Oaks Restaurant and Grill, Oak Bay

I've always been amused when a place is called a 'grill'. Commonly you don't have the 'bar and stove', or the 'cocktail lounge and oven'. Why is having a metal grid for heating food over flame so commonly advertised, such that it gets top billing on a restaurant's name? Well, I can't solve every question I have, but here's a review of the Oaks Restaurant and Grill. Which I assume had a grill in the kitchen. I didn't check. It does not have an apostrophe in the name.

Oaks replaces the Oak Bay Bistro (or OBB) which in turn replaces The Blethering Place Teahouse. The former was okay, and had a hot waiter. The latter was widely reviewed as a horrible pastiche of a British tea shop for those with no taste buds, standards or will to live. I'll go to questionable places at times, but never summoned up the courage to rub shoulders with Oak Bay's older clientèle for a bad cup of tea and hardened scone. The Oaks has been open a while now, but this was my first time in. A quick look around and it looked much like the OBB, with the same dark wood, open feel and solid, contemporary chairs and tables.

My friends were already there, and I joined them on one of the two tables of four we had. Slightly the staff didn't offer to push them together, so we slightly isolated as two groups, rather than one bigger set. The menu is short, and too the point. Four different omelettes, 3 different eggs benedict, and your standard set of eggs, protein and starch. There was also a choice of French cinnamon toast with fresh fruit. More on that later. Nothing is particularly different, but it covers the bases.

I went for the Tex-Mex omelette. Ground chorizo, peppers, beans and salsa. Sounded like a good mix to me, spicy beef mixes being a favourite of mine since I moved to North America. I ordered a big pot of tea to go with it, and chatted. The Oaks does have several big flat screen TVs above the bar and in the corners. Instead of your more typical sports and rolling news, they were showing pastoral scenes of Britain and Canada. I assume they use from TV at some point, otherwise seemed a strange touch, and an expensive way of having digital photographs.

My tea arrived. I can tell when I'm not in the UK... tea was served as a do-it-yourself kit of tea bag, hot water and milk. Plus one mark for bringing milk out with it (and not cream). Minus two for not making me an actual pot of tea. Tea is far better when the boiling water is introduced directly to the tea bag, and not a minute or two later. I don't expect to grind my own beans when I order a coffee, but only a few places seem to serve me a pot of tea. Charging me $2.25 for a (cheap) tea bag and pot of hot water is annoying. I should just order coffee to keep my annoyance level down.

The meal arrived, from a very friendly server, who seemed pretty keen to help us out. I did have to ask for pepper, kethcup and hot sauce for the table. These should be offered or provided automatically at breakfast, but there was no trouble getting them. I just hate waiting to eat while I get the condiments, and like some hot sauce to go with my eggs. I think I might getting into the picky territory now, but there is several great breakfast joints in Victoria, so just being good is not enough to stand out for me. The food was also just good-to-okay. The omelette itself was cooked perfectly, solid, yet fluffy. The ground chorizo though just tasted almost gritty, and didn't really help the dish out like I'd imagined it would. Not terrible, just vaguely disappointing, like the season finale of a popular television comedy.

The big fail was the cinnamon toast. It, according to my friend, tasted faintly of meat. As she eats vegetarian, tasting of meat isn't quite what you expect cinnamon toast to have a whiff of. I guess they used the same segment of grill. The fresh fruit was a handful of blueberries (I'm not entirely convinced they were fresh either). Pretty poor showing. No complaint was sent to the kitchen, cause we don't like to make too much of fuss. But this kind of put my off going back. Lack of care in the food preparation is a black mark for me.

So, an average place to get breakfast, with reasonable service and food that didn't shine. No-one seems to want to go back again.

Final Bill
Pot of tea - $2.25
Tex-Mex Omelette - $11.65
Total :  $Total : $18 with Taxes and tip
Phone : 250-590-3155
Address : 206- 2250 Oak Bay Ave, Victoria, BC V8R1G4
Website : Oaks on Facebook

Brief Visits and Re-visits

It's dine around Victoria at the moment, so I took the opportunity to hit up at least one place to see how it was looking. The Reef I wrote about 3 and a half years ago. I've been back since, and really enjoyed their jerked food. The dine around menu offered a $20 and $30 version, and I went for the $30 meal. I shouldn't have. The soft, pork tacos were excellent. Spicy, crisp pickled cabbage, delight to eat. The Thyme Chicken was lifeless, and the mashed potatoes were slightly watery, and mushy rather than either creamy or rustic. The profiteroles were dry, really spoiling the not-to-bad pineapple cream filling. Meh. My friends had a some excellent sliders, and a crispy-sweet banana in their $20 meal.

I knew I should have gone for the jerk chicken. Still, the johnny cakes were still tasty, the house made hot sauce has a -just- bearable heat. Lesson learned : always go with the actually Carribbean food. The Ginger Beer shandy was also a welcome addition to the standards to order there.

This wasn't the first place I've been to on dine around that felt like they were phoning it during Dine Around. Maybe I was unlucky, or maybe the places are trying to turn around customers quickly or keeping costs down. But as a showcase, some places aren't doing that too well.

There's also some places I've been to that I want to do a full review of in the future or go back to for a fuller experience:

Green Wasabi - spreading from Sidney to have a downtown branch on the 1600 block of Douglas, this is a Sushi Cafe. No frills, clean and tidy, high backed chairs, glass over the table clothes. It looks nothing special. What I had is among the best rolls I've had in town. I always order BC rolls, loving the crisp flavour of the cooked salmon skins inside a rice roll. These were perfectly done. Fresh, clean tasting, flavours mingled perfectly. I also had the Chicken Teriyaki Don as well. The chicken was tender, had soaked in the flavours of the sauce. Rice done perfectly. One to go back to again.

The Pink Bicycle - My number one go to place for a gourmet burger. I normally go for either the veggie burger or the beef burger. It's hard to choose, as both are wonderful examples of their craft. The beef burger, juicy, satisfying. The veggie bean patty has this rough, texture with a wonderful combination of flavours from the chick peas and dates. So last time, I went with the Chicken Burger. Not as good as the other two, but the Guyere cheese, and herbs made it a good meal. The side salad seems to be a small cup, but there's enough going on in the bun you don't really need to care about the sides. Small store, sometimes hard to get into. Great food, good service.

Oak Bay Beach Hotel - The allegedly had a brunch menu for the weekend. Turns out that the advertising and the web presence is ahead of the kitchen. The six of us trooped down their at end of February, and got a great seat in the Snug, looking out of the large windows across the sea. There was much apologizing for the lack of brunch, as the chef just didn't feel he had the staff to run the menu yet. We weren't the only ones disappointed by the lack of Eggs and Protein. But we ordered. The service is excellent. The view is worth going back for some beers in the summer looking out across the sea. The food was pub food, trying to be a step above, but just not there. I had the ploughmans. Could have done with more salad than the pickled carrot. The 'cheese' was supposed to be a quality cheddar, but I'm sure it's a normal cheddar sold by slice from the Thrifty's deli. Or I can't tell the difference. Scotch egg was good, mind. But it's a lot to pay for a good scotch egg(*). I'll go back for the staff and the environment and give the kitchen a second chance. Or just drink... I can always do that.

Little Thai Place - Oh so variable. One week I'll have this beautifully cooked soup, or rice dish with chicken so tender and spicy, I swear I'll never order Thai anywhere else again. The next time, a soup with half the herbaceous border in it, that I spend my time picking out the wood parts, and rushed food that where the rice is already drying out. And over-fried spring rolls, that I'm sure we could drill into and supply the oil for heating parts of Saanich during the winter. Inconsistent.

(*) A Scotch Egg is a boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat, breaded and cooked. It's not a egg which has had its yolk replaced with single malt whisky. And if you want to try that at home, use a cheap blend.

The Bleue Coyote, Brentwood Bay

At the start of January, I found myself running past The Bleue Coyote on a Sunday morning, looking for my friends. They were safe and warm inside, but I kept on running. I had signed up to do the Vancouver Island Race series, and this was the first of 8 races, an 8km run around Brentwood and the Saanich show grounds. And I was missing the play off football for this. As a cheap plug, I'm doing the series to raise money for the Haematology Research department at Vancouver General Hospital, who are doing work to find cures for multiple myeloma and primary amyloidosis, diseases of bone marrow that have affected people close to me. If you'd like to donate, and see me run the TC10k in a full tuxedo, here's a link. And now back to the normal programming.

So, I completed the rest of the run, and drove to meet everyone else in the pub. A large cheer went up as I entered. The Seattle Seahawks had just scored to start a huge comeback. My friends wanted to know if I had planned to meet them in a pub with a game on, them knowing my love of football. I hadn't, but it was very convenient. I got into the barstool seat (the climb up told me I was going to be sore tomorrow) and checked out the menu. The steak and eggs stood out, so once the overly busy server came around, I ordered that and a large mug of coffee. The coffee came quickly, the food took a little longer. I caught up with friends, who had seen me lope past earlier, and very grateful for their support I was.

The pub is a large split level room. Didn't explore much expect the front area, which has a large open space. For dancing or fighting, probably. The noise echoes around, and it was noisy, with the Canadian Seahawks fans urging their team onwards. It's a meat-and-two-veg kinda place. Advertising meat draws every week, banners extolling the greatness of Bud (or Coors, I forget which), this is drink, eat and don't be so damn fancy. Coffee was hot, dark and full of caffeine.

The food hit the spot perfectly. Slab of meat, cooked medium as I asked for, nicely browned on outside, still pink on the inside. Meaty and beefy and all I want in a steak/egg breakfast. The eggs I got scrambled. Big heap of yellow-white eggs, not turned into rubber, quivering and tasty. Pile of a crisp country-style potatoes (they called them hash-browns, but unless it's grated potato, it's not really a hash brown in my book) and a few mushrooms on the side. Ketchup supplied to the table with the food. Meat, eggs, starch. Done right. I didn't check with my dining companions on their meals, but as everyone seemed to get on with the eating, and less on the talking at the time, it's a good sign something was right.

There's places in down town Victoria who could learn from the Coyote's chef.

I'm not about to drive (or run) back out there for breakfast again, but if I was going nearby, I'd be back again.

Final Bill
Steak and Eggs - $13.95
Coffee - $2.00
Total :  $21.00 with taxes and tip
Phone : 250-652-3252
Address : 7100 Wallace Drive, Saanich, BC V8M1G9
Website : The Bleue Coyote

The Tartan Toque

The Tartan Toque boasts 20 different types of wings, and that it is "Victoria's First True Wing restaurant". Owned and operated by the same people that run Shine, and nestled back to back with the Stadacona branch, they have a least form for running successful restaurants. Having had less than good experiences at the Downtown Shine, I was curious to see what we'd get. There are a couple of good places to get wings in town (The Monkey Tree has some fine wings, for example), and most places do a passable plate.

We got wings. 5 different types were ordered, from the front of house counter. The deal is you go in, and find a seat, then go up and order.

This is a bit different, and creates a bit of scrum around the entrance. When I got their 10 minutes before my friend I was told the place was full. 10 minutes later, we were seated at one of three empty booths. Might have been lucky, but with the queue to place orders mingling with the queue to get in, it's hard to tell if it's actually worth going in. They do have a second entrance, and I suggest they use that for getting people in and out. They may need to have a host to get people seated and sorted, though I'm guessing that adds to over heads. But people are less used to the random seat and serve yourself that you'll get in a British Pub.

The booth would seat 4 very friendly people, but fine for two. After placing an order for the first plate of wings, we sat back down with a beer and chatted. The acoustics are fine, though the place was mobbed, busy and full of conversation, you could hear and talk across the table just fine. Despite being warned that the kitchen was backed up, my buffalo wings were out fast. I went for the medium-hot wings, and the sauce was a pleasant heat. Thicker sauce than I'm used to, and the wings were smaller with less meat than some places. Almost shrivelled, had they been cooked a bit too long? Possibly. Tasted great, but the portion seemed a little small for $9.

My friend ordered the Jerk wings. These were not to my taste. Too much cinnamon in the blend, which accentuated a sweet taste to the sauce. My friend thinks he's tasted the same sauce on commercial brand he's tried, and he does know his jerk sauces. There was also a plate of Candied Bacon. I've editted this review, as I was reminded these were also ordered. I'd forgotten about them. I think that's all you need to know about this flavour.

The beer, was perfectly served. A cold, crisp Phillip's Kolsch, perfect accompaniment to wings.

Still a touch hungry, we decided for three more plates of wings, to check out the other styles. We went for the Cajun Spice, Coconut and Ginger Wasabi. These came out much plumper, juicer and fatter wings. So much so, we were full after a few more wings. These were what I was expecting from a place specializing in wings. The Coconut wings were subtly flavoured, but had just enough in there reminding of Chicken Korma curry. The Cajun Spice was just okay, and as it was a dry rub, I'm not sure if they'd sat around in the spice long enough to really draw in the flavour, and I'd like a bit more heat from a Cajun wing.

But the Ginger Wasabi... oh yes. Thick, flavourful sauce, with the sweet bite of ginger balanced with the heat of the wasabi. Excellent, and the plate that made the trip worthwhile. I'll have to try the Hot Wings again, to see can come out like these did, in terms of sauce and cooking. If they do, they'll be among the best I've had in town.

In one week, I think they've become a bit of a hot spot, as people check out the concept. Some teething troubles, but at least the owners are in the kitchen and behind the till to see what needs changing. Lots of students, and 20-something's in the crowd. Sport on the TVs, and clean and tidy toilets. Important factors. Not sure the price point is great value, though the burgers and fries look like they'd be decent as well, but they'll live and die on the wings. They also have a lot of gluten free options, if that's important to you. And you can get Tofu Fingers or Boneless wings in the same sauces and rubs as the everyday wings.

As I left the owner asked thumbs up or thumbs down. I told him thumbs up, but I think it's a three quarters thumbs up. Good, but can do better.


Final Bill
Buffalo Chicken Wings - $9.00
Cajun Chicken Wings - $9.00
Phillips Dr Funk - $5.00
Analogue 78 Kolsch - $5.00
Total :  $28.00 with tip (taxes included in price list)
Phone : 778-265-9464
Address : 1507 Pandora Ave, Victoria, BC V8R 6P9
Website : The Tartan Toque

Coffee Crawl, Downtown Victoria - Part 2

Part 1 of the crawl left our heroes about to exit Sitka on Yates. Rapidly. We continue here with two more spots and a round up.

Solstice Cafe - 529 Pandora

The heart is starting to pound bit heavy in my chest, and everything is really beginning to speed up. The effects of three medium coffees in 2 hours is beginning to let itself known, but we power on, like freshers on a beer crawl, determined to see it through.

We stumble in the Solstice Cafe, a haven for some. But today it's busy and playing prog rock. The counter is manned with three server/baristas and i'm not sure whose serving who, but between the minor third chords I order up another Americano and retire to the bathroom to make room.

On my return, there's one mug ready to go, which I think is mine. I take it, add a spot of milk and sit down, ready the pages of a comic over one girl's shoulder while my friend collects his drink. The first taste is good, but there's a slightly sour flavour in there. Several more sips later, and I wonder if I've got the yoghurt and milk mixed up. We decide later that the milk jug and the soy jug might have been mixed up, but it kinda of put a damper on things. Otherwise, this is a good space, with what seemed like good coffee. The prog rock turned into singer/songwriter, so life was more bearable.

Another friend arrived fresh from foreign parts, bearing games played with rare earth magnets. So we played, supped coffee and caught up. I think I might have caught up veryveryvery fast though.

Coffee - $2.50, Overall Rating - 5/10


Discovery Coffee - 664 Discovery
A fast walk into the car park burnt of a little of nervous energy and we piled over to Discovery for the final coffee of the day. Life is moving fast now, with a hyper-realism I don't enjoy. I am reminded of Terry Pratchett's knurd : "The opposite of being drunk, its as sober as you can ever be. It strips away all the illusion, all the comforting pink fog in which people normally spend their lives, and lets them see and think clearly for the first time ever." My sanity was preserved over all, and we rocked up in the 60's kitsch rooms of Discovery Coffee.

They are playing the Rolling Stones, they got old couches in one lounge area, with a coffee table that would have been second-hand in my parent's first house. There's a faint smell of old fabric and worn out stuffing, but this is the first place I've felt actually relaxed. If I wasn't heading for the ice hockey afterwards, I'd probably have hung out longer.

The coffee is good. Smooth, not bittered by over roasting or scalded in the espresso. It tasted a little weaker than I would have liked it, but lets face it, after 4 others, I didn't need a strong coffee. I loved the two areas, and the long list of local events they are doing. A comfortable, friendly place.

Coffee - $2.75, Overall rating - 8/10

And with that I headed to the Poolside Inn for a large beer before the game. I was hoping the alcohol would counteract the coffee. It did for a while, and a fine game of hockey was enjoyed. But by 1am, I was wide awake again, and the mind was still spinning. The caffiene hangover... not quite as dangerous as the beer one, but I'll be cutting my consumption if I do this again.

Summary

Well I had been told to check out 2% Jazz, Street Level and Picnic as well. Plus Cafe Fantastico (at the Parkside) I have been to since, but these will be for another day. Or days.

But for now, I'd rate them overall as follows:

Best for Coffee - Habit
Best for a first date - Mirage
Best for not going to ever again - Sitka
Best for sitting around all day with a cosy mug of coffee and good friends - Discovery
Best for watching people knit and read comic books - Solstice