Having passed by Uncle Henry Cafe many times, AHA MEDIA decided to have lunch today while on our way to a few events 🙂 In speaking with the owner, we found out that it has been at its present location for over 15 years! This worthwhile rare gem of a diner is still dishing up REAL home cooked meals and taste with a smile! 🙂
Uncle Henry Cafe
547 Hastings Street East Vancouver, BCV6A 1P9, (604) 254-3629
Upon entering, there’s two dining rooms that one can sit in and on today’s hot sunny day, this was the first restaurant we found, that was cool in temperature – like it had already turned on its air conditioning. Very considerate to think of customer’s comfort and well being in the today’s summer-like temperatures 🙂
Reasonably priced, and serving the Vancouver DTES community well, the food comes quickly with an almost forgotten care and taste of a great home cooked meal! 🙂
The place was clean and the atmosphere was fresh inside with no cloying heavy food cooking odours – one would normally expect to feel and smell in a cafe.
Open concept kitchen enables you to see how your order is being prepared and the chef is very agreeable to custom making your meal to your specifications.
There is something very nostalgic to see plain brown skinned potatoes, all scrubbed clean and hand cut up into wedges for our lunch! 🙂
Reading material was provided, from National Geographic Magazines to thick hard cover books for those choosing to linger over their meals. The owner even shyly gave us a shiny Travel brochure of Vietnam, when we were done browsing our original magazines with our meals 🙂
Classic bathing suit photography and mirrors mingled with hockey memorabila adorned the walls – a Nice 50’s to 70’s touch . It made our environment peaceful and serene to be in, and added to the great enjoyment of our lunch.
It is very RARE for us as seasoned diners who have eaten from small food stands to upscale 4 star restaurants to have this attentive and good natured anticipatory care from the owner of an establishment.
Usually one would only expect to have great customer service from higher priced and higher luxury restaurant. One does gets what one pays for – Greater money = Greater Service, but here in Uncle Henry Cafe, situated on East Hastings street – there is REAL genuine warmth, attention, friendship and pure classic hospitality 🙂
AHA MEDIA was being treated one of the family and all this upon our first visit to the restaurant! 🙂
Hendrik Beune, Director of AHA MEDIA enjoys his fresh, hand cut potato wedge dipped in Mayonaise – the European way! 🙂
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Uncle Henry has it all in the DTES, service, smile, surroundings and great food. 🙂 Other places around attempt to have 1) either the ” Nouveau DINER ” food appeal but NOT the quality of meal, 2) have surly, bad tempered wait staff or 3) the atmosphere isn’t right for a pleasant dining experience. AHA MEDIA can really see why Uncle Henry has been around for over 15 years! 🙂
Wow! 🙂 This is why the Vancouver Downtown Eastside Community is rich in spirit and friendships. There can be real bonds that develop in our neighborhood and what better way to show that you’re loved, than to be served a Greal Meal for a Very Excellet price by an honest, humble and happy man?
Our full meals for 2 came to $7.50, (before tips ) less than the usual price for a small appetizer or a martini in a fancier restaurant.
If you’re in our Vancouver Downtown Eastside area, please try Uncle Henry Cafe 🙂 You’ll be treated well 🙂
AHA MEDIA is already looking forward to our next meal at Uncle Henry Cafe on East Hastings street 🙂
In the following photos, Hendrik Beune, Director of AHA MEDIA, photographed the Canada Geese that were resting outside Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Chinatown, crossing the road to get to the other side. 🙂
AHA MEDIA is about ways of community interaction and engagement in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside! 🙂
What better way to enjoy the springtime than to get physically fit with friends, some toys from yesteryear and having some fun in the Downtown Eastside? 🙂
AHA MEDIA attended the first performance of ” A Streetcar Named Desire” by Ballet BC at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Downtown Vancouver.
” Based on the 1947 Tennessee Williams Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, A Streetcar Named Desire is a highly dramatic contemporary ballet. This full-length work includes Alleyne’s unique signature choreography as well an innovative lighting, set and costume design, and an original jazz score. Wrought iron fretwork and hanging Spanish moss help to capture the sensuality and moodiness of the Old French Quarter in New Orleans”
AHA MEDIA was able to watch this amazing and powerful ballet with complimentary tickets courtesy of Graham LloydAccount Manager, 99.3 The FOXwww.cfox.com
Thanks Graham! 🙂
In the following video, April films the stage and the crowd settling into the Queen Elizabeth Theatre before turning off the camera as filming is not allowed during the performance 🙂
This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter.
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A Message from John Alleyne, Artistic Director of Ballet BC
“It is a great pleasure to see this powerful ballet appear on stage once again. Premiered to great acclaim in 2006, A Streetcar Named Desire is based on Tennesse William’s theatrical tour de force and brings us themes of vitality, fragility, cruelty, promiscuity, and social realism; themes which we are reminded of from the issues and images of life around us. In particular, while creating this ballet I was struck by the struggle between gentility and commoness as well as the dying aristocracy and vital working class. This full lengt ballet would not be what it is without the music of BC’s own composer Tobin Stokes. Tonight you will hear the recorded version of his original score that was part of a true symbiosis of music and dance. Thank you for your continued support of Ballet British Columia and please enjoy the performance.”
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As it was AHA MEDIA ‘s first time at the ballet, we were mesmerized and awed by the sheer agility and grace of all the dancers. We were amazed how all elements of a successful and professional performance all seemlessly blended together to entertain the audience.
From how lighting added to the mood as well as the music helped captured each moment from raw emotion, to extreme joy between characters to touching, heart-breaking poignant scenes. The stage moved from scene to scene smoothly and the dancer’s beautiful and appropriately themed costumed added to the telling of the story.
Being at the ballet is quite an rare, beautiful and artistic event to enjoy, there are no words spoken, only the fluidity of the dancer’s bodies to emote the stories being told the audience.
A Streetcar Named Desire’s original music glorious costumes, appropriate props and mood lighting all coordinated flawlessly to give us that all around ereathral, and life changing experience 🙂
All scenes are performed on one stage, from “memories” of the past being enacted by other dancers to other background performers helping build and round out the main stage scene – giving a truly mult-faceted event for the human mind and soul to learn, absorb and enjoy! 🙂
What a truly memorable experience for AHA MEDIA! We feel we have grown as humans and artists. We feel more emotionally intelligent for having watched a performance by Ballet BC. As we usually have been covering news and event, it’s a blessing to come and see a live show! We felt that our souls were nourished with the beauty of the dancers acting out the story of “A Streetcar Named Desire” 🙂
This is truly the best type of performance art, where the epitome of our best dancers are able to translate to the audience what’s happening in the story! 🙂
“Every picture tells a story!” – Ballet BC
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If AHA MEDIA were to echo parrellisms from the performance of “A Streetcar Named Desire” where it depicts the ” struggle between gentility and commonness as well as the dying aristocracy and vital working class”, We as hyper local community reporters and citizen journalists from the Vancouver Downtown Eastside know very well the incoming and ongoing changes to our area – our neighborhood faces a shift in our community dynamics with the revitalization and gentrification that goes on …to even how some of our folks experiencing grief, loss, trauma, mental illness every day.
“Suddenly, Blanche is all-alone. She has lost her grip on reality, but she smiles and is more old-fashioned and gracious than ever. A doctor and medical attendant help Blanche to her feet. Blanche is calm now, ready to depend henceforward on “the kindness of strangers.” Wherever they may be taking her, it will be better and fuller than her past life has been.”
AHA MEDIA seeks to report on our neighborhood and to give a voice to our Vancouver Downtown Eastside citizens who may be facing struggles everyday which have the same “themes of vitality, fragility, cruelty, promiscuity, and social realism; themes which we are reminded of from the issues and images of life around us” from the performance “A Streetcar Named Desire”
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AHA MEDIA encourages everybody, ( if they’re able ) to watch a performance of “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Ballet BC , on now from April 16 – 18th! 🙂 http://www.balletbc.com
AHA MEDIA participated in the LG Canadian Texting Championships and Media Charity Challenge!
LG Electronics invited Vancouver media to compete in the ultimate text message challenge to win $1,000 on behalf of the charity of your choice.
Below is a photo of Faris Chebib from LG, April Smith and Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA, very happy to be invited to participate in the Media Challenge! AHA MEDIA is proud to be media from the Vancouver Downtown Eastside!! Thanks so much LG! 🙂
Below is a photo of John Chow and April Smith – both getting ready have a text-off with each other to raise funds for the charity of choice.
If AHA MEDIA would have won, we would have donated our $1,000 cheque to CACV Community Arts Council of Vancouver http://www.cacv.ca
The Community Arts Council of Vancouver was the first arts council in North America.
Since its beginning in 1946, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver has been a contributor to shaping the cultural life of Vancouver. The Council has been a powerful force in creating and advocating for many of the institutions, traditions and policies in Vancouver that we benefit from today.
For more than 60 years, CACV has been contributing to the cultural and community development of Vancouver by creating art projects that engage the community and facilitating, supporting, and advocating for initiatives, facilities, and programs that increase community participation in the arts. Our interests are to increase understanding of how the arts create community, grow our appreciation of our cultural differences, and engage the community in the art of developing community.
In the next few years we will attract and engage community leaders and the people who have the ability to provide the resources and collaborate with them in determining the critical initiatives that will accelerate the cultural and community development of our city.
Our biggest priority and greatest opportunity is our Downtown Eastside community which is rich in history and cultures and the neighbourhood with the largest population of artists per capita in British Columbia.
April Smith and Buzz Bishop wish each other good luck for the Media Charity Challenge! 🙂
Peter Davies, Reporter for AHA MEDIA pratices his texting skills before the challenge.
April Smith smiles a big grin before being the first one to compete in the LG Texting Media Championships and Media Charity Challenge to raise funds for charity of choice! 🙂
As all participants are all from the MEDIA, – we all documented each other during the friendly competition! 🙂
After the dust settled, Buzz Bishop was declared the winner! 🙂 His charity of choice for Canadian Diabetes Association!
Way to go Buzz and Congrads to you!!! 🙂
We’re all winners! Here is a photo of the Media from Vancouver for the LG Texting Championship and Media Charity Challenge! 🙂
AHA MEDIA say thanks to our fellow teammates and friends for the opportunity to try to win the LG Texting Championships and Media Charity Challenge! It was great being with all of you! 🙂
A great big thanks to LG Electronics Canada for hosting us and donating $1,000 to our charity of choice! 🙂
AHA Media 