One morning recently, I went to Medina to give it the once-over and try the coffee and the Liége waffle borrowed from the streets of Belgium.

Well, the coffee was brilliant with a thick crema that refused to die. I chose a fig/marmalade compote (from eight choices) to go with the waffle. I could have grooved to the music, reading, and spinning out a whole afternoon.

In the bathroom, I had a lump-in-my-throat moment reading a verse by reggae artist Tanya Stephenson limned on the wall: "What a day when war becomes a thing of the past and peace, we will have at last and life is finally worth its cost/And oh what a day when men finally live what they teach and love ain't just a concept we preach and blood no longer runs in the street/Oh what a day."

Medina (means "vibrant city" in Arabic) opened recently after the city strike brought the project to a grinding halt last summer. It's right next door to and run by the same owners as Chambar, a restaurant that hits all the right notes.

Owners Nico and Karri Shuermans are joined in this venture by managing partner Robbie Kane who was previously a waiter at Chambar.

By early spring, the trio will be able to take over the back area, now an office, and get it on with an ample breakfast and lunch menu. Right now, there's that great coffee (49th Parallel, the organic Epic blend), waffles, fruit with yogurt and baklava. Liége waffles, incidentally, are leavened with yeast and large crystal sugar in the dough caramelizes in the waffle iron.

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MEDINA

556 Beatty St., 604-879-3114,

www.medinacafe.com

Open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008