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.