The Tannenbaum

“Do you want me to drive to Save-On Foods?” - the owner (hereafter, “Mira”) when telling a table that she’s out of Black Forest cake.

If you know me personally, follow me on social media (be it through Eat New West or my public-facing accounts), or attended the first few minutes of Anime in the Philippines starting with Sakura-Con 2024, you might know that I stan like this restaurant very much enough that it may as well be a running gag. Keichoro’s birthday dinner did a good job at hyping me up considering my German language-learning interests, with Mira speedrunning her way into converting me into a repeat (and then a regular) customer after I did a walk-in two months later.

Please note that:

  1. I don’t document all of my visits on ENW (compared to Instagram Stories). I would only do so if something exciting happened, because talking about ordering the same Wiener schnitzel and black forest cake twice per month gets stale easily.
  2. Anything in arrow brackets is in German.

2024-12-13

To celebrate hitting my (then-almost) one year of regularly showing up to that restaurant, I returned to Tannenbaum with my half-German friend Zerogouki (again!) last Saturday for lunch.

I had the Jägerpfanne and the (fried) potatoes, which was what I ordered during my first visit last year…in German. They’re like my previous visits: it’s Mira Mendes; you know what you will get and they’re solid. If you know, you know. If not…

You will order your food and be forced to let Mira (pretend to) be your mom during your visit, which does include her playfully teasing you. It doesn’t matter if you’re older than her or hate being teased. It’s part of the contract; you will accept both that teasing and Mira as your temporary mother figure.

If you’re getting the Jägerpfanne like me, the spätzle should be equally crispy and soft. There are exactly two pieces of tender pork and several pieces of canned-looking sliced mushrooms. The sauce is hot but won’t burn your tongue. It’s the dish that warms you up on a cold or rainy day, and it will be incredible.

Unfortunate to hear that someone stole one of her bathroom signs, based on one conversation she had (in German) with one of her former Alpen Haus colleagues. Hope she can find a replacement (or even better, the sign and the culprit).

2024-09-08

  • Bluesky post featuring the drink.
  • My two friends are Jesse Betteridge and Keichoro.
  • I asked Mira during my previous visit’s post-meal chat about whether she can make me an Eiskaffee “for good money”, as it’s the best way to make me order a drink. She said that she’d make me one during my next visit, and she sure delivered. (She might make you one if you ask; the worst she could say is “No”. Although my chances were higher as I’m one of her regulars who’s on good terms with her.)

Eiskaffee (German ice cream coffee) isn’t an official Tannenbaum drink.

During yesterday’s lunch visit, however, Mira made me and two friends her delicious take on that drink using coffee, Apfelstrudel ice cream, Black Forest cake whipped cream, and chocolate syrup.

I also would never have the patience to chill my own coffee and pipe beautiful-looking whipped cream, but that’s how our schnitzel saleswoman rolls.

2024-05-04

  • “Schnitzel von Mama” (ie. “mom’s schnitzel” or “mom schnitzel”) is a running r/SchnitzelVerbrechen joke among the lines of “<mom’s schnitzel is the best>”.
  • I visited Rhein Haus with Dr. Emily Hall (who I assisted with her manhwa and webtoon panel) during the Sakura-Con 2024 weekend. It’s good for Seattle, but isn’t as great compared to Tannenbaum, MunChi, and to some extent, Eva in Victoria. Here’s our spread from that restaurant and I am down to take her to Tannenbaum should she come to Vancouver.

One-liner: Wiener schnitzel remains the ultimate Tannenbaum litmus test, but it’s worth trying out the Garnelen (shrimp) croissant.

Also better late than never, but I was back at (you guessed it) Schnitzel von M… er I mean The Tannenbaum last week, as much as schnitzel is veal or pork rather than mothers.

I tried the Garnelen (shrimp) croissant as it’s a lunch exclusive and I’ve heard good things from both [ENW regular]’s write-up and [ENW user]’s comment on my previous write-up. The croissant is properly toasted, tastes like it’s from some upscale bakery, and cut appropriately enough that most of the not-so-oversauced shrimp salad doesn’t fall on your plate. I know I can make a shrimp croissant at home, but this combination slaps.

As much as I understand that I should always eat my vegetables, I’m likely to ask about subbing the side mixed greens for the goulash the next time I’m back for lunch. It’s piping hot, hearty at the bottom, and omits distracting gimmicks such as “pretzel crisps" (cough cough, Rhein Haus). Note that it doesn’t come with saltines or even that free dinnertime two-bite garlic bread. Not an issue for me, but it might be for some.

I swapped out my usual Black Forest cake for the cheesecake. It’s not my first time enjoying that cake as I previously tried it last January. But the blueberry flavour and compote shine here, on top of the fluffy cake texture and caramel-noted shortcrust.

During this visit, I also noticed that Mira ramped up her “how’s everything tasting” checks. She previously stuck to only checking my entree, but checked on me for all three items. Considering that Mira knows that I write about her restaurant (let alone hold membership) in this group, I can confidently say, “Bitte helfen Sie mir; ich bin in Gefahr”.

2024-04-10

Brought along my (half-German) anime convention friend Zerogouki to The Tannenbaum yesterday evening. He got the rouladen, I got my usual Wiener to the tune of Mira roasting me for not being “adventurous” as him, and we both got the Not Too Sweet™ Black Forest cakes.

Zerogouki found the rouladen delicious and authentic, and he’ll definitely be back for the cheesecake. The real highlight of our visit, however, was watching Mira sprint out of the restaurant to successfully chase down another table who forgot their takeout. Bonus points for her making that chase while wearing wedge sandals; they seem hard to run in!

2024-02-07

  • The “go-to in-office lunch spot” is obviously Aiyaohno Cafe, knowing their pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan menu.
  • Mira clarified during a later visit that she made that switch as a courtesy, considering that I’m one of her regular customers. She also acted as if the vegetarian schnitzel is the bane of my existence by mentioning it in front of guests who I bring in (such as, “Mich isn’t ordering the vegetarian schnitzel” to my partner while I’m ordering).

Better late than never, but I was at The Tannenbaum last Wednesday night. My go-to is a Wiener Schnitzel (this happens when you take r/SchnitzelVerbrechen too seriously that you associate sauce with barbarism) and a black forest cake, but I tried the vegetarian schnitzel as an omnivore considering that:

  1. Mira encouraged me to do so during a previous post-meal chat.
  2. I’ve been used to eating tasty vegan and vegetarian meals, thanks to my go-to in-office lunch spot (name in the comments) partially specializing in such meals.

I could only finish a third of that schnitzel before Mira checked up on me. I said that it’s not my thing and I’d stick to my usual Wiener during future visits. She mentioned that the vegetarian schnitzel isn’t made with omnivores in mind, before insisting on replacing it with a Wiener. I got that Wiener minutes later, it hit the spot like during my previous visits (juicy pork and crisp breading), and I wasn’t billed for that vegetarian schnitzel.

I didn’t photograph it, but I also ordered the black forest cake and it’s what I’d expect based on previous visits: moist cake, good cream/cake ratio, and especially Not Too Sweet™ - I’m Asian; I’m obligated to say the last point!

(I later heard from Mira during our usual post-meal chat that she’s indeed forgiving if you speak up about not liking your food for any reason. She’ll note it, fix what she can, and life goes on. But if you tell her that your meal was “good” but later catches you saying otherwise online, it’s bad karma and she’ll remember.)