Gabriel's Gourmet Cafe, Nanaimo

Myself and the Brunette of my Acquaintance headed up to Newcastle Island for the May stat holiday.  Newcastle is my favourite of the BC campsites I've been too.  You can't drive in, so have to limit what you drag over.  This means there's no huge RVs looming over you, and no cars heading off at 5am as the driver has sobered up enough to head home.  It's quiet, and the sites have more space around them.

But there's still a shop, and lots of trails to walk, and the lights of Nanaimo are right there.  So you can head into the city if you've run out of beer, lost a can opener or just need to get back to the concrete jungle.  The foot ferry over costs $9 return, so you really have to want to make the day trip, but it's a comfortable safety blanket.

So we had a very nice relaxing weekend, cooking over the open fire some incredibly tasty burgers from Glenwood Meats.  All the wood smoke and good quality beef made for great outdoors feed.  The bean stew we made also was enhanced by wood fire and the fresh air.  And chicken we slapped directly on to the grill after weekend marinating was so tender and moist.

So after all that good food, the Monday morning we struck camp and headed in the city to grab breakfast before we headed home.   Gabriel's Gourmet is on the main street through Nanaimo.  They believe in local food from local farms and producers.  They tell you in great length on their website.  The cafe is full of pine wood, and fresh herbs growing on shelves, and art made from rusty old saws. They have a small patio, and about space for 20-30 inside.  You head to the back, order then get seated.  Means you have to think on your feet on what to order, but that probably speeds things up, and the wait staff not having to dance around through the coffee and perusal of long menus for twenty minutes will increase turn over.

I went for the Weekend Benny, which was a delicious pile of kale and bacon in a chive-enhanced Hollandaise.  Country potatoes rounded it out.  Every forkful was full of bright, rich flavours.  The bacon was thick cut, and cooked to just crispy.  Rounded out with coffee that was neither weka nor over strong, the day continued to maintain it's lvel of good.

The Brunette got the eggs on corn cakes with a mess of beans and salsa. The mouthfuls I tried were on par with the with the Benny.  Cooked well to combine the flavours, but not over cooked to a much.  And her daughters salmon wrap had perfectly cured salmon, with that rich, sea-salt sweetness that says to me it's great.

Overall, an excellent meal.  Kept me going until Duncan, where I did need to top off the caffeine with a can of Rockstar coffee.  Not a patch on the hot brew served in Nanaimo, or boiled up on the stove at the campsite, but the jolt was needed.

True Confections, English Bay, Vancouver

Two of my old university friends came over to see family in Vancouver a month ago, and asked me to come say hello.   As I wanted to take a quick bike tour of False Creek for a project I'm working on), I combined the two things.  And added in a visit to meet another Vancouverite (The Marmot).  In one day.

Travelling to and from Vancouver, in one day, by ferry is a lot of time sitting on ferries and buses and skytrains.  I drove Schwartz Bay, and then went over on the 9 am ferry.  I decided the 7 am was for the birds. Plus, the coach service into Vancouver is now a lot less regular.  Which seems like a big shame, as it was cost effective way to get from Victoria to Vancouver, when ever you needed with out having to wait for transit at both ends.  That turns a three hour plus journey into five hours or more.

The winning way is to take a float plane.  Of course, that also costs more, but it is the best view of the lot.

I got into town around eleven thirty and hiked over to City Cycle Tours, and picked up a bike.  Disc brakes, thick tyres, well maintained.  I zoomed off over the Burrard Street Bridge and did the cycle path around False Creek from Kits to English Bay, via the Science Museum.  A really fun ride.  Mostly flat, lots of scenery across the Bay, and interesting sights.

Once in English Bay, I met up with my friends and their tiny baby.  We had lunch at the Sylvia after a short walk around the local area.  And then dessert at True Confections.

Where our friendship was put to the test.

Apparently friends don't let friends eat carrot cake.  Not when sky-high towers of New York style cheesecake are on offer.  Thing is, I really like carrot cake, and I've been told True Confections makes the best desserts in town.  They are a dessert-only cafe, set up 1989 to serve just for the sweet course.  And they've been going ever since.  The space isn't that large, seating about 40 people.  They don't take reservations. Just turn up, eat pie and drink coffee.  A nice little niche, especially as you can often go to a great restaurant where dessert is just an after thought.

They weren't that busy, and made room for the bairn's pushchair, though we were kinda stuffed into one corner.  But we had a good view of the street, and massive array of sweets.  After much arguing about what to eat, and recriminations about carrot cake, we got some coffee, and drinks and food.

The Carrot Cake, I can report, is not worth losing a friend over.  It is excellent. Just not the central blissful nirvana that would mean writing off close to twenty years of friendship.  But after trying a forkful, they did decide they could at least see why it was a valid (if still questionable choice). It was moist, light and tasty, with a good slathering of cream cheese frosting on top.

The cheesecake was rich and glorious.  Thick wodges of cake on a buttery biscuit base (yes!), served with a fruit sauce that combined a sweetness and tartness to balance the unctuous cake.

All very good.  And friendships saved. And babies cooed over. And old times remembered.  Great to see those guys again.

So afterwards, I headed back on my bike to the Tour shop, happy with some exercise to balance the calories of the day, and headed to see the Marmot on Main.  We also caught up, and talked business and friends and the future. And she then graciously gave me a ride back to Tsawwassen in time for the last ferry home.

So you can do Vancouver in a day, complete the first stage of a work project, see two sets of old friends AND solve a bunch of puzzles for the Puzzled Pint.  I just wouldn't want to do it every day.

It was a long day.  But good for the soul.

True Confections, 866 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC

McRaes Bistro, Saanich

Myself and the brunette of my acquaintance took an evening stroll down Shelbourne.  We headed for McRae's for a pint and bite to eat, enjoying a spot of sunshine on a glorious May 1st.  We had decided it'd be nice to see a different local bar from Maude Hunter's.  And I really needed a beer to unwind from a long day.  So a short walk and we found the bistro half full and buzzing.  There was space on the patio, but no-one up front to seat people.

I just deleted many paragraphs on how long it took to get seated and served a beer. I re-read it.  It wasn't actually interesting.  Summary: it was close to twenty minutes.  The two servers were busy, the bar staff were busy, and no-one seems to have given the front of house staff a quick overview of how to deal with days when there's too much to do.  The experience is what your are selling when eating out. Make the customer feel welcomed and comfortable, and that goes a long way to making them happy and coming back again.

Good food and cold beer also helps but isn't enough on it's own.  So while getting served a pint of cold Hop Circle and Pimms Cup took far too long, there's no complaints on the beverages.  The Pimms came with a suitably large slice of cucumber and a shaving of lemon.  Something that always helps.  The pint of Hop Circle was $5.00, which is a great price for a good beer.  So that made up for the wait.  A little.

On to the food.  A Salmon Flatbread and McRae's salad.   The flatbread was side-plate sized, but smothered in cream cheese, big chunks of smoked, pink fish and a pile of arugula. Had to shove that aside and put it in the salad.  The bread was crisp on the base, but the dough was soft on top, golden and slightly chewy.  A really pleasant mix of textures. The fish and cheese were complimented with capers, making a savoury, salty mouthful that just combined things right.

The salad was a big.  I always think $10 for a bowl of greens is a little excessive, but they did a good job here, with some sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, shaved carrots and beets.  Lots of greens, from a variety of lettuce leaves. And tasty dressing, which was slightly sweet, but mostly tangy flavour.  I just guessed it had balsamic vinegar in it, which on review of the menu is correct:  a maple balsamic dressing.

Sitting out on the deck with a cold beer and good food and good company is a very pleasant way to spend a sunny Sunday.

http://www.mcraesbistro.com/ - 1652 McRae Avenue Saanich, BC