French Creek Pub (Burrard)

Despite my recent obsession with doing some of the top restaurants wherever I've been travelling, I'm always down for casual comfort eats.  Everything has a place and time where they can all be equally delicious.  This takes me to the newly opened French Creek Pub on Burrard across from the soon-to-be-closed St. Paul's Hospital.  If the name sounds familiar to you, the original location is in Parksville on Vancouver Island.  One look at the menu and it is clear they go hard into the classic pub favourites as well as some interesting spins on some dishes too.  We came here to mainly try their viral Party Boat! 

So let's get to that Party Boat shall we???  This monstrosity goes for $119.99 but can feed 4-8 people.  From my experience, this  can easily feed 4 hungry people and comfortably feed 6.  If you aren't big eaters, then it can feed 8.  Underneath at floor of the boat, we had a good helping of Calamari, Popcorn Shrimp, Fries and Onion Rings.  These were all fried just right where the calamari was crispy with nicely seasoned batter.  The squid itself was tender with a bite.  Although I'm usually not a fan of tempura-battered onion rings, these were quite good with a uniform crunch and tender onion in the middle.  The popcorn shrimp were more like fried shrimp as they were large enough to be detectable beyond the crunchy breading.  Fries were crispy with plenty of potato texture within.  The one last item sitting in the middle was a big bowl of Coleslaw.  Sporting big pieces of cabbage and carrots, this was crunchy, fresh and pleasantly tangy, but just a bit watery.

Moving onto the top part of the boat, we had 3 pieces each of Fried Cod and Fried Halibut.  These were legit where the cod was flaky and moist with a crunchy batter that was fully cooked through.  However, the halibut was even better where it was thick-cut and buttery soft.  This indicates that the fish was fresh and cooked perfectly.  We found 3 Shrimp Skewers that were grilled just enough that the shrimp still had a juicy bounciness.  Lastly, we had 3 Lobster & Shrimp Rolls at the aft of the boat.  The mix was appealingly textured with bits of onions to add crunch and brightness.

Of course we needed beverages to go with all that fried goodness right?  We had it all under control with the Mimosa Tower.  Yes, this is enough for as many people that are sharing the Party Boat!  We went for grapefruit and it was plenty refreshing and perfect with our food.  Another bevie came in a cute fish cup in the Limoncello Puffer Fish Drink.  As expected, this was also refreshing very easy going down.  Great summer cocktail!

To get a better feel of the menu other than what was included in the boat, we had to get an order of their Lemon Pepper Wings (because wings are some of the most important things on a bar menu!).  Good thing we tried these because they were great!  These were gigantic with crispy, well-rendered skin (without any breading).  There was more than enough lemon pepper seasoning for a great tang while the meat inside was juicy and tender.

Another prominent item on the menu is their mac n' cheese.  Hence, we went for one of the many choices with the Hot Chick Mac n' Cheese.  This was served in a large bread bowl and it was totally overflowing with saucy cheese.  Therefore, the whole thing was completed coated and plenty satisfiying.  There was a combination of real cheesiness and saltiness.  We found the noodles to be decently firm while the chicken was crispy and mildly spicy.

Finally, a pub is not a pub without a burger.  But this was no ordinary burger though.  It was the Surf n' Turf Burger with house sauce, bacon, shredded lobster roll mix, cheddar cheese and topped with a garlic aioli shrimp skewer.  Beyond all the festivities of the other components, the actual burger patty was lean and bit firm while being evenly seared on both sides.  Bacon was crispy while the lobster roll mix added creaminess and more texture.  Burger was huge and more than enough for one person.  In fact, everything at French Creek Pub is huge and you will definitely get your money's worth.  However, the most important thing is the food itself is well-prepared.  I most certainly will be back to share some food with my friends and/or sport teams.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Large portions

- Well-prepared comfort food

- Oh that mimosa tower...

The Bad:

- Yes, there are some gimmicks here, but for me, the food itself is still good

- Parking in the area can be challenging 

Rumblefish

Back in the Summer, I had visited Rumblefish out on the corner of Hastings and Garden.  Yes, it occupies the former location of The Red Wagon and now dishes up fish n' chips and the sort.  It was a pretty solid experience, but somehow, I just didn't get around to posting it.  Well, let's try again as Jackie and I were coming from first dinner and needed a second dinner for good measure.  I suggested we try Rumblefish and off we went!  Fate would have it, we returned a week later for a tasting.  So this post is a combination of all the meals I've had here!

For the 2nd and 3rd visits, I decided to get a few things that weren't on the table the first time I visited.  First off, we had the Seafood Chowder which was a completely different animal.  Rather than being creamy and thick, this was more brothy, yet not runny.  It was chock full of buttery clams and pieces of soft fish.  However, the most unique feature of it all was the flavour.  At first, we were trying to figure out why the chowder was so intensely full of umami.  After a bit of tasting and thinking, Jackie got it right - the addition of mushroom powder.  Hence, this was somewhat of a seafood chowder/mushroom soup hybrid.  Plenty tasty and original.  As you can see, we got this with a bread bowl and in a regular bowl.  Unlike other versions, the bread bowl was not sourdough.  Hence, it was lighter and easier to eat.  The bread soaked up the little broth that existed and was plenty delicious.

On my second visit with Jackie, we had the Calamari featuring fried strips of Humboldt squid.  These were tender with classic squid chewiness.  Really good balance in the texture department.  The batter was relatively thin where it was almost not there in some spots.  This resulted in a light crispiness.  I felt that the seasoning was adequate where we could eat this without the accompanying ranch-like dip.  

For the 1st and 3rd visits, I decided to order the Prawn Roll.  Yes, both versions were doused in a considerable amount of sriracha mayo.  Was it messy?  Yes.  However, it ate quite well since the prawns themselves were cooked just right having a cold water crunch.  There was natural sweetness and brininess.  With a kick, the creamy mayo acted as a binder that provided impact and moisture.  All of this sat in a toasted buttery roll that was soft and a bit crispy on the outside.  Completing this concoction, we had lettuce, slaw, ginger, pea shoots and pickled onions.

Onto the Fish n' Chips, I've had both the halibut and cod several times.  The 2 piece Pacific Cod & Chips goes for $22.00 and includes slaw, lemon wedges and tartar sauce.  I found the batter to be fairly thin and crispy.  It wasn't greasy while the fish was moist and flaky.  For me, it was all about the Halibut & Chips.  This was a one piece for $17.00.  Halibut can turn out badly if it was not fresh and overcooked.  However, this was perfect.  The fish was almost buttery and light.  Fries were fresh-cut being crispy with plenty of potato goodness left inside.  Tartar was also good being bright and not too heavy.  Nice tang to it.

An item not found on the regular menu was the Nashville Hot Fish Sandwich.  Consider this to be a dead-ringer for the chicken version except that it contained a piece of fried pacific cod.  Dressing this thing was slaw, sriracha mayo, tartar, b&b pickles and pickled onion on a toasted bun.  This had quite the kick while not going overboard.  Nice crunch all around from the fish, slaw and pickles.  Messy, but also delicious.

Now you would think the last thing that one would order is a Smash Burger at a fish n' chip joint right?  Well, don't sleep on this burger as it was legit.  The beef patty was smashed enough that it was able to crisp up on the edges while still not being dry.  With condiments such as American cheese, burger sauce, lettuce, pickled onions and pickles, this had some Big Mac vibes.  The toasted bun held everything together, yet was not heavy.

Last on the list was the Grilled Rockfish, Rice n' Beans.  I've had the previous iteration of this dish (which is no longer available) which was sablefish.  I preferred the sablefish more, but then again, it was also more expensive.  For this one, the fish was nicely charred having a smokiness and being properly seasoned.  It was not as moist and buttery as the sablefish, yet that was to be expected.  This would be a good choice for those wanting something a bit healthier.  Some grilled tortillas on the side allowed for construction your own taco/burrito.  Overall, the food at Rumblefish is solid with some surprises.  The Seafood Chowder is definitely different and plenty flavourful while the Smashburger is also good.  If you go for the Fish n' Chips, you won't be disappointed.

*First 2 visits were paid but the 3rd visit was complimentary*

The Good:

- Solid Fish n' Chips

- That Seafood Chowder is unique

- Surprisingly good Smash Burger

The Bad:

- The Grilled Rockfish is on the drier side

Jack's Fish & Chips

Back in 2016, we did a trip to the East Coast of Canada and New England.  In addition to the sights and sounds, we feasted on lobster rolls, chowder and the sort.  That was a dream come true since that type of cuisine is one of my favourites.  There haven't been too many choices for spots that focus solely on chowder and the sort.  Now, from the good people who bring us the Shameless Buns food truck, we have Jack's Chowder, located in their former B&M store.  We finally got out there to check them out.

Getting right to the main event, we did indeed try their New England Clam Chowder in 2 ways.  First was their humongous bowl and then also, served in a sourdough bowl.  To further amp the flavours, we found some lobster oil and meaty bacon (from Crack-On).  Gotta say this chowder was thicc!  Lots of tender potatoes and carrots along with buttery clams.  The broth was creamy and rich with the smoky saltiness of the bacon coming through.  Of course the lobster oil added even more aroma.  Ah yes, we must not forget about the oyster crackers on the side too!  One observation is that there is more chowder in the regular bowl, so if you didn't care about the sourdough, this would be the way to go.

They also have fish & chips available, but we tried it in a different form with the Fish Burger.  The large piece of fish featured a uniformly crunchy batter that encased flaky and moist fish.  Loved the tartar sauce as it was creamy, mild-flavoured and full of dill.  The addition of pickles and banana peppers provided tangy and spicy notes to really kick up the flavour quotient.  Furthermore, the bun was well-toasted so that it held everything together without being soggy.

Of course, if we were treating this as a de facto fish & chips, we need to have the Salt & Vinegar Fries right?  These may seem familiar to you and if you have had them before, you would know how great they are!  They were super crispy but not greasy while totally seasoned with the tangy saltiness we love with salt & vinegar.  In addition to the tartar sauce, I would recommend you try the Mango Tamarind Hot Sauce.  Such a fruity and spicy compliment to the fries.  Other sides that we added were the Curried Slaw and B&B Pickles.

For me, I really enjoy a good order of Popcorn Shrimp and the one we had here was really good.   The best part was the actual shrimp itself as they used the Argentinian variety.  If you are familiar, these have a strong aroma and are very shrimpy.  So each piece was flavourful even before the tartar.  Texturally, the shrimp had a meaty texture (that is common with Argentinian shrimp).  I really also enjoyed the batter as it was very crunchy while giving way to soft fluffiness.

For dessert, we had both options including their version of Coconut Cream Pie Pudding and Sticky Toffee Pudding.  Both of these were creamy and light while being purposefully sweet.  Hence, I couldn't stop eating them since I never thought it was too much or too sweet.  The toasted coconut was nutty and aromatic while the sticky toffee pudding had delicious caramel vibes (and caramel crunch too).  In the end, the food at Jack's Chowder was really good and well-portioned.  Great to see a spot offer this type of food and isn't located on a dock or some touristy spot.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Good portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Not many seats here  

Mel's Diner

Welcome to one of the most irrelevant and uninteresting posts you will ever read on this blog.  Maybe I'm exaggerating, but really, unless you are passing by Beatty, Nevada, this post will never apply to you.  However, if you are indeed driving through Beatty and in need of some eats, then for the 1% of you, it isn't irrelevant after all.  So we belong to that 1% because it was on our way to Mammoth Lakes from Vegas.  Trust me, there is literally nothing along the freeway until you get to Beatty.

We made the stop for a late lunch and made the cutoff before they closed at 1:00pm.  That is correct, you won't even be able to eat here if you arrive later!  For myself, I chose the Fish & Chips that featured both potato salad and fries.  I thought the fish was fine considering it was frozen.  It was crispy while flaky and moist inside.  Fries were pretty basic, but were crispy.  Not a fan of the potato salad as the potatoes were rather crunchy.

For my son, he went for one of his favorites in the Bacon Double Cheeseburger.  This was a solid diner burger featuring 2 well-seared beef patties which were still somewhat moist.  The two slices of bacon were fairly lean and prepared crispy.  No brioche bun here as we got the classic sesame version.  It did the job though, holding in all of the ingredients without falling apart.  Overall, a decent burger and no complaints.

For Viv, she had the Patty Melt with cheese and onions.  As you can see in the picture, the beef patty was rather moist and not all that fatty.  Pretty impressive for a small little diner in the middle of nowhere.  Bread was seared until crispy and brown on the flattop.  Nice crunch that contrasted the soft meat.  The addition of onions added some sweet sharpness while the amount of melted cheese was perfect.

The best item we had was the Clubhouse with turkey, bacon and ham. This triple-decker was chock full of meats as well as 2 types of cheeses and fresh lettuce and tomato.  Nothing complex, but this was huge and well-constructed.  Even the toast was perfectly crispy.  So as you can see, the food here is typical diner food.  Yet, it was good diner food at a very reasonable price.  Considering there isn't much to choose from along the route we were traveling on, it was a pretty satisfying lunch.

The Good:
- Solid diner food
- Cheap
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Lots of flies
- The washrooms are not the best

 

The Spud Shack

So I've been back to the Spud Shack on many occasions but never felt the need to blog about it again, but this time, I finally thought why not?  I mean, this is one of my favourite spots for house-cut fries with a variety of dips as well as their poutines.  Other than La Belle Patate, this is the place to get your hands on poutine in the GVRD.  They do have other things on the menu too and I will cover that in this post.  For those who don't drive, this is also quite convenient since it is located in the New West skytrain station.

Now the thing here is to get the Fries and really why would they be called the Spud Shack otherwise?  This time around, the fries were solid as usual being fluffy and light inside while crispy on the outside.  The dips we had were Roasted Garlic Mayo, Smoked Onion Mayo and Pamesan Mayo.  For me, I enjoyed the smoked onion mayo the most as it was sweet, aromatic and lightly smoky.  The roasted garlic was solid as it had strong garlic notes.  However, the parm mayo was quite salty due to the plethora of cheese.  Good for those who love parm!

Now their other prominent menu item is Poutine and lots of them.  We got The Original as well as Le Montreal (smoked meat, pickles and mustard).  As you can see, they use legit cheese curds and they were still intact being squeaky.  The gravy was salty enough to make an impact while also having a nice viscosity.  I personally love the smoked meat poutine as they don't skimp on the meat and pickles.  Add in the mustard and the whole thing wasn't too heavy.

They also have some burgers on the menu including the Effin' Good Burger with prime rib patty, smoked onion mayo, BBQ sauce, bacon, tomato jam, lettuce, pickle and Monterey jack cheese.  I've had this burger many times and it ranges from being juicy to a touch dry.  However, it is always nicely charred and fulfilling.  The chopped bacon adds smoky saltiness while the tomato jam adds sweet tanginess.  Overall a solid burger.

The other burger is the J.W. Wimpy Burger with 2 hand pressed beef & pork patties, double aged white cheddar slices, grilled onions and special Tuesday burger sauce.  Yes, this had Popeye's vibe written all over it (not the fried chicken chain, the cartoon) and I would gladly pay you on a Tuesday for a burger today!  This was good where the patties were juicy due to the addition of pork.  That white cheddar really came through as it was substantial.  This was packed with flavour.

Lastly, we had the 1 piece Cod & Chips with a side of tartar sauce.  So yes, the colour of the batter was rather dark.  That really wasn't the issue as it was crunchy and tasted fine.  Yet, it was on the greasier side.  The fish was perfect though, flaky and moist.  They really didn't skimp on the fries and the tartar was not only good with the fish (I recommend that you dip your fries into it as well).   So yah, the food at The Spud Shack is pretty straightforward and I personally enjoy it.  I actually crave the fries and wish I made it out more often.  Great place to grab a quick bite before a movie at the Landmark Theatres.

The Good:
- Solid fries with dips
- Burgers are good too
- Many varieties of poutine

The Bad:
- Limited seating  

Blue Heron

So our original plan was to eat at Monkey Business just past Spinreel ATV where we had a blast navigating the sand dunes.  Well, the place is closed on Tuesdays, so scratch that.  Next up was Front Street Provisioners...  Not open until 3:00pm.  Fine, look up a few more places and nope, they are just not open on Mondays and Tuesdays!  So we did the unthinkable.  Eat at a nearby random restaurant in Coos Bay.  Right on the main thoroughfare, Blue Heron Bistro was just that place.  Sporting eclectic decor and German cuisine, it seemed like an interesting enough spot for lunch.

As such, we went for some of the more well-known German dishes including the one that is actually Austrian in origin - Wiener Schntizel.  With medium-thick breading, the schnitzel was crunchy while pork tenderloin was not overwhelmed.  Even though it wasn't exactly juicy, the pork was still tender and not dried out.  We felt the sour cream mushroom gravy was probably a bit too tart, yet at the same time, it was flavourful and had a nice viscosity.  Sporting the same gravy, the Sauerbraten worked much better with it due to the inherent tanginess of the marinade.  The beef tenderloin was soft and tender and was aided by the ample amount of gravy.  On the side, the large helping of garlic mash was robust, yet smooth at the same time (some nice chunks in there too).

For myself, I had the Bratwurst with potato pancake, sauerkraut and a trio of mustards.  This was not a complex dish, but probably the best of the German offerings we tried.  The pork and veal sausage was nicely textured being tender and smooth with a rebound.  I loved the crunchy potato pancake topped with apple sauce and sour cream.  Even the sauerkraut was tasty where it was tangy with some pork hock bits.  Viv had the only non-German dish (Fish & Chips) and it was a miss in her books.  The fish was not particularly hot in the middle (although it was cooked through) and the batter was a bit greasy.  She liked how it was crunchy though.

We added a Clam Chowder partly because we were on the coast and isn't that what people eat when they are near water?  Yah, makes no sense, especially in a German restaurant.  Whatever the case, it wasn't bad being creamy and rich.  Lots of bacon in it which meant there was a salty smokiness to the chowder as well as a fatty silkiness.  The clams were definitely there, but we could've used more brininess.  As a bonus, we got a slice of the Chocolate Cake for paying in cash.  This was really good where the cake was moist and definitely chocolatey.  It wasn't overly sweet but the frosting definitely made up for that.  So there you have it, for a random restaurant, this did the trick and it wasn't too expensive.  Some hits and misses, yet a whole lot better than grabbing fast food.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Nice people
- Interesting menu and decor

The Bad:
- Some hits and misses
- Restaurant could use some cleaning

Mom's Cafe

Sometimes simple food is all it takes to keep everyone happy.  Of course, that excludes fast food, not because of it being unhealthy, but rather, it isn't something new (especially on vacation).  So we didn't get too fancy nor too far away from our hotel for lunch as we made our way to nearby Mom's Cafe.  This place gets high ratings and is also recommended by the locals.  Furthermore, it really satisfied the "family-friendly" criteria (even though our kids are completely at home eating practically anywhere).

Despite not really wanting to eat a burger, my son took one for the team (not that much of a stretch) and got the Bacon 'n Cheddar Burger with fries.  Keeping in line with the theme of the place, the burger wasn't complex.  It was straight up with crispy bacon and melted cheese on top of a thick meaty patty.  It wasn't exactly juicy, but not dry either.  It was well charred though.  He was happy with it, but it wasn't as good as the one we had at Westcoast Grill.  For my daughter, she went simple and had the bowl of Salmon Corn Chowder with corn, tomato, carrot, celery, onion, cream, black pepper and paprika.  This was on the thicker floury side rather than being creamy.  It was definitely sweet with some fishiness.  This was acceptable, but could've been less thick and it could've used maybe a bit more tang/acidity to lighten the richness.

I had the Baron of Beef Dip partially because Costanza had a really good one at Route 14 the night before.  Again, keeping with the theme, the version here was much more simple and straightforward with shaved roast beef on a French roll.  The beef was tender, albeit more lean and meatier than the sous-vide version from Route 14.  The side of garlic herb au jus was rather generic, but did the job softening up and flavouring the bread.  Costanza ended up with the 2 Piece Cod 'n Chips.  For a non-fish 'n chip joint, this was a solid effort.  The crunchy batter was light and not dense at all nor was it greasy either.  The fish itself was moist and flaky.  As for the fries, they were rather typical albeit fried properly.  I would've liked to see fresh cut double-fried Kennebec fries, but these were fine.  The accompanying tartar sauce was creamy with a bit of tang.  It could've used more white onion though.

Viv decided on the Turkey Cranberry Sandwich with house-roasted turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, mayo and cranberry sauce.  Although they state that it is house-roasted, the turkey seemed almost like deli-meat (to be fair, it could've been brined, then roasted).  Nothing particularly wrong with that other than we were expecting something less processed tasting and texture-wise.  The side of onion rings were crunchy for the flour-battered version.  We much prefer breaded, but these were fine.  Overall, Mom's did the job without much fanfare.  Was it better than anything we had so far in Sooke?  Well no.  But that isn't the point of the place.

The Good:
- Solid simple food for the family
- Okay pricing
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Chowder was far too thick
- Turkey didn't appear to be house-roasted or at the very least, it was brined too much so all natural meat texture was lost