skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I'm sure better choices for eats were available to us as we were driving away from Little Qualicum Falls on Highway 4, but it was an hour past lunch and we weren't too fussy. So we ended up at a touristy spot of sorts in The Market Restaurant at Old Country Market. Located in Coombs, the market is really a little village consisting of a grocery store, souvenir shop, deli, bakery, restaurant, pizzeria, donut shop and ice cream parlour. But the real draw is the goats on the roof. Yes, there are goats living on the grass roof!
Beyond that, we were hungry, so I decided on the Rueben with brisket, sauerkraut, cheese and dressing. Sandwiched in between crunchy toasted marbled rye, there was a decent amount of ingredients in between. I found the brisket to be tender and not overly fatty, but it was too sour and musty tasting due to the sauerkraut. It was tangy and provided a nice crunch while the cheese was sharp and nicely melted. The side of mustard was great as it added more tang and a touch of spice. My son decided on the OCM Classic Burger with aged cheddar, bacon, tomato, lettuce and sauce. This was actually pretty good despite the patty looking like a pack of ground beef. It was nicely seasoned, well-charred and juicy. The aged cheddar added a nice sharpness while the burger sauce had a bit of a kick. The fries were pretty crunchy, yet dry at the same time.
Viv ended up with the Crispy Chicken Burger with asiago and bacon on a pretzel bun. This was the best of the bunch with a crispy piece of chicken where the meat was succulent and well-seasoned. The asiago added a nice pungency while the crispy bacon added both texture and smokiness. Loved how the pretzel bun held up while not being too dense. We subbed a Loaded Poutine for the fries and it was good. The gravy was flavouful and puposefully salty and there was enough bacon, sour cream and onions to give it a baked potato effect. My daughter kept it simple with the kid's Chicken Tenders with a bowl of Clam Chowder. Creamy with plenty of dill and brininess, the chowder was actually quite good. In the end, the food did what it was supposed to do (as in feed us). However, the place isn't cheap, but it is cute especially with goats on the roof.
The Good:
- Nice novelty
- Food was serviceable
- Lots of other stuff to eat and see there
The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Food is okay, but not memorable
Honestly, my visit to Nanaimo had more to do with visiting friends than anything else. Hence, my hopes for good eats in Nanaimo were as low as sugar-free cola. However, after a search of the best places to eat, there were actually a few interesting choices. Just my luck, we were here on a Monday and the majority of them were closed for dinner. So with limited options, we picked one of the top-rated spots in Astera's Greek Taverna. Again, just my luck, they were completely booked! So we took a stroll up the block and stumbled upon Bistro Yaiyo. No, Japanese was not the first thing we thought of, but we were hangry!
Viv wanted the Takoyaki and hoped the kiddies would try them. Well, they did, but I guess it wasn't their thing. Not sure why since I thought they were prepared properly. They were served on a plate that held them perfectly in place. Soft and fluffy, these had a nice mouth-feel and featured a piece of chewy, yet tender octopus in the middle. There was just enough sauce and bonito flakes on top. One dish we could've done without was the Ebi Mayo as the batter was too thick and gummy. Hence, it wasn't crispy enough and once we got to the last piece, it was texturally off-putting. In terms of the spicy mayo, it was a tad too spicy where it was too dominant.
My daughter wanted to try the Salmon Belly for some reason. This was the first time she ever suggested that we order it, but it wasn't out-of-the-ordinary since she does love salmon. Well, this certainly passed the litmus test with her since it was crispy on the outside and buttery soft on the inside. It was fresh-tasting and only lightly salted. It was cooked just enough were it was still fatty and tender. Instead of the usual rice dishes for the kiddies, we wanted them to try something new in the Katsu Curry. This was a large portion of rice, sauce and a pork cutlet. The pork was rather lean which meant it wasn't exactly juicy. Yet at the same time, it wasn't chewy. We thought the panko coating was appealingly crispy. As for the curry, it was rich and lightly sweet while packing noticeable heat.
For our sushi roll, we got the Taiyo House Roll which was rather large. It featured a tonne of tobiko on top while the rice was nicely chewy. We thought the roll was pretty good with plenty of ingredients. As usual, my son wanted his fill of Nigiri including tamago, unagi and smoked salmon. This featured the same chewy mildly-seasoned rice, but we thought that the topping was rather meager for the amount of rice. Lastly, we had the Chirashi Don which was topped with fairly thin slices of fish. Most were quite good except the albacore tuna was a bit too soft. We loved the inclusion of red tuna and were shocked that our son ate 3 pieces!!! Woohoo! Overall, the food at Bistro Taiyo was decent and ultimately did the job, especially in Nanaimo.
The Good:
- Respectable Japanese, especially in a place not known for it
- Friendly service
The Bad:
- Prices can get up there
- Small place, can get pretty cramped
Posts
I'm sure better choices for eats were available to us as we were driving away from Little Qualicum Falls on Highway 4, but it was an hour past lunch and we weren't too fussy. So we ended up at a touristy spot of sorts in The Market Restaurant at Old Country Market. Located in Coombs, the market is really a little village consisting of a grocery store, souvenir shop, deli, bakery, restaurant, pizzeria, donut shop and ice cream parlour. But the real draw is the goats on the roof. Yes, there are goats living on the grass roof!
Beyond that, we were hungry, so I decided on the Rueben with brisket, sauerkraut, cheese and dressing. Sandwiched in between crunchy toasted marbled rye, there was a decent amount of ingredients in between. I found the brisket to be tender and not overly fatty, but it was too sour and musty tasting due to the sauerkraut. It was tangy and provided a nice crunch while the cheese was sharp and nicely melted. The side of mustard was great as it added more tang and a touch of spice. My son decided on the OCM Classic Burger with aged cheddar, bacon, tomato, lettuce and sauce. This was actually pretty good despite the patty looking like a pack of ground beef. It was nicely seasoned, well-charred and juicy. The aged cheddar added a nice sharpness while the burger sauce had a bit of a kick. The fries were pretty crunchy, yet dry at the same time.
Viv ended up with the Crispy Chicken Burger with asiago and bacon on a pretzel bun. This was the best of the bunch with a crispy piece of chicken where the meat was succulent and well-seasoned. The asiago added a nice pungency while the crispy bacon added both texture and smokiness. Loved how the pretzel bun held up while not being too dense. We subbed a Loaded Poutine for the fries and it was good. The gravy was flavouful and puposefully salty and there was enough bacon, sour cream and onions to give it a baked potato effect. My daughter kept it simple with the kid's Chicken Tenders with a bowl of Clam Chowder. Creamy with plenty of dill and brininess, the chowder was actually quite good. In the end, the food did what it was supposed to do (as in feed us). However, the place isn't cheap, but it is cute especially with goats on the roof.
