the bread was extremely hard to rip and not that enjoyable to chew through as a base for dipping. Perhaps we let it sit for too long before getting into it? In hindsight we should have sent it back. Fried eggs, baharat chili crunch, spinach, tzatziki, and kefaloytri.
Harder to share, but we were still on the road of ordering everything that Owen Wilson did, we had their Lamb Kofta sandwich. All their sandwiches are served on local neighbourhood bakery, Tall Shadow Bakery potato buns. This one was stuffed with a lamb patty, pickled cucumber, and sumac red onions. I found this a stand alone with the bolder herb seasoning in the lamb, tempered by the fresh vegetables and peppery onions, plus the sweet bun to balance. I just would have liked more of the tzatziki above to further smooth out the lamb and make the burger more cohesive as a whole.
In closing, we liked everything and can see why Owen Wilson does to.
Selene Aegean Bistro
360 Penticton St, Vancouver, BC V5K 1Z5
(604) 336-4539
seleneagn.com
