Pizzability (Sooke)

As much as I would love to blog exclusively the best restaurants in Vancouver and around the world, it is not completely practical.  First and most importantly, I need to save for my kid's college fund, so eating it all away is not exactly responsible (but oh so delicious!).  Second, eating like that gets a little much, unless you are some eating assassin like Mijune.  So when we were in Sooke, it was agreed that we would do one inexpensive meal that didn't involve visiting a restaurant.  We ended up picking up a couple of pizzas and 2 lasagnas from the nearby Pizzability.

I think this had to be one of the first times I've picked up pizza from the second floor, hence it was rather warm when we entered the place.  Gotta give it to them, they were organized and efficient as everything was ready including little containers of Parm and red pepper flakes.  We got one each of the Cheese and Meatlovers Pizza.  So the pizza crust was not greasy, which was a good thing.  However, it was also rather dry and cardboard-like.  We did like how it was crispy, but the denseness and dry texture was not that appealing.  There could've been a bit more tomato sauce in our opinion.  The cheese pizza was pretty basic, but the meatlovers was impactfully spicy due to the plethora of sausage.  Again, liked how it wasn't too greasy, but the crust was a downer.

Usually, takeout pizza joint Lasagna can be a feeble attempt consisting of noodles, sauce and some cheese.  Surprisingly, we found cottage cheese and meat within the lasagna.  This made it much more hearty and varied in texture.  Like the pizzas, one of the lasagnas had added Italian sausage and that made it really robust and spicy.   Furthermore, they did not skimp on the mozzarella cheese either.  I actually liked the Italian sausage lasagna as it was good for what it was.  Probably one of the best pizza joint versions I've had ever.  That pretty much made up for the average pizza.  Yet, who am I kidding?  For the price, the food was more than acceptable and did the job especially for the kids.  Not great pizza, but good enough for a quick simple meal.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Surprisingly decent lasagna

The Bad:
- Crust a bit too dry

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

Route 14

Not trying to stray too far from our hotel and also that it was something different than our hotel restaurant, we made our way to Route 14 for dinner.  Named after the street that it resides on, Route 14 didn't look like much from the outside.  In fact, we would've passed right by it and dismissed it as another bar.  However, looks can be deceiving as the online reviews seemed to make it sound like a solid place for the entire family.  We made a reservation and thank goodness we did as it was pretty busy.

In addition to the burger (yes, another burger) that I had ordered, we had the Salt & Pepper Wings too as an appie.  Glistening with oil, these wings were indeed a bit on the greasier side, yet at the same time, they were super crispy.  As for the meat itself, beyond the crispiness of the exterior it was juicy and tender (not dry at all).  They were well-seasoned being salty enough and of course peppery.  I got the side of blue cheese dip and it provided an extra layer of creamy sharpness to the crispy wings.  My Route 14 Classic Burger wasn't as a good as the one from West Coast Grill, but was still solid in its own right.  It sported a 6oz fresh brisket and chuck patty, cheddar, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and special sauce on a toasted potato bun.  I found the well-charred patty to be meaty and full flavoured with bits of onion strewn throughout.  With all of the ingredients, the burger ate moist despite the lean patty.  Being very crispy with little potatoness left, the fries were more like double-cooked frites.

Viv had the Chicken Club consisting of marinated & grilled chicken breast, maple smoked bacon, Camembert cheese, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo on toasted sourdough.  When it arrived, we were rather impressed at the size of the sandwich.  However, we found quite a few issues with it.  First of all, the bread was toasted rather aggressively and it ate dry and hard.  Second, the bacon was overly firm where it was difficult to chew through (yet it tasted good).  Lastly, the chicken was too thin where it was barely there and ate very dry.  The best part was the melted and creamy camembert.  My son opted for the 1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs with fries and slaw.  These were pretty typical of non-BBQ ribs (they were oven-roasted), but done well being tender with a good amount of meatiness still remaining.  As for the Dark Matter BBQ sauce, it was more sweet than tangy or smoky.  There could've been a lot more of it too.

Seeing how she always orders the most expensive dish when we go out to eat, my daughter didn't disappoint with the crispy pan-seared Lois Lake Steelhead Trout with prawn & crab spring rolls, leek soubise, sesame sauce, asparagus and mushroom & bean saute (for $27.00).  I kid you not, the trout was prepared better than most fine-dining restaurants I've visited.  The skin was crispy and well-seasoned while the fish was medium-rare.  Buttery, delicate and moist, the fish was perfect.  We were surprised to find 2 large spring rolls on the plate (would've been worth $10.00 as per the appetizer) which meant the rest of the dish was only $17.00.  Good value.  They were really crispy and packed with fluffy crab, veggies and sriracha cream cheese.  Yummy.  For the rest of the plate, we found it a bit muddled and too busy.  A simple side of veggies would've sufficed.

Costanza and Elaine shared the sous-vide AAA Roast Beef Dip with crispy onions, dijonaise on French bun with beef jus.  Now usually a beef dip is a beef dip, but this one was really good.  Since they sous-vide the beef first, it was super tender requiring very little chewing.  The toasted bun was soft and really complimented the beef (some places have firmer buns that overwhelm the beef).  Loved the crispy onions where they added both texture and an extra hit of sweetness.  Lastly, the jus was not the run-of-the-mill powdered stuff as it was meaty and natural tasting (not salty).  They also got the Island Mussels with chorizo sausage, roast garlic, shallots, lager & cream and garlic toast.  Portion-wise, this was very generous with plump buttery mussels in an aromatic cream sauce that had only the mildest hint of spice.  Not sure why they served us rye bread as garlic toast though.  This weird garlic toast and the sandwich were the only real blemishes to relatively good meal.  Lots of choices (including fancier dishes) for the whole family at reasonable prices.

The Good:
- Don't judge a book by its cover, there is good food to be found here
- Friendly service
- Family friendly

The Bad:
- Sandwich wasn't good and rye bread as garlic bread???
- Wings were greasy

West Coast Grill (Prestige Oceanview Resort)

As a rule, I normally do not dine at hotel restaurants while I'm on vacation.  Sure, there are the occasional gems to be found (therefore, I do eat at those places), but more interesting eats could be found elsewhere.  However, there aren't that many dining options in Sooke, so we felt that convenience and predictability were the name of the game for lunch.  Furthermore, we could get a $10.00 discount since we were staying at the hotel and if we decided not to get daily housekeeping.  Yes, we took the $10.00 discount...  

So we arrived as they were changing over to their lunch menu, but 2 of the kids wanted breakfast.  My son had his go-to dish being the Traditional Eggs Benny with 2 poached eggs, layered Canadian back bacon, housemade Hollandaise sauce and country-style hashbrowns.  As evidenced in the picture, the free-range eggs were beautiful and runny.  The hollandaise was more buttery than tangy being rich and silky.  He liked how they used real back bacon rather than ham.  For Elaine's son, he had the Classic Breakfast with 2 eggs, andouille sausage, toast and country-style hashbrowns.  This was pretty large in portion size as the split sausage was meaty and well-seared.  Nothing amiss here and reasonably-priced at $13.00 (especially at a hotel restaurant).

My daughter didn't want breakfast and had the Pacific Fish & Chips with 1 pc snapper coated in pakora batter, handcut fries, sumac raita, slaw and a cup of chowder.  For me, this was a rather interesting twist on a classic dish.  Since they employed pakora batter, it was a bit thicker, yet ultimately crunchy and spiced while the fresh snapper was flaky and moist.  Replacing the usual tartar sauce with a sumac raita, it really changed the flavour profile.  Beyond the tang of the yogurt, the cumin really came through with a pronounced earthiness.  The cup of chowder was very creamy and was chock full of veggie and clams.  Elaine and myself ordered the Mountain Burger with a hand pressed patty, caramelized onions, smoked cheddar, applewood bacon, devil’s relish, lettuce and garlic aioli.  This was surprisingly awesome with a well-charred lean patty enveloped by a tangy tomato relish and sweet onions.  A bit firmer than usual, the brioche bun held everything together with what was a tasty burger (a la Samuel L. Jackson).

Viv and ended sharing the burger which meant we ordered a few more items including the Spiced Calamari with broken nori, togarashi, fried jalapeños, wasabi and yuzu crema.  Okay, we loved the creativity here, but the dish was a miss for us.  Beyond the tender strips of squid, the batter was wet and not crispy at all.  Furthermore, the greasiness of the whole dish was exemplified by the nori as it was not appealing at all.  This could've been good, but it needs to be tweaked.  On the other hand, the Steamer Pot consisting of 1/2 clams and 1/2 mussels was good.  The shellfish was buttery and prepared properly.  They weren't as plump as the ones from Wild Mountain though.  We chose the chorizo and lemongrass cream sauce which was rich and fragrant with a touch of spice.  Loved the seared bread on the side, it was so crispy and soft.  It was perfect for soaking up the broth.  As you can see, the food at the West Coast Grill was more than acceptable and surprisingly reasonable in price.  Loved the water view as well.

The Good:
- Beautiful decor and located right on the water
- Above average eats
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- The calamari was not prepared properly
- Strangely, not enough parking for all the guests of the hotel and restaurant

Wild Mountain Food & Drink

While looking over the candidates and winners of the annual Vanmag's best restaurants, I noticed that Wild Mountain Food & Drink won for Victoria.  Although located in Sooke, I guess it still qualifies as being in "Victoria".  Low and behold, guess where I was schedule to be during the May long weekend?  Yep, we would be staying at the Prestige Oceanview Resort that happens to be just steps away from Wild Mountain!  Of course I went ahead and booked resos for the highly coveted tables there as the restaurant isn't very big.  That also meant we had to eat at 5:00pm since that was the only reservation left for the May long weekend.

So we made the really long drive of 30 seconds from the nearby Prestige Oceanview Resort (we should've walked) were seated next to the window with a view of the water.  We started out with a few snacks including the Albacore Tuna Tartare with preserved lemon and borage atop a slice of Hakurei turnip.  This was super simple, but really fresh and delicious at the same time.  At first, I thought the softened turnip would mean a lack of texture when combined with the buttery tuna.  It definitely was the case, but the little bite still worked as the tuna was the star especially hit by a balanced amount of acidity.  We also had the Halibut & Spot Prawn Ceviche served on a prawn tapioca cracker.  Now this had an airy and super crunchy textural contrast to go with the sweet delicate prawn and meaty halibut.  Again, the acidity was "spot" on (bad pun I know) by allowing the ingredients to shine.

Another snack that caught our fancy was the Crispy Polenta Fritters with dill pickle dip.  More like polenta "fries", these were served piping hot.  As such, the exterior was not greasy at all while being crispy.  On the inside, the polenta was on point with its classic soft creaminess that was also dense enough to remain intact as a "fry".  Trying to achieve that balance isn't as easy as it sounds because I've had one too many polenta fries that was either too mushy or too firm.  Tangy, creamy and briny, the dill pickle dip was a nice compliment to the polenta.  Originally, we weren't going to get the Red Fife Wheat Bread, but my son seemed a bit disappointed (he loves bread), so we added it just for him.  Good decision as the crusty bread was soft and airy on the inside.  It came with a creamy bee pollen and honey butter that had only a hint of sweetness.

The kids weren't super hungry so they ended up with half-orders of the 2 available pastas.  My daughter had the Risotto of Grains with mushroom cream, fresh oyster mushroom, asparagus, arugula and smoked pork hock (extra $3.00 for half order).  There was a lot going on with the "risotto" where the grains were firm and chewy.  As much as it was a cream sauce, it wasn't as heavy as it sounded or appeared.  Naturally, there was the classic mushroom earthiness at play as well as the mild smokiness of the tender pork hock.  It was surprisingly not salty, which allowed everything else to be noticed.  For my son, he chose the Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli Pasta with smoked Sooke chicken breast, asparagus, spinach, green olives and Grana Padano.  Also with a lot going on, the pasta was firmly al dente while the sauce was pretty cheesy.  The ample amount of chicken was tender and lightly smoky.  I felt that they put just enough green olive in for effect that didn't overwhelm the dish.

Viv decided on the Quadra Island Clams as here main dish ($17.00 as an appie, $31.00 as a main).   Buttery and super plump, the clams were steamed in an XO-humpback shrimp broth with housemade salami, komatsuna & winged kelp and Wild Mountain bread.  This was an outstanding dish as the flavours were so impactful while balanced at the same time.  The briny broth had some spice and plenty of natural sweetness (as well as umaminess).  The clams couldn't have been prepared any better, so good.  For my main, I went for the Pemberton Flat Iron Steak with smashed root veggies, broccoli shoots and red wine jus.  I added a pat of Washington black truffle butter ($3.00) for good measure.  Oh man, the steak was fantastic being nicely seared and prepared a perfect medium-rare.  It was rested properly where the juices remained within the meat.  Super buttery tender, the properly seasoned steak was further amped by the truffle butter.

As for dessert, Viv and I shared the Poached Rhubarb & Citrus Curd Tart with mint.  Rustic-looking, the tart shell was firm, buttery and texturally consistent throughout.  I found the citrus curd to be creamy and on point in terms of viscosity.  There was a good balance between tang and sweetness.  Interestingly, I thought the bits of crunchy rhubarb to be a distraction from the excellent tart itself.  It did provide a different texture as well as a brightness to the tart, but it was unnecessary in my opinion.  For the dishes we tried, it definitely confirms, in my opinion, the win for Wild Mountain as "best of Victoria".  Mind you, out of the contenders, I haven't tried OLO, so that will be up next.

The Good:
- Quaint house, nice setting by the water
- Carefully prepared simple menu
- Genuine and kind service

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Small place, getting a table is difficult

Fol Epi

Having visited Victoria during Spring Break, we were able to sample some pretty good eats while we were there.  We actually visited Agrius twice, once for brunch and once for dinner.  Something that I normally do not do on vacation - do a revisit.  Well, is 3rd time the charm?  It wasn't really a trifecta as we didn't dine at Agrius, but we did pay the adjacent Fol Epi (same company) for some pastries and treats.  We had already sampled their wonderful in-house bread when we were at Agrius, so our expectations were pretty high.

One of the most basic, if not important items on any bakery's menu is the classic Butter Croissant.  As evidenced in the picture, the croissant was on the smaller side being rather narrow.  Beyond the initial crispiness, the rest of it didn't shatter as much as I would've liked.  It was definitely buttery and soft inside, but I just would've preferred more spun layers (laminating).  That would've made it crunchier and nutty.  We also got the Ham & Cheese Croissant as well and it was similar to the classic croissant except it was crispier in some spots while softer in others.  This was totally acceptable due to the wet ingredients.  Again, I would've liked to see more layers and shattering, but it was good in terms of the smokiness of the ham and of course the gooey cheese.

One of my favourite items was the Apple Strudel where the filling was really tasty.  It was full of tender chunks of apple that were appealingly tangy.  It was enveloped with just enough sweetness for balance.  ON the outside, the pastry was light and crispy.  Despite the wet filling, the rest of the strudel did not get soggy.  Off to another savoury item, the Caramelized Onion, Bacon and Cheese Scone was robust and filling.  Naturally, scones are usually rather dense, and this one was that for sure.  At the same time, it wasn't in a bad way.  Beyond the firm, almost crunchy exterior, the inside was moist and fluffy in the aforementioned dense manner.  It was aromatic and full of flavour due to the ingredients involved.

Onto some other pastries, Costanza got the Lemon Tart, Almond Slice and Hazelnut Cake.  I didn't get to try any of these, but he thought they were all quite good, but not great.  I would concur with that as the items I did try were exactly that.  Probably the best of Victoria according to many and until I try others places, I will go on that.  Compared to pastries I've had in Vancouver, I would say Thomas Haas and Chez Christophe are better, but that is in Vancouver.  So not really fair to compare.  All-in-all, still totally enjoyable, including the wonderful bread and charcuterie.

The Good:
- Good variety including pastries, breads and charcuterie
- Generally good products
- Nice space 

The Bad:
- Not a very big space though

Rooftop at the Sticky Wicket

A long time ago, when we were "sans enfants", we made a trip to Victoria with Costanza and Elaine.  We stayed at the Chateau Victoria and dined on oysters at Ferris' Oyster Bar.  Interestingly, we had walked past the Sticky Wicket Pub where one of their windows had been smashed (police were on the scene). I believe we were to eat there that night, but due to the window issue, we went somewhere else.  Fast forward to the present, we are much older and have 2 kids each.  We returned to the Sticky Wicket and headed up to the Rooftop since we couldn't get a big enough table in the family friendly section of the pub downstairs.

Complete with a beach volleyball court, the rooftop is a great place to hang out on a sunny day.  That we did and yes, of course we ordered food.  My son went big with the Classic Steak Sandwich with sauteed button mushrooms, garlic bread and chips.  Prepared a perfect medium-rare, the steak was charred and evenly cooked.  Not only was it tasty, it was super tender and well-rested.  It was topped with a tonne of buttery tender mushrooms.  For my daughter, she had the Cajun Chicken Quesadilla with cheddar & Monterey jack cheese, scallions and tomatoes.  She added the guacamole (for $2.00 more) to go with the sour cream.  Again, this was nothing complex, but done relatively well.  Inside the grilled flour tortillas, there was lightly spiced chicken with a good amount of melted cheddar.

For myself, I had the BBQ Sampler with fire grilled Certified Angus beef top sirloin steak, beer braised chicken drumsticks, baby back pork ribs, grilled chorizo link, BBQ sauce, cheddar jalapeño cornbread, baked beans and spicy Italian pickled vegetables.  This was a decent amount of meat where the steak was medium rare and tender despite its small size.  The ribs were fall-off-the bone but a little bland.  I thought the drumsticks were cooked just right where the meat wasn't dry.  Rounding out the meats, the chorizo was nicely grilled and slightly spicy.  For Viv, she went for something light in the Pesto Chicken Baguette with basil infused pesto aioli, grilled chicken, crisp double smoked bacon, fresh apple, smoked gouda cheese and baby spinach leaves.  Featuring as soft buttered baguette, the sandwich didn't eat heavy.  I found the chicken to be tender and moist while the rest of the ingredients created even more moisture.  Loved the smokiness of the cheese and bacon.

One thing that wasn't all that interesting was the Rooftop Burger made with Certified Angus Beef.  To be fair, this was for Costanza's youngest son and he didn't want the tomato or lettuce which probably made the burger a bit dry to eat.  However, the burger patty itself was not all that juicy either.  It was seasoned with salt and pepper, so it wasn't bland and the addition of cheese helped as well.  For Elaine, she decided on the Sirloin Steak and Watermelon Salad with balsamic, fresh basil & mint infused watermelon, red onion, feta cheese and iceberg lettuce dressed in lemon olive oil. As you can see, the steak was medium (as requested) being tender.  The salad itself was refreshing and light while sporting plenty of acidity.  So as you can see, the food wasn't complex, but it did the job for a reasonable price.  Loved the rooftop setting where there was beach volleyball and also the kid friendly space.

The Good:
- More than acceptable eats
- Decent portions
- Nice rooftop setting

The Bad:
- Not inventive food by any means (but that is not what they are trying to do either)
- Rooftop can get windy (but that is to be expected)