The Spiral Coffee Company is a cozy hideaway in Esquimalt. On my lunch break, my colleague and I stumbled upon this nook and had a very pleasant lunch. I had some soup accompanied with fresh bread and an expertly made americano. The soup was black beans, fresh vegetables with the kick of some chiles. The bread was really nice, with seeds on the crust. The space is spattered with art and local musicians perform regularly. Another great neighbourhood community cornerstone.
Argylic Attic is the hipster hangout directly above[and connected] to Smith’s Pub. Argyle lends itself to a conversational evening moreso than Smith’s. The decor is funky and ‘attic’ is a great descriptor of this establishment. It’s quiet and a great place to have a leisurely drink and/or nibbles. To enter Argyle, enter Smith’s head to the bathrooms and turn right up the stairs and right once more.
The service is casual and warm. The drinks are good, although I find the “whiskey bar” concept limiting. The food I tried was good, but I’ll have to try a few more things for a better opinion. Fun space to hang out.
Tropical Island feels like an island on the Shelbourne stretch. The decor is unique but questionable in taste. The service was more than friendly. The food is a mish-mash of Malay, Singaporean, Thai and Chinese. We started with an appetizer of roti canai, oily soft and layered bread with red curry coconut sauce for dipping. I was vegetarian at the time so I ordered some mixed vegetables with rice (Cashew Vegetable Delight). Our server was very sweet and she was able to answer any questions we had. I would come back here to try some of the other dishes, there are a lot of things I’ve never seen or heard of before. A fun spot in the Shelbourne area.
Halibut House is not in the most convenient location, but I’m sure that people who live near Quadra and Cloverdale don’t want it moving anytime soon. The dining room is small but the woman(owner?) running the floor literally runs around and makes sure you are served quickly. The siu mai, beef flank and long beans are superb. The prices are reasonable for above-average food. I’ve been back multiple times for lunch. Great job!
Smokin’ Tuna is a great place to stop for lunch in the Sooke area. I went last summer after a hike in East Sooke and a visit to the farm/bakery nearby. The cafe is quaint but the location is beautiful, right on the water. We ordered inside and sat outside on the patio to wait for the food. I had a sandwich and salad which was decent overall, fresh but the flavours were so-so. My friends had the tuna(fresh albacore) which was breaded and fried, barely cooked with a salad and aioli. The texture was perfect and the fish was really the star of the dish. The menu is small but the everything is fresh. I enjoyed the setting and smelling the fresh cookies coming out of the oven on our way out.
Big Wheel Burger
341 Cook St.
250-381-0050
Big Wheel is a departure from the gourmet burger movement. It’s a slap in the face to the artisanal cheeses and ancient grain buns adorning burgers in Victoria at an alarmingly and annoying rate. I like toppings but reading some menus it becomes frustrating seeing all the combinations. For that, I give Big Wheel props. It’s doing simple burgers, well-sourced meat and an overall ethical mission with waste disposal. Sauce, lettuce, tomato is really all you need on a burger. Sliced cheese not triple cream brie. The buns are soft and large, so the bun to burger ratio is off. The interior is clean and staffed with friendly burger slingers. A lot of people complain about the prices, and they will continue to complain. The restaurant concept is consistent with other “back-to-basics” fast-food chains. I wish them all the best.
Lao Vientiane
771 Vernon Ave.
250-475-3522
This restaurant is off the beaten path, but well worth the trek outside of the city centre. The room is beautiful with great window views and intoxicating aromas in the air. The service is a bit sparse and casual, but the food is worth the wait.
The salad rolls were well-balanced with flavour and texture. The yellow curry was a ” flavour elevator”(anyone watch Masterchef?), layers of spice and flavour unravelling throughout the meal.
My only issue is with the slow service, since I only have an hour for lunch, it was cutting it a bit close, but the food is excellent.
Heron Rock Bistro
435 Simcoe St.
250-383-1545
I met up with a friend during Dine Around this year. I have always wanted to try Heron Rock Bistro, as it seems to be the go-to restaurant for James Bay residents.
We both had the Dine Around menu. The salad was delicious, I enjoyed the fried caper garnish. For my main, I had an Arctic Char with beluga lentils, goat cheese and crispy skin. I wasn’t keen on the skin and the lentils were under-cooked. The fish was a bit fishier than I expected, but it was well cooked. The dessert was delicious, a bread-pudding.
The service was excellent, lots of genuine smiles and good timing. I will go back for another dinner sometime soon.
Cheers
Fernwood Inn
1302 Gladstone Ave.
250-412-2001
I’ll start with the positive feedback. Fernwood Inn has a great neighbourhood -watering- hole vibe. The server we had was bubbly and friendly.
I had the jerk pork sandwich and salad. I thought the basic flavours were good, but I found the aftertaste to be of resounding allspice. Good jerk should be balanced, with a nice savoury, sweet and spicy combo.
The few times I have been to the Inn, it seems there is an unpleasant odour in the air. Bathrooms? Maybe I’m just sensitive to smells, but it’s the first thing I noticed when I walked in. The price is on the higher side, and the execution on the food could use a bit more finesse. For a pint and some appies, can’t go wrong. Especially when their patio is open for the summer.
Fatburger
1209 Douglas St.
250-590-4142
I was not familiar with the Fatburger chain, so I checked out their website. It looked interesting, a step-up from most chain fast-food. Unfortunately I didn’t feel that way when I left.
The ordering process was confusing due to a lack of useful signage. For a simple burger, fries and drink , it came to over 13 dollars. There also seemed to be more staff working than the restaurant needed. The busser was floating around the small eating area and it was painful to watch, over-interacting with customers out of sheer boredom. The food took a while to get to me, enough time for my expectations to be high. The meat had a strange seasoning on it, leaving me with a strange aftertaste in my mouth. Nothing stood out, pretty standard food that is more expensive and takes longer to make. Not exactly successful selling features. I won’t be going back.
