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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
Once upon a time, the only thing worth driving out for in Port Moody was the awesome rotis from Rehannah's (Don't say Rosa's because I find it meh...). Then there was Cake-Ya and a few more in and around Newport Village. Oh and let's not forget Rocky Point Ice Cream... With more and more people moving out to the once sleepy (and still is in some ways) PoMo, we are beginning to see some life in the culinary scene. The newest is Gabi & Jules featuring their awesome pies (yes, I gave away the verdict, but they are very good!).
Before I got to the pies, I did begrudgingly (because I really wanted some pie!) tried some of their sammies including the Pollo Capra Wrap. Well, I have to admit this was pretty good with layers of flavour including the sweet onion marmalade and mildly pungent goat cheese. Nestled within were tender and moist nuggets of roast chicken and arugula. Exhibiting impactful flavours from the saltiness of the prosciutto cotto, the Mont Blanc Sandwich suffered from an overly dense and hard bun. Too bad really as the tart Dijon and Swiss cheese added both extra flavour and textures.
Moving away from the sammies, I went right for the pies when they became available. I had the Strawberry Ginger Peach first which was full of flavour. There was no sissy amount of ginger as it was apparent with a slightly spicy bite. However, it wasn't overwhelming since the tart and plump strawberries stood out as well as the tender slices of sweet peaches. As a whole, the filling wasn't too sugary. The scoop of Rocky Point Ice Cream provided a nice balance as well as creaminess to the pie. Next up was the Blackberry Apple Pie which featured a nice tartness from the blackberries. The apple slices were tender and mildly sweet. I liked how the crust stayed firm and crunchy from top to bottom. It wasn't overly buttery which I personally prefer.
Tying the Strawberry Ginger Peach as my favourite was the Traditional Apple since it was full of tender slices that were not inundated with too much sugar (much like the other pies). However, that didn't mean there wasn't any impact though as there was a slight kick of cinnamon as well as a touch of tartness. Again, the firmly crunchy crust added a textural contrast that was just right. One of the more mildly-flavoured pies was the Blueberry Nectarine as it was neither tart nor sweet. I liked the nectarine slices as they were tender while still maintaining a bite, but the pie lacked impact. It really needed a scoop of ice cream to add the necessary sweetness.
On the other hand, the Raspberry Rhubarb was plenty tart all around. I like tangy-flavoured food, so this was appealing with large chunks of rhubarb mixed in with lots of raspberries. Again, the crust stayed crispy and flaky despite the wet ingredients. I realize some might want more butteriness, but for me, the drier crust ensured that there would be no soggy parts. I'm definitely returning for some more pie and a scoop of Rocky Point ice cream on the side!
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Excellent firmly crispy crust
- Not too sweet
- Pretty hip, especially for PoMo
The Bad:
- Some might want a butterier crust, but not me
- For me it was sweet enough, but I can see it may not be for some
As I was waddling away from 3 bowls of noodles from the Ramen Butcher, I stopped dead in my tracks. Did I almost get run over by a little old Asian lady? No, but that happens almost every time in Chinatown or someone spits right in front of me... At the very least, with the dwindling amount of Chinese grocery stores, I'm no longer being pressured into buying the super fresh Gai Lan (hey dai goh!). Now, what really caught my attention was The Pie Shoppe. Yes, despite my full belly, there was still room for pie. I decided to get 3 slices to go from their selection.
With my daughter eying the Raspberry Apple Pie, I warmed it up and had to split it with her. Not particularly sweet, the apples and raspberry helped create more of a tangy pie than the traditional apple version. Tender with a touch of bite left, the slices of apple were stuffed inside the pie along with ample raspberries. I thought the crust was somewhat flaky on the outside, yet doughy on the inside, especially in the folds on the edge. Interestingly, there was a heavy dusting of granulated sugar on the top of the pie that did not caramelize. For me, I had my heart set on the Lemon Pie which did its best impersonation of a lemon tart. I found the lemon curd to be smooth and of the right consistency. It was pretty sweet though, yet tempered with an equal amount of tartness. Again, the crust was okay, but could've been flakier.
The last slice of pie was the Chocolate Chess with Espresso. This was pretty rich and thick where each bite was quite heavy. It was definitely chocolaty with a touch of bitterness. The espresso was definitely there, but not very strong. Texturally, it was almost ganache-like which I didn't mind. For some, it might be a touch too dense. Overall, from the 3 slices of pie we tried, the Pie Shoppe is decent. I still prefer the stuff from Savary Island Pie the best, but if you don't want to travel to West Van, the Pie Shoppe is serviceable.
The Good:
- A decent selection of freshly-made pies
- You can buy practically all of them by the slice
The Bad:
- Crust could be flakier
- A touch expensive
I love meat. Hence I consider myself a meatatarian. I like it prepared in almost any fashion and gawd I love meat-on-a-stick. But what about meat in flaky pastry? Sounds good doesn't it? It's compact, transportable and can be eaten without utensils. Well, one of the newest food carts, Aussie Pie Guy, serves up meat pies (veggie ones too) for those who want their meat on-the-go. I was actually invited to try a few of these where Sean tagged along to help me eat (hey, I'm no Mijune!).
We ended up sharing 4 starting with Shane's Pie consisting of free range BC beef short rib and vegetables with a red wine au-jus and apricot hoisin sauce over mashed potatoes. Let's start with the pie crust first. I found it flaky and dry, but a good dry as it was crispy while still being buttery. Yet, it wasn't greasy and actually quite light. It was browned throughout including the bottom and sides. As for the short rib, it was really tender and meaty where there was considerable depth-of-flavour being sweet with some savoury elements. Next up was the Chook made from local, free run chicken and mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce. This was packed with chunks of chicken which were understandably firm (due to being free range chicken). I really liked the plethora of tender mushrooms as they added both flavour and texture. The light cream sauce was mild, however it softened the bottom of the pie.
Surprisingly, the Aussie Pie itself was not my favourite. Made from chunks of free range BC beef and organic onion, it was bathed in a pepper gravy made with Howe Sound Rail Ale. I found the amount of meat in the pie to be almost non-existent. The thickened gravy was peppery and full of sweet onion flavour, but lacking in substance. Lastly, we had the Porky consisting of slow roasted free-run pulled pork in BBQ sauce, topped with coleslaw made with organic apples and mint. This was packed with large chunks of pulled pork which could've benefited from a touch more sauce, but then again, that would've been bad for the delicate crust. The flavours were quite mild with a touch of sweetness. The creamy coleslaw on top was also sweet and added some crunch. Overall, these are decent pies with a flaky crust when not compromised by the sauce.
*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*
The Good:
- Flaky crust throughout
- Good selection of fillings
The Bad:
- A bit pricey (but then again, most food carts are not cheap in Vancouver)
- Delicate crust, moisture is its enemy
Posts
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.
