Tomahawk

Today we were out early in West Van for another kiddie party. Did all of my friends have kids at the same time??? Seems like every kid's birthday is in May, including my own! I considered visiting one of my favourite places to dine on a sunny weekend - Salmon House on the Hill. However, I wasn't sure if the kiddies would actually eat anything there. Well, there is this one place that I've heard about practically all my life and I've never actually tried it. This place is the Tomahawk, which has been around since 1926.

Once again, Vandelay and Donna Chang join us in the culinary adventure. Inside the Tomahawk, there is an impressive collection of First Nations art. I didn't take any pictures of the art out of respect for their picture-taking policy. For insurance purposes, they do not want people randomly snapping pictures of their irreplaceable carvings and other artifacts. However, they were more than happy to let me take photos of the food. This was after I asked politely and handed them my Moo card. These cards do come in handy!

Vandelay only had one thing on his mind - mmm... bacon... When he heard about the Yukon-style Bacon & Eggs, he just wanted to have it, especially since there are 5 (!) slices of Yukon-style bacon. If you've ever had De Bacon at De Dutch, then you'll get an idea of what Yukon bacon is like. Served with the 5 slices of bacon were a heaping pile of hash browns, 2 eggs and 2 slices of Klondike toast. He seemed to enjoy his bacon since he really didn't say much while eating. Maybe he was experiencing pork fat overload since he had the full fat pork treatment at Kintaro only 2 days earlier.

For me, I only had one choice in mind - Oysters on Toast. The fact that it sounded a bit strange made me want to order it. What I got were 6 fried oysters on top of 2 slices of Yukon bacon and Klondike Toast. A heaping pile of hash browns occupied the rest of the plate. The oysters were good; however, the batter was either too thick or over fried. It was a bit too crunchy. I liked the bacon and the hash browns; yet I could've done without the toast. I'm not sure if it's only me; but the Klondike toast is very dry. I had to get a side of butter to somehow moisten the toast to no avail.

Viv had the half order of the Eggs Florentine. The egg was poached perfectly and the cheese sauce wasn't too salty; yet it was average in her books. Donna Chang had the Organic Beef Pattie Melt. Although it didn't look all that impressive, she said it was good - bread was crunchy and the meat moist. My son had the kids meal with Grilled Cheese. He seemed to enjoy it, probably because they used real cheddar cheese. That is a rarity these days, most places use processed cheese.

Despite the average food, I still like the Tomahawk. It is something a bit different and eclectic. If you look at a place like De Dutch, it is something a bit different too. But, it costs more than Tomahawk and I'm not sure if the food is any better. I look at Tomahawk as a whole experience and it's got good service, an interesting dining space and a "je ne sais quoi" quality about it. In fact, it's exactly the type of place that would be featured in the show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives".

The Good:
- It's got tradition and character
- Something a bit different
- Service is good

The Bad:
- Food is a bit average

Business Hours:
8:00am - 9:00pm (Sun - Thu)
8:00am - 10:00pm (Fri & Sat)