Number 6 on Brunch Places to visit in 2017 is "Hawk and Hen". Which is convenient, as it is fast become a favourite regular place for my friends and I to eat at. That's because there's no line up, decent coffee and buttery, waxy, golden potatoes.
I reviewed Hawk & Hen in 2015, not long after it opened. I haven't been back for anything but brunch, but feel it's probably time I did. The space does seem to have gathered more customers in the mean time, and the menu has changed up a little, but it's still looking at serving up classic, fresh west coast breakfasts with small, but good twists.
The restaurant is split over three levels, with the front side having two tiers next to tall windows. The windows deserve to get lots of warm light in. They instead face north, looking at the old brick heritage buildings of Yates Street. Buildings much improved and renovated in recent years, mind you. The time I went, the main feature of those buildings was two ladies shotgunning Lucky Lager to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs".
Good on them.
Inside, the tables on the lower levels are big and friendly and relaxing. But always feels cramped being underneath on the ground floor. Even now I have my head bent down, feeling like I've crawled underneath a tree house to have lunch. It's not that low at all in there, but has air of enclosure that i wish it didn't.
But the food. Last time I went I ordered the BC Salmon Skillet: a layer of buttery, golden Yukon potatoes, covered in smoked salmon, latkes and capers. Topped with two poached eggs and some fresh Hollandaise. In cast iron skillet.
I suspect my cholesterol is up several points. But it was worth it. Some how they make the potatoes both firm and waxy in consistency, and rich tasting as well. The earthy nice of the spuds comes through. It's clearly the butter that does the trick. I am sure it's not just covering everything melted butter and hoping. I do that at home sometimes, and it doesn't quite have this result.
The eggs were done to around medium/medium soft. Hard to get perfect, but they were pretty damn near, and oozed the yolks nicely over the salmon and capers. This made for a savory, fishy forkful.The slight smoke in the salmon cuts through the eggs just enough to make it a great combination. In fact, even though they serve thick hand-sliced rashers of bacon, and one of my friends had it sitting there in my eyeline, I didn't feel the least bit jealous. And I've had the bacon. It's good bacon. Just this is good salmon too.
(I'm just sending a message to suggest we go back soon for another brunch, as I do want the bacon next time).
They serve hipster friendly Bows and Arrow coffee. Hipster friendly, and well roasted, good coffee. All the while kept freshened up by a pair of attentive servers. The staff definitely seemed more relaxed and on the ball than my first visit,
One to visit for sure, and deserving in a top ten of Victoria brunch places. But hopefully this post won't get too much attention so there's a queue to get in.
Showing posts with label brunch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brunch. Show all posts
January 22, 2017
June 12, 2016
Crows Restaurant, Gorge Road, Victoria
The Crows restaurant is in the Ramada on Gorge, in the same space that used to be occupied by the Cecelia Creek Restaurant. The Creek did really good food when it first opened, but was marred by a very odd attitude to splitting bills and taking cards. They had a change of ownership last year, but that seems to not have saved the venue; and it's now under a brand new name; and another set of owners.
So, we headed of for brunch on Sunday morning, as two of my friends have moved within walking distance. No lines, but there was a good number of people eating in there. Quietly busy. Which is probably the sweet spot for any brunch joint. Enough to keep things lively, but not crammed in so it's a rushed, painful experience.
The coffee is brewed dark and strong, and has kept wired until 11 o'clock. Cream is sadly single server creamer in plastic cartons, which doesn't jive with the hipster mason jars of brown sugar and a tiny coffee spoon. The water is provided in big glass bottles, so no waiting for the servers to keep you hydrated. Much prefer little jugs of milk or cream. It seems more homely and welcoming.
The menu is extensive, but doesn't over stretch itself into too many options. You have a variety of benny's, a variety of traditional meat/eggs/potato combinations, some waffley/pancakes and a small set of specials. Including Shakshouka, poached eggs in Moroccan tomato sauce, with garlic bread. Which sounded awesome, but the Trueman grabbed my eyes.
Spoons and Floyd's have their own 'dealer's choice' options, and the Trueman is the Crows version. Choose either breakfast or lunch, omnivore or veggie, sweet or savoury, and for $11, the chef will send out something random.
I like random. I like surprises. I also liked the $11 price tag. So I went for that, and got a plate of potatoes and double deck burger bun stuffed with a sausage+chicken omelette, with big chunks of tomato.
It was indeed delicious, as promised, and not so huge my stomach muscles were over stretched. A hearty breakfast, not an idiot sized one. I did have to ask for ketchup and hot sauce (neither were offered), but the mole spicy sauce was worth asking for, and added a pleasant level of heat and pepped up the eggs just how I like them. The potatoes were cooked to a dark crisp. They looked burnt and not incredibly appetizing... until I tasted them, and they were crunchy yet soft on the insides. I am not sure it was intentional to have a couple of stray yams pieces in there as well, but there they were, and they seem like a happy accident.
Two of my friends ordered the Goat Benny, which was reported back as tasty, with a good (not great, but good) Hollandaise. The sausages that came with Crow's nest (French toast with eggs) were huge fat boys. Reported back as juicy and full of flavour, though they also looked like they had been over-cooked, they weren't.
The general verdict was to visit again. It was a good price, and they were more than happy to split bills and let us pay in any way we saw fit. The need to do it as one big bill seems to have gone with the new ownership. Thank goodness. The visual presentation possibly needs a bit of a tweak, but this was a solid breakfast, with no lines, no mucking around and decent size servings to keep you going all day.
The Crows space doesn't seem to have changed much. Lots of big wooden tables, plenty of space and light making a farm house/country kitchen feel. The owners are supportive of the gamer community in Victoria, hosting a regular Board Game night every month (see facebook for more details). Being tied to the hotel as well should keep a good flow of customers through as well.
So, we headed of for brunch on Sunday morning, as two of my friends have moved within walking distance. No lines, but there was a good number of people eating in there. Quietly busy. Which is probably the sweet spot for any brunch joint. Enough to keep things lively, but not crammed in so it's a rushed, painful experience.
The coffee is brewed dark and strong, and has kept wired until 11 o'clock. Cream is sadly single server creamer in plastic cartons, which doesn't jive with the hipster mason jars of brown sugar and a tiny coffee spoon. The water is provided in big glass bottles, so no waiting for the servers to keep you hydrated. Much prefer little jugs of milk or cream. It seems more homely and welcoming.
The menu is extensive, but doesn't over stretch itself into too many options. You have a variety of benny's, a variety of traditional meat/eggs/potato combinations, some waffley/pancakes and a small set of specials. Including Shakshouka, poached eggs in Moroccan tomato sauce, with garlic bread. Which sounded awesome, but the Trueman grabbed my eyes.
Spoons and Floyd's have their own 'dealer's choice' options, and the Trueman is the Crows version. Choose either breakfast or lunch, omnivore or veggie, sweet or savoury, and for $11, the chef will send out something random.
I like random. I like surprises. I also liked the $11 price tag. So I went for that, and got a plate of potatoes and double deck burger bun stuffed with a sausage+chicken omelette, with big chunks of tomato.
 |
| The Trueman |
Two of my friends ordered the Goat Benny, which was reported back as tasty, with a good (not great, but good) Hollandaise. The sausages that came with Crow's nest (French toast with eggs) were huge fat boys. Reported back as juicy and full of flavour, though they also looked like they had been over-cooked, they weren't.
The general verdict was to visit again. It was a good price, and they were more than happy to split bills and let us pay in any way we saw fit. The need to do it as one big bill seems to have gone with the new ownership. Thank goodness. The visual presentation possibly needs a bit of a tweak, but this was a solid breakfast, with no lines, no mucking around and decent size servings to keep you going all day.
The Crows space doesn't seem to have changed much. Lots of big wooden tables, plenty of space and light making a farm house/country kitchen feel. The owners are supportive of the gamer community in Victoria, hosting a regular Board Game night every month (see facebook for more details). Being tied to the hotel as well should keep a good flow of customers through as well.
January 31, 2016
Agrius by Fol Epi, Downtown Victoria
Fol Epi has a reputation as an artisanal bakery, turning out bread thats made with the best flour, wood fired ovens and an 'old time' feel. They've recently moved into a space on Yates Street, and opened up a restaurant to go along with the baked goods and coffee sales.
So, my intrepid breakfast eating friends and I descended this morning to try out the brunch.
The staff set us up a table for eight, moving together a set of two-person tables into one long affair. They were super happy to organize us into the space, and took care of us quickly once seated, bringing out coffee and water as a platoon, not just one server dealing with one table. Though the space is large, and would appear to be noisy, it was very comfortable to sit and have a good conversation, while still seeing across the restaurant, into the kitchen and behind the bar. One guy was squeezing ALL the oranges... so if you need OJ, you knew it'd be super fresh.
We could also order house made 'ferments'. Which I assume is Kombucha and other items that are made by invoking the right mold and bacteria to grow in a liquid or solid... and instead of throwing it out as spoiled, serving it. And why not 'black mushroom tea' is kinda of tasty, even if the mold culture that transforms the sweet tea into the slightly fizzy, slight sour drink is gross looking.
But I choose the coffee. It was dark roasted. it was hot. it wasn't bitter. I liked it. I choose coffee over the APA beer on tap, as it was 10.30am, and I had just driven down. I can adult sometimes.
For my meal, I ordered the eggs, sausage and hashbrowns. The eggs were soft poached, but not overly tasty... the pale yellow yolk suggests these weren't from hens with a wide diet. There wasn't a richness in flavour I've had from other eggs, though my reading suggests the yolk colour isn't really a great indicator of the provenance of the ovum.
The sausages were house made, and a great combination of rich dark meat and a enough herbs to bring the flavour up with out overpowering the meat. Very good. The potatoes were cubed and friend 'country style'. They were advertised as hash browns. The lovely Brunette was not in attendance, so she my monthly gripe. They were good solid cubes of potato, and set well with the rest of the food. Two slices of an airy, floury bread were served with the meal as well. And a big dish of house made ketchup as well. The ketchup was good.
The house made hot sauce was really good. Served with a eye dropper bottle, this added a little kick to the eggs, but also added flavour more than pure heat. Really nice way of serving it, and a really good sauce.
All in all, I thought it was done well, but without amazing me in anyway. The prices were a little bit of a premium to other places, and some of their competition other out does them on the creativity, or on portion sizes. And some can easily match the quality of the source material as well.
I'd probably return for the dinner service, as there looked to be several interesting choices, and the bar drinks where interesting and wide ranging. But for brunch... I'd rate Relish, Veneto and Glo ahead of Fol Epi, all of whom serve a similar style of menu and food. It's not a bad fourth place to be, and there's a lot worse places to go.
Agrius by Fol Epi, 732 Yates Street, Victoria: www.folepi.ca
So, my intrepid breakfast eating friends and I descended this morning to try out the brunch.
The staff set us up a table for eight, moving together a set of two-person tables into one long affair. They were super happy to organize us into the space, and took care of us quickly once seated, bringing out coffee and water as a platoon, not just one server dealing with one table. Though the space is large, and would appear to be noisy, it was very comfortable to sit and have a good conversation, while still seeing across the restaurant, into the kitchen and behind the bar. One guy was squeezing ALL the oranges... so if you need OJ, you knew it'd be super fresh.
We could also order house made 'ferments'. Which I assume is Kombucha and other items that are made by invoking the right mold and bacteria to grow in a liquid or solid... and instead of throwing it out as spoiled, serving it. And why not 'black mushroom tea' is kinda of tasty, even if the mold culture that transforms the sweet tea into the slightly fizzy, slight sour drink is gross looking.
But I choose the coffee. It was dark roasted. it was hot. it wasn't bitter. I liked it. I choose coffee over the APA beer on tap, as it was 10.30am, and I had just driven down. I can adult sometimes.
For my meal, I ordered the eggs, sausage and hashbrowns. The eggs were soft poached, but not overly tasty... the pale yellow yolk suggests these weren't from hens with a wide diet. There wasn't a richness in flavour I've had from other eggs, though my reading suggests the yolk colour isn't really a great indicator of the provenance of the ovum.
The sausages were house made, and a great combination of rich dark meat and a enough herbs to bring the flavour up with out overpowering the meat. Very good. The potatoes were cubed and friend 'country style'. They were advertised as hash browns. The lovely Brunette was not in attendance, so she my monthly gripe. They were good solid cubes of potato, and set well with the rest of the food. Two slices of an airy, floury bread were served with the meal as well. And a big dish of house made ketchup as well. The ketchup was good.
The house made hot sauce was really good. Served with a eye dropper bottle, this added a little kick to the eggs, but also added flavour more than pure heat. Really nice way of serving it, and a really good sauce.
All in all, I thought it was done well, but without amazing me in anyway. The prices were a little bit of a premium to other places, and some of their competition other out does them on the creativity, or on portion sizes. And some can easily match the quality of the source material as well.
I'd probably return for the dinner service, as there looked to be several interesting choices, and the bar drinks where interesting and wide ranging. But for brunch... I'd rate Relish, Veneto and Glo ahead of Fol Epi, all of whom serve a similar style of menu and food. It's not a bad fourth place to be, and there's a lot worse places to go.
Agrius by Fol Epi, 732 Yates Street, Victoria: www.folepi.ca
January 17, 2016
Cafe Veneto, Downtown Victoria
I'm surprised. I could have sworn I had reviewed the Cafe at Veneto at some point in the past, but my search-fu suggests I have not published anything. Or even mentioned before how much I like the cocktail bar and restaurant. I would of sworn on my copy of Nigel Slater's "Real Fast Food" I once wrote a paragraph on how awesome the breakfast tagine was. Pulses and lentils and eggs, all steamed and crammed together into a wholesome, filling brunch. But, I must have been feverish that week, and dreamed the whole 'writing it down' part.
The tagine is no longer on the menu. The list is relatively standard for Victoria: a classic breakfast, a benny, a hash, something super sweet, huevos rancheros and a lighter option. This is not a criticism. Having crazy or odd food is great. If you can pull it off. Of course, if you can't pull of a good traditional breakfast either, then your not going to get a good review from me.
The Veneto Cafe can pull of their menu with good skill. I went for the traditional breakfast, and was rewarded with two perfectly, medium poached eggs, perfectly toasted bread (pre-buttered just right) and a pile of breakfast potatoes, crisp yet floury on the inside. For the meat, I went with the bacon, and was rewarded with four rashers, cooked crispy so they crunched and shattered under my bite. And there was hot coffee, medium roasted with just enough of an eye opening caffeine hit.
One of my friends ordered the short rib beef hash. Piles and piles of meat in the bottom of the skillet, covered with potatoes and onions and arugula and curds and eggs. Massive meal, he took half it home, after raving about how good the first half was.
The tagine is no longer on the menu. The list is relatively standard for Victoria: a classic breakfast, a benny, a hash, something super sweet, huevos rancheros and a lighter option. This is not a criticism. Having crazy or odd food is great. If you can pull it off. Of course, if you can't pull of a good traditional breakfast either, then your not going to get a good review from me.
The Veneto Cafe can pull of their menu with good skill. I went for the traditional breakfast, and was rewarded with two perfectly, medium poached eggs, perfectly toasted bread (pre-buttered just right) and a pile of breakfast potatoes, crisp yet floury on the inside. For the meat, I went with the bacon, and was rewarded with four rashers, cooked crispy so they crunched and shattered under my bite. And there was hot coffee, medium roasted with just enough of an eye opening caffeine hit.
One of my friends ordered the short rib beef hash. Piles and piles of meat in the bottom of the skillet, covered with potatoes and onions and arugula and curds and eggs. Massive meal, he took half it home, after raving about how good the first half was.
November 22, 2015
Heron Rock Bistro, James Bay, Victoria
A long weekend, with Saturday seeing me at TEDx Victoria, and today doing some casting work for a show I am putting together. That's my humble-bragging, oh-woe-is-me I-am-so-busy entry line. I did however get to have brunch with breakfast friends (without the Brunette this week) at Heron Rock Bistro.
There may have been a wait list when we walked in. I am not sure. It go confusing, as some people were being written down on the list, but I wasn't when I asked for a table of four. As the next group got on the clipboard, I thought it best to check why I hadn't got on the exalted level of being written down. Still no idea, but we got sat in a booth 60 seconds later, so all was well.
Unless of course that was someone else's booth, and they are waiting, cursing my name. The curse probably was to dry out my toast. Or make the coffee watery. One of those two things, as the rest of the meal was good.
I ordered the Huevos Cubaneros. Two poached eggs on a mound of black beans, caramelized onions, crisp breakfast potatoes and some avocados. And a mess of other good hash like things. The mound was crowned by a good dash of Hollandaise and some finely chopped spring onions. Topped off with a little splash of the house hot sauce. The hot sauce had a smoky punch to it, which rounded of my dish nicely. It's a hearty dish, that combined a lot of good veg into something that still felt like a decadent breakfast.
It came with some toast, which was pre-buttered, but not a soft, warm round. It was a warm and dry and tough triangle, I ate all of it, but really shouldn't have. I like toast. This was not good toast.
My friends raved about the Corned Beef Hash, made with cabbage for some bite and a pile of the caramelized onions. The chef knows how to make a onion sweet, as it was also mentioned by the guy piling into the pulled pork special benny. This was pork on french toast, with coleslaw and apple and guacamole and far too many things going on. All good things, but like a ensemble cast movie, you sometimes want a hero to come forward.
And on that note, I leave you for another week, as I got more stuff to do tomorrow, it's almost midnight, and I am half asleep.
There may have been a wait list when we walked in. I am not sure. It go confusing, as some people were being written down on the list, but I wasn't when I asked for a table of four. As the next group got on the clipboard, I thought it best to check why I hadn't got on the exalted level of being written down. Still no idea, but we got sat in a booth 60 seconds later, so all was well.
Unless of course that was someone else's booth, and they are waiting, cursing my name. The curse probably was to dry out my toast. Or make the coffee watery. One of those two things, as the rest of the meal was good.
I ordered the Huevos Cubaneros. Two poached eggs on a mound of black beans, caramelized onions, crisp breakfast potatoes and some avocados. And a mess of other good hash like things. The mound was crowned by a good dash of Hollandaise and some finely chopped spring onions. Topped off with a little splash of the house hot sauce. The hot sauce had a smoky punch to it, which rounded of my dish nicely. It's a hearty dish, that combined a lot of good veg into something that still felt like a decadent breakfast.
It came with some toast, which was pre-buttered, but not a soft, warm round. It was a warm and dry and tough triangle, I ate all of it, but really shouldn't have. I like toast. This was not good toast.
My friends raved about the Corned Beef Hash, made with cabbage for some bite and a pile of the caramelized onions. The chef knows how to make a onion sweet, as it was also mentioned by the guy piling into the pulled pork special benny. This was pork on french toast, with coleslaw and apple and guacamole and far too many things going on. All good things, but like a ensemble cast movie, you sometimes want a hero to come forward.
And on that note, I leave you for another week, as I got more stuff to do tomorrow, it's almost midnight, and I am half asleep.
October 25, 2015
Nourish in the Harbour, James Bay, Victoria
Nourish has two locations. One is out at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific in the backroads of Saanich (and a short run from the Vancouver Island Tech Park, having passed it many a time while running). The second newer location is in an old converted house in James Bay.
It's a BIG converted house. We aren't talking a small starter home. It's a heritage house, a big wooden building, stretching over three storeys (I've been in the unrenovated attic. It looks like my crazy great aunt's attic. If I had a crazy maiden great aunt). The first floor has space for 40-50 covers and a coffee bar. Plus the fully functioning kitchen. On the second floor, there's more dining space and meeting space if you want to book a nice, vintage feeling area for an intimate cocktail reception.
Back on the ground floor, there's the main business of the general admission cafe/restaurant, pushing out brunch. The philosophy is natural ingredients, nutrient-rich foods and seasonal choices. Combined with a desire to make interesting food, and not just quinoa, kale and aubergine stew for everyone.
There was plenty of tasty, tasty kale for those that want it. One of our group didn't, choosing to pass on the option of an Eggs Benedict piled up on a green-bean-and-kale base (Benny in the Moment), instead of the normal muffin. Even my love of the green leafed 'super food' passed at that option. We also passed by on the small cups of bone broth that were on the brunch menu. It's all very good, I am sure, but not before I have had my coffee!
Instead, I went for a standard breakfast, paired with an americano coffee. The coffee was good, rich and smooth, with a big flavour to wake up my morning. So it didn't last to long in the cup. Was offered plenty of refills of drip coffee, but decide to hydrate with the rosemary infused water on the table. I assume it was meant to be in the milk bottle, and not a poor cleaning job by the Avalon diary from whom the bottle had been purloined (those things have a big deposit on them, wonder if they know there's about $100 of glassware here?). The water didn't really taste of rosemary.
The breakfast was a platter of good stuff: a fistful of kale dressed in a light dressing, two soft poached eggs with thick golden yolks, a slice of seed toast, some potatoes and a herb and leek sausage. The kale was kale. If you like kale, you'll like it. If you don't, this is raw kale. It tastes of raw kale. The seed toast was crunchy and mostly seeds. One slice with a smear of butter and little bit of the soft apple was tasty.
The potatoes were rich and earthy and flavourful. They probably could have been fluffier or crispier... they weren't new waxy spuds, so the consistency of them was -like- they were slightly undercooked. They weren't but, something didn't seem quite right.
The sausage was a let-down (my fault for not choosing the bacon). It had no flavour beyond the seasoning, and tasted like it had been boiled or steamed, with very little time on the grill. Grill time makes meat taste better (in general) by the chemical reactions that occur when it browns. And when the fat in the meat gets a chance to melt and merge around with the rest of the filling. Wasn't impressed with whatever they had done here instead.
Two of my friends had the pancakes. These were more like big slices of fresh cake. Huge thick triangles of oatmeal. There wasn't much of them, though.
The dining room is great, bright airy and comfortable. The food is served to please the eyes, the staff are bright and cheery, and everything seems to be working in the right direction. The menu is encased in an old hard backed book. Maybe there's just a little sense of trying a bit too hard to be different that unsettled me a little?
That all said I think I'd go back to try some other dishes out. I like the concepts and the rest of the menu looked good, and I did feel good and ready to face the world.
It's a BIG converted house. We aren't talking a small starter home. It's a heritage house, a big wooden building, stretching over three storeys (I've been in the unrenovated attic. It looks like my crazy great aunt's attic. If I had a crazy maiden great aunt). The first floor has space for 40-50 covers and a coffee bar. Plus the fully functioning kitchen. On the second floor, there's more dining space and meeting space if you want to book a nice, vintage feeling area for an intimate cocktail reception.
Back on the ground floor, there's the main business of the general admission cafe/restaurant, pushing out brunch. The philosophy is natural ingredients, nutrient-rich foods and seasonal choices. Combined with a desire to make interesting food, and not just quinoa, kale and aubergine stew for everyone.
There was plenty of tasty, tasty kale for those that want it. One of our group didn't, choosing to pass on the option of an Eggs Benedict piled up on a green-bean-and-kale base (Benny in the Moment), instead of the normal muffin. Even my love of the green leafed 'super food' passed at that option. We also passed by on the small cups of bone broth that were on the brunch menu. It's all very good, I am sure, but not before I have had my coffee!
Instead, I went for a standard breakfast, paired with an americano coffee. The coffee was good, rich and smooth, with a big flavour to wake up my morning. So it didn't last to long in the cup. Was offered plenty of refills of drip coffee, but decide to hydrate with the rosemary infused water on the table. I assume it was meant to be in the milk bottle, and not a poor cleaning job by the Avalon diary from whom the bottle had been purloined (those things have a big deposit on them, wonder if they know there's about $100 of glassware here?). The water didn't really taste of rosemary.
The breakfast was a platter of good stuff: a fistful of kale dressed in a light dressing, two soft poached eggs with thick golden yolks, a slice of seed toast, some potatoes and a herb and leek sausage. The kale was kale. If you like kale, you'll like it. If you don't, this is raw kale. It tastes of raw kale. The seed toast was crunchy and mostly seeds. One slice with a smear of butter and little bit of the soft apple was tasty.
The potatoes were rich and earthy and flavourful. They probably could have been fluffier or crispier... they weren't new waxy spuds, so the consistency of them was -like- they were slightly undercooked. They weren't but, something didn't seem quite right.
The sausage was a let-down (my fault for not choosing the bacon). It had no flavour beyond the seasoning, and tasted like it had been boiled or steamed, with very little time on the grill. Grill time makes meat taste better (in general) by the chemical reactions that occur when it browns. And when the fat in the meat gets a chance to melt and merge around with the rest of the filling. Wasn't impressed with whatever they had done here instead.
Two of my friends had the pancakes. These were more like big slices of fresh cake. Huge thick triangles of oatmeal. There wasn't much of them, though.
The dining room is great, bright airy and comfortable. The food is served to please the eyes, the staff are bright and cheery, and everything seems to be working in the right direction. The menu is encased in an old hard backed book. Maybe there's just a little sense of trying a bit too hard to be different that unsettled me a little?
That all said I think I'd go back to try some other dishes out. I like the concepts and the rest of the menu looked good, and I did feel good and ready to face the world.
October 11, 2015
The London Tube, Downtown Victoria
A restaurant so new, it is not on Zomato yet. Zomato (aka Urbanspoon lobotomised) has not yet updated their listings to include this place, or the fact that City of Victoria and Downtown Victoria are pretty much the same place.
The London Tube is the hotel restaurant for the Best Western on Johnson Street. This was also once home of De Dutch and later 'Stones throw'. It has been open for about a month now. I fear no-one yet knows of it's existence, instead lining up for worst food in other locations that don't really deserve it.
This Sunday, after running an easy (ha!) 21.1 km around the city, myself and 3 other finishers of the run met with friends in the London Tube. We had out pick of any table in there, so we took a big long table near the back. There's several big comfortable booths, and 2, 4 and 6 place tables. They are riding on the London theme, with fake signs from London landmarks, like Carnaby Street. I am not sure what the London Underground would say about their use of the Underground logo, but no-one should get too confused... this is Victoria, Canada, not Victoria Station.
The menu is just long enough, with several brunch options, a pile of burger choices and some British inspired main courses. You got your scotch eggs, fish and chips, and chicken curry. They say people reckon the chicken curry is the best in the city. That's a very large claim to make... but I saw enough today that I am curious to see if they can back it up.
I ordered the Three Pancakes. At some point on my run I got a craving for pancakes. I'd normally have chosen the full english or what has the most chicken in it. But this time, my head said pancakes. I then got bacon, scrambled eggs and sausages added to it. Minor nitpick: when I get additional sides, it is always nice to have them on the same plate as the main course. Two rashers of bacon don't look as attractive as three big pancakes with two rashers of bacon fitted onto the plate. Admittedly, with the eggs, bacon and sausage, they'd have needed a bigger plate for me this morning.
The pancakes were, soft and fluffy and most edible. The sausages were breakfast sausages, slightly herby. They had that bite of the skin done just right so your teeth sink through it with a satisfying piercing of the tube. The eggs were scrambled to the turn, still moist. The bacon was bacon. There are better rashers to be had in town, but this was done decently. I got a nice jug of syrup to pour over my pancakes, which was better than the single serving packet of butter. Again, it just looks nicer to have two pats of butter rather than a plastic package. They brought out hot sauce, and had all the other condiments you need for breakfast ready to go.
The coffee... tasted like it had been stewed a little too long. Was not a fan of the coffee.
My friends had the breakfast poutine, which was a pile of country-fried potatoes, big cubes crisply fried, then smothered in a gravy . Inside that mess was a lot of cheese curds, some eggs and a few chunks of meat too. I tried a bit. I liked it. I also got favourable reports of the the breakfast sandwich and the beans. I wonder if they home bake their beans?
Overall, this was an improvement to the Stonesthrow. There's a bit more passion and care on the plate. It's not going to blow you away on the breakfast side, but your going to get something decent, with new cue and good service. Now, they just need to fix the TV to go away from the Shaw music channel...
The London Tube is the hotel restaurant for the Best Western on Johnson Street. This was also once home of De Dutch and later 'Stones throw'. It has been open for about a month now. I fear no-one yet knows of it's existence, instead lining up for worst food in other locations that don't really deserve it.
This Sunday, after running an easy (ha!) 21.1 km around the city, myself and 3 other finishers of the run met with friends in the London Tube. We had out pick of any table in there, so we took a big long table near the back. There's several big comfortable booths, and 2, 4 and 6 place tables. They are riding on the London theme, with fake signs from London landmarks, like Carnaby Street. I am not sure what the London Underground would say about their use of the Underground logo, but no-one should get too confused... this is Victoria, Canada, not Victoria Station.
The menu is just long enough, with several brunch options, a pile of burger choices and some British inspired main courses. You got your scotch eggs, fish and chips, and chicken curry. They say people reckon the chicken curry is the best in the city. That's a very large claim to make... but I saw enough today that I am curious to see if they can back it up.
I ordered the Three Pancakes. At some point on my run I got a craving for pancakes. I'd normally have chosen the full english or what has the most chicken in it. But this time, my head said pancakes. I then got bacon, scrambled eggs and sausages added to it. Minor nitpick: when I get additional sides, it is always nice to have them on the same plate as the main course. Two rashers of bacon don't look as attractive as three big pancakes with two rashers of bacon fitted onto the plate. Admittedly, with the eggs, bacon and sausage, they'd have needed a bigger plate for me this morning.
The pancakes were, soft and fluffy and most edible. The sausages were breakfast sausages, slightly herby. They had that bite of the skin done just right so your teeth sink through it with a satisfying piercing of the tube. The eggs were scrambled to the turn, still moist. The bacon was bacon. There are better rashers to be had in town, but this was done decently. I got a nice jug of syrup to pour over my pancakes, which was better than the single serving packet of butter. Again, it just looks nicer to have two pats of butter rather than a plastic package. They brought out hot sauce, and had all the other condiments you need for breakfast ready to go.
The coffee... tasted like it had been stewed a little too long. Was not a fan of the coffee.
My friends had the breakfast poutine, which was a pile of country-fried potatoes, big cubes crisply fried, then smothered in a gravy . Inside that mess was a lot of cheese curds, some eggs and a few chunks of meat too. I tried a bit. I liked it. I also got favourable reports of the the breakfast sandwich and the beans. I wonder if they home bake their beans?
Overall, this was an improvement to the Stonesthrow. There's a bit more passion and care on the plate. It's not going to blow you away on the breakfast side, but your going to get something decent, with new cue and good service. Now, they just need to fix the TV to go away from the Shaw music channel...
September 27, 2015
Hawk and Hen, Downtown Victoria
I'd seen that "Hawk and Hen" was coming into the spot once occupied by The Podium. The Podium was a big "sports bar" that failed to offer up sports in any way that differed from the other 15 places in town. I can watch a TV with sports on and drink beer in many places. If your not giving the live commentary on the feature matches, and really pushing the 'place to watch' angle, then your just another bar.
So Hawk and Hen has a big location to fill, with lots of seats, so I was a little surprised to see the soft opening (no website I could find till very recently) and the west-coast niche it was filling. Seems like a big ask to fill and 100+ seater place on a regular basis. But, I did see that Liam Quinn was named as executive chef. Liam runs the "Salt and Pepper Fox" (review), and if you work downtown and haven't had sandwich delivery from him yet, you should try it. So, I was expecting good, fresh local food.
I got good, fresh food. I have no idea where the albacore tuna I ate came from. In fact, I have no idea where you find albacore tuna in general, and who smokes it to this rich, velvety, powerful flavour. But I do know that the Tuna Melt I had was great. Thick slices of the beautifully rich, meat, slapped onto a thick wedge of crusty white bread, covered in cheese and grilled to a cheesy, gooey mess. The cheddar had enough bite to balance the soft white bread, and the tuna itself. Yes, you can make a tuna melt at home... but this was a really good one.
I had mine with a side of Rösti potatoes. These are grated potatoes, cooked into a crisp pattie. Like a (proper) hash brown that had been cooked longer and with more fat. Crunchy, and still rich and earthy. Yum. Would order these again and not be disappointed. The dish was completed with a small pile of greens, which featured long shavings of celery, and a simple french dressing.
My friends complimented the meatballs as being big, rich and juicy, though the tomato base they were in was a little too chunky... the smoother sauce with the hash met with much more approval. The bacon served with the benny was big, thick and cooked to a stiff crisp... but not so far that the tasty bacon grease had all dried up.
The service had a couple of small problems: one item we ordered was no longer being made (the bread and butter pudding), but it took a trip to the kitchen to find that out. Apparently it was not selling. We mentioned that was odd to take it off for a place that had just opened. We were told it had be at least a month they'd been in business... I guess long enough to know what doesn't sell.
Our table and another also had to have follow-ups to check how some of the orders should have their eggs cooked. In a brunch first place, this should be a second nature to always ask.
That said, the service was fast, there were plenty of refills on coffee and water. The staff did seem enthusiastic about the food they were serving as well, which is key when for a place pushing local produce.
This has definitely gone on the revisit for brunch list. We all said we'd go back again, highly enjoying the food.
So Hawk and Hen has a big location to fill, with lots of seats, so I was a little surprised to see the soft opening (no website I could find till very recently) and the west-coast niche it was filling. Seems like a big ask to fill and 100+ seater place on a regular basis. But, I did see that Liam Quinn was named as executive chef. Liam runs the "Salt and Pepper Fox" (review), and if you work downtown and haven't had sandwich delivery from him yet, you should try it. So, I was expecting good, fresh local food.
I got good, fresh food. I have no idea where the albacore tuna I ate came from. In fact, I have no idea where you find albacore tuna in general, and who smokes it to this rich, velvety, powerful flavour. But I do know that the Tuna Melt I had was great. Thick slices of the beautifully rich, meat, slapped onto a thick wedge of crusty white bread, covered in cheese and grilled to a cheesy, gooey mess. The cheddar had enough bite to balance the soft white bread, and the tuna itself. Yes, you can make a tuna melt at home... but this was a really good one.
I had mine with a side of Rösti potatoes. These are grated potatoes, cooked into a crisp pattie. Like a (proper) hash brown that had been cooked longer and with more fat. Crunchy, and still rich and earthy. Yum. Would order these again and not be disappointed. The dish was completed with a small pile of greens, which featured long shavings of celery, and a simple french dressing.
My friends complimented the meatballs as being big, rich and juicy, though the tomato base they were in was a little too chunky... the smoother sauce with the hash met with much more approval. The bacon served with the benny was big, thick and cooked to a stiff crisp... but not so far that the tasty bacon grease had all dried up.
The service had a couple of small problems: one item we ordered was no longer being made (the bread and butter pudding), but it took a trip to the kitchen to find that out. Apparently it was not selling. We mentioned that was odd to take it off for a place that had just opened. We were told it had be at least a month they'd been in business... I guess long enough to know what doesn't sell.
Our table and another also had to have follow-ups to check how some of the orders should have their eggs cooked. In a brunch first place, this should be a second nature to always ask.
That said, the service was fast, there were plenty of refills on coffee and water. The staff did seem enthusiastic about the food they were serving as well, which is key when for a place pushing local produce.
This has definitely gone on the revisit for brunch list. We all said we'd go back again, highly enjoying the food.
September 20, 2015
SüLT Pierogi Bar, Downtown Victoria
SüLT. I keep reading it as Slut. An unfortunate name, if you ask me. Or maybe a good name as it has at least stuck in my head. The name in Danish means hunger, while in Estonian, its "head cheese". Norwegian it can also mean famine. In Hungarian, it means 'baked'. I have no idea where it comes from (Polish doesn't have a word that matches).
But what it means in Victoria is a long under construction eatery, offering a "pierogi focused restaurant serving new Canadian cuisine". It seems likes there's been something being built in the Lower Yates Street location for a long time. Formally the home of a dark and foreboding internet café, it's not a big open loft-style space. The ubiquitous polished wood that's modern interior design. There's exposed ducting and lighting wires, a long table in one corner and a full-length bar seating in front of the kitchen window. The kitchen looks huge and takes up much of the back of the building.
We went in for brunch today, to check out what they had to offer overall. The menu sells triplets of pierogies, fresh made and in a few different flavours: chicken, pork, kale, clam and bacon, traditional. With fancy names like 'cluck', 'oink' and 'green'. Three doesn't seem much, but for $4 or so, that's not too bad, and all serving can be topped off with sauerkraut and cream, or a pile of poutine, or a bunch of other combos.
I ordered the breakfast special, five 'squeak' pierogies with two poached eggs, some pork belly and a dollop of Hollandaise. The dumplings are big, fat and well stuffed. Six would be a good solid meal, especially coupled with the trimmings. It was a big solid breakfast. They are soft on the inside, with a punch of cheese and garlic savoury goodness. The outside had been crisped up after the cooking process to add a bit of a crisp texture, but just slightly.
The eggs were poached very runny, and the yolks were a pale yellow, and slightly watery. To me, at least, not a sign of a great egg, and there wasn't the richness of flavour from the eggs you can get from some local hens. Still, they were cooked perfectly well. The pork belly was a little over cooked. It was an inch or so cubed, with layers of crisp pork fat and flavourful meat. As it was just on the wrong side of done, the meat had dried out a bit.
I got mine with a big fat coffee, which was dark and smooth. The sort of coffee I want for breakfast., Not burnt, Not too, too strong or fancy. But sitting up in the cup, and giving you a wake-up pinch at least. The staff were more than attentive to bring around refills, as well as refills of water.
I really did enjoy the pierogies, as will have to try the other styles.. especially the kale ones for Andrea's quest for the kale dishes in Victoria. The rest of the breakfast was average. I really liked the environment and the staff, so definitely one to revisit... and I reckon it will feed a good niche being able to get a smaller meal for under $10, if that's what suits you.
But what it means in Victoria is a long under construction eatery, offering a "pierogi focused restaurant serving new Canadian cuisine". It seems likes there's been something being built in the Lower Yates Street location for a long time. Formally the home of a dark and foreboding internet café, it's not a big open loft-style space. The ubiquitous polished wood that's modern interior design. There's exposed ducting and lighting wires, a long table in one corner and a full-length bar seating in front of the kitchen window. The kitchen looks huge and takes up much of the back of the building.
We went in for brunch today, to check out what they had to offer overall. The menu sells triplets of pierogies, fresh made and in a few different flavours: chicken, pork, kale, clam and bacon, traditional. With fancy names like 'cluck', 'oink' and 'green'. Three doesn't seem much, but for $4 or so, that's not too bad, and all serving can be topped off with sauerkraut and cream, or a pile of poutine, or a bunch of other combos.
I ordered the breakfast special, five 'squeak' pierogies with two poached eggs, some pork belly and a dollop of Hollandaise. The dumplings are big, fat and well stuffed. Six would be a good solid meal, especially coupled with the trimmings. It was a big solid breakfast. They are soft on the inside, with a punch of cheese and garlic savoury goodness. The outside had been crisped up after the cooking process to add a bit of a crisp texture, but just slightly.
The eggs were poached very runny, and the yolks were a pale yellow, and slightly watery. To me, at least, not a sign of a great egg, and there wasn't the richness of flavour from the eggs you can get from some local hens. Still, they were cooked perfectly well. The pork belly was a little over cooked. It was an inch or so cubed, with layers of crisp pork fat and flavourful meat. As it was just on the wrong side of done, the meat had dried out a bit.
I got mine with a big fat coffee, which was dark and smooth. The sort of coffee I want for breakfast., Not burnt, Not too, too strong or fancy. But sitting up in the cup, and giving you a wake-up pinch at least. The staff were more than attentive to bring around refills, as well as refills of water.
I really did enjoy the pierogies, as will have to try the other styles.. especially the kale ones for Andrea's quest for the kale dishes in Victoria. The rest of the breakfast was average. I really liked the environment and the staff, so definitely one to revisit... and I reckon it will feed a good niche being able to get a smaller meal for under $10, if that's what suits you.
August 02, 2015
Top five brunches in Victoria
I'll admit it, I have had this posting on hold for a while for the week where I just don't have anything new to post and write about. I just can't keep it back any longer, but in no particular order, here's my list of top brunch spots in Victoria:
1) The Fernwood Inn. The two egg breakfast is a great deal, but the steak and eggs skillet is fantastic. Eat here on a hot summer's day, on the patio. Enjoy the parsnips muddled up into the breakfast potatoes, the big meaty pork sausages or the apricot toast. Prices are a little high, but you pay for the quality.
2) Glo. The beef short rib hash has all the right combinations for a meat eater's breakfast: potatoes are done with plenty of flavour and starch to fill you up, protein exuding a rich, savoury flavour and eggs letting out a golden yoke to add richness to the piles of veggies hash underneath. You can get a wind-shaded spot outside, or enjoy the quiet indoors any time of the year. Why this place is not rocking every Sunday is probably due to the location out of the down core.
3) The Blue Fox. If it just was as quiet as Glo, I'd probably not have anything else to write about, as I'd just go there all the time, and this blog would merely be 52 weeks of eating at the Blue Fox. However, this isn't the Worst Idea of All Time (and anyways that would involve eating at Cora's every Sunday for a year). Instead, it's a rare treat that remind me how good the basics of food can be done.
4) The Guild. The full works breakfast at the Guild is a heart attack on a plate. If you ate it every day, never exercised and washed it down with a pint of melted ice cream. As the start to set yourself up for a long day's hike/renovations/moving a friend out of their fifth-floor walk-up apartment after a relationship-ending fight, it's a grand start. I love the mix of west-coast and English-style gastropub at the Guild. And the fact it's never too busy.
5) Spoons. Only if you can catch it when it's just busy enough to be good for people watching, and not so busy the wait is half a day. They do traditional breakfast here with plenty of everything. Or they twist it up a notch or five with a some extra combination, like breakfast fajitas or a massive side of poutine with your pulled pork benny. Go for a diner style experience, and you'll be more than happy.
I think that's my top five. Other favourites include Avalon, Picnic Too and Ferris's upstairs. It's a hard list to confine to just five in Victoria. And indicates the high bar you have to clear here to be notable.
EDIT: Uptairs at Ferris's no longer does a brunch menu, I am reliably informed. No more Weekend Crossword...
1) The Fernwood Inn. The two egg breakfast is a great deal, but the steak and eggs skillet is fantastic. Eat here on a hot summer's day, on the patio. Enjoy the parsnips muddled up into the breakfast potatoes, the big meaty pork sausages or the apricot toast. Prices are a little high, but you pay for the quality.
2) Glo. The beef short rib hash has all the right combinations for a meat eater's breakfast: potatoes are done with plenty of flavour and starch to fill you up, protein exuding a rich, savoury flavour and eggs letting out a golden yoke to add richness to the piles of veggies hash underneath. You can get a wind-shaded spot outside, or enjoy the quiet indoors any time of the year. Why this place is not rocking every Sunday is probably due to the location out of the down core.
3) The Blue Fox. If it just was as quiet as Glo, I'd probably not have anything else to write about, as I'd just go there all the time, and this blog would merely be 52 weeks of eating at the Blue Fox. However, this isn't the Worst Idea of All Time (and anyways that would involve eating at Cora's every Sunday for a year). Instead, it's a rare treat that remind me how good the basics of food can be done.
4) The Guild. The full works breakfast at the Guild is a heart attack on a plate. If you ate it every day, never exercised and washed it down with a pint of melted ice cream. As the start to set yourself up for a long day's hike/renovations/moving a friend out of their fifth-floor walk-up apartment after a relationship-ending fight, it's a grand start. I love the mix of west-coast and English-style gastropub at the Guild. And the fact it's never too busy.
5) Spoons. Only if you can catch it when it's just busy enough to be good for people watching, and not so busy the wait is half a day. They do traditional breakfast here with plenty of everything. Or they twist it up a notch or five with a some extra combination, like breakfast fajitas or a massive side of poutine with your pulled pork benny. Go for a diner style experience, and you'll be more than happy.
I think that's my top five. Other favourites include Avalon, Picnic Too and Ferris's upstairs. It's a hard list to confine to just five in Victoria. And indicates the high bar you have to clear here to be notable.
EDIT: Uptairs at Ferris's no longer does a brunch menu, I am reliably informed. No more Weekend Crossword...
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