Fable Diner was always on Andy’s radar, not necessarily mine. Time and time again he had suggested we visit there but my faith in the quality of diners isn’t the best, so I only wanted to go here when I was really in the mood. The perfect opportunity arose after we had spent the day touring some East Vancouver breweries with friends and needed a spot for dinner before we headed to Andy’s cousin’s house in Olympic Village for a night of board games. Fable Diner is the sister restaurant to the fancier Fable Kitchen, located on West 4th.

Because of Covid-19, Fable Diner is only taking reservations. Thankfully we were able to make a reservation on arrival, for zero minutes from now. There was only one other couple in the entire restaurant, but I think the purpose of the reservation system is to enable contact tracing. We were shown to our table and then explained the protocol for during our meal – for example, pushing our plates to the far edge of the table when we were finished with them and how to signal for water. The staff were taking their protocols seriously; I was appreciative of this.

We were sitting across from the blackboard milkshake menu and as soon as I saw chocolate and nutella and pretzels in the same description, I informed Andy that we would be ordering a milkshake to share. It sounded so good! I like to share milkshakes because I always find they basically fill me up if I have one to myself and I usually end up just feeling sick if I then proceed to eat my actual meal (which I always do!). They also usually come with cream, so it’s good to have Andy on board to ensure that part gets some love too, because it would get none from me.

The menu was large, and to my delight a portion of the menu was dedicated to all-day breakfasts. Having not eaten a proper lunch, I was proper hungry and something along the lines of brunch sounded fantastic right about then! I could not go past the duck pancake, which was described as being served with kimchi, duck mayo and crispy goodness. Crispy it was – there was so much crunch going on, it was great! There was also loads of coriander and other toppings, which meant that my initial dismay of there only being one pancake was quickly forgotten as I realised how filling the meal was still going to be.

Andy opted for the fried chicken burger and fries. It was a classic choice and a classic representation. The chicken was crispy and juicy, the bun not too stodgy and the filling well balanced. Just an all round great burger. For the prices we paid and the extreme attentiveness of the staff (there were only two groups in the restaurant, but still) it was a very good experience overall. It definitely felt like a diner inside and the food was very much what you would expect to find on a diner menu, but the quality itself was definitely elevated from a standard diner experience.