Old Bavaria Haus

Got a call from Wolvie today and boy did she have a story to tell. Apparently, her relatively new cabinets came crashing down last night. Suffice to say, it was a shock and the kitchen is a complete mess. It appears that whoever installed the cabinets only mounted them to one stud. It's amazing they stayed up for as long as they did. Luckily no one was in the kitchen at the time, otherwise, someone would have been seriously hurt. Well, her misfortune became my treasure since there was no way she and her hubby could eat at home. I suggested that we could all go out for dinner! In fact, go out for something a bit different. How about for some Schnitzel?

Schnitzel? Where can one find really good Schnitzel in the GVRD. After all, it ain't the hotbed of Austrian cuisine. Yes, believe it or not, Schnitzel is really an Austrian dish, even though it's often only associated with Germany. Mind you, it's eaten in Germany as well, which leads us to the Old Bavaria Haus in New West. Directly across from La Rustica and La Spaghetteria, the Old Bavaria Haus has resided in a century old home for as long as I can remember. When we walked through the entrance of the restaurant, we were greeted by a warm and a bit musty smelling dining room. It certainly has got character. We were seated right next to a couple who were snapping photos at a furious rate. I'm not sure if it was a fellow blogger or was it just a couple who liked to take photos. For once, I felt like everybody was looking at someone else rather than me.

Our server was very friendly and explained the special which was a Schnitzel with Asparagus and Bearnaise Sauce. Viv and Wolvie both went for the special which included a salad to start as well. Italian Stallion has the Zigeuner Schnitzel topped off with peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese. I opted for my favourite, Schnitzel Champignon which was topped with sauteed mushrooms and Bearnaise sauce.

I know it's hard to get excited about a piece of fried meat; but honestly, the pan fried pork (info thanks to Jenny) was fabulous. So utterly crispy and buttery topped with even more fatty goodness. What's not to like? Well, there was one thing we didn't like - the salt. Although the pan-fried potatoes were good, boy did they overdo it on the salt. Thank goodness I got a mug of Warsteiner to wash it all down. The Schnitzel itself was topped by a generous amount of mushrooms and just the right amount of sauce. It is way too common to find places who put so much sauce, that you cannot even see the food underneath it. There was more than enough food on the plate to satisfy my appetite and we found the prices to be very reasonable. Adding to the value were the Entertainment coupons we applied to the final bill.

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Unique dining experience
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Food was a bit salty
- With the nature of the food, it can be a bit heavy