Victoria Brunch Blog

McRae's

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:05:46 -0700

1652 McRae Ave.
Brunch served Sun - Weds 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., Thurs - Sat, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
$7 - $10
www.mcraesbistro.com

—

The Boiled Down

Don’t expect the gamut of brunch options, but do expect value for money.

Nick’s rating: 7.5 breakfast beers out of 10
Jen’s rating: 7 hangovers out of 10

—

The Slow Cooked

N: How many restaurants can say they were once a convenience store and then a florist? When McRae’s first started going up at the corner of Shelbourne and McRae, I wasn’t optimistic about its chances. The location didn’t exactly scream food hub, but so far they seem to be succeeding. We went on a Sunday morning around 10:30, the place about a quarter full, mostly hungover locals I’m thinking. McRae’s decor is something you’d expect to find in a roadside pub in Bute, Montana. It’s done well though, with an airy cabin-like feel.

J: McRae’s proximity to UVic and Camosun makes it a convenient location for students to get their post-partying fry-up and hair of the dog. The four dudes in the table next too us were looking pretty rough before they ordered their Caesars (and brunch). Maybe Clamato cures all, but I think I’ll stick with coffee.

N: It took them a few minutes to notice us, but once we were seated things moved quicker.

—

No espresso machine at McRae’s, so it was straight up coffee.

—

N: Their angle is west coast fare. The brunch options don’t really reflect that, but I don’t think brunch is their forte. That doesn’t mean their offerings are weak though. Limited yes, with only four real brunch options on the menu. I chose the breakfast burrito. For a very reasonable price of $7.50 I got sausage crumble, scrambled egg, cheddar, pico de gallo and green pepper in a tomato tortilla. The quality of the burrito made up for the lack of quantity on the menu. The sausage was quite flavorful and stole the dish. I asked for avocado in the burrito, but they didn’t have any, only guacamole, which I went with, but then quickly realized it had to be a mix if they didn’t have avocados. It wasn’t worth the $2 extra.

I had hash on the side, which as far as brunch hash goes, was better than most. I like a smaller brown, and these were just my size and perfectly fried. One of the better sides I can remember in my brunch experience.

—

What came first, the avocado or the guacamole?

—

J: No, McRae’s Bistro might not boast the most attentive service, but their low prices definitely make it a worthwhile visit. I ordered the waffle topped with cinnamon apples, whipped cream and maple syrup. For just $7.50, it was a damn fine meal. Granted, it was pretty simple stuff, but the waffle was light and crispy and the apples had great flavour. Next time I’ll have to try one of the other waffle toppings: chocolate and banana or seasonal fruit. Mmmm seasonal.

—

This morning’s forecast calls for mainly waffley skies with periods of whipped cream clouds.

—

N: What they lacked in attentive service they made up for in music selection. I don’t normally notice the music in the brunch spots we visit, which makes me think it’s of the elevator variety, but McRae’s had a solid playlist. I would have figured Waylon Jennings with the decor (which would have been just fine), but they went indie.

—

Brunch song of the week. New blog feature?

—

J: Yes indeed, the tunes were ideal. A lazy Sunday morning spent sipping coffee and listening to Local Natives and Band of Horses is a wonderful thing. And judging by the number of TVs set amongst the wood paneled walls and recycled old window frames, McRae’s would also be a great place to grab a beer and watch a game. Too bad the Canucks don’t play in the a.m. more than a couple times per year - I bet hockey brunch could totally be a thing.

—

Between us we polished off 50% of their brunch menu.

Zambri's

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:48:00 -0800

820 Yates St.
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Sundays
$10 - $15
www.zambris.ca

—

The Boiled Down

Chic and modern, but not pretentious. Zambri’s deserves a brunch reputation as positive as their lunch and dinner ones.

Nick’s rating: 9.5 double smokings out of 10
Jen’s rating: 9 buongiornos of out of 10

—

The Slow Cooked

J: Zambri’s is an award winning Italian restaurant that has been a favourite of Victoria foodies for over a decade. So, how come I’d never been there before? It’s been on my list of restaurants to try for years, but I suppose I just never got around to it. Last year Zambri’s moved to a great new location in the recently completed Atrium building (sharing the block with two other great Victoria eateries - Pig Barbeque Joint and Habit Coffee). Well known for their lunch and dinner fare, Zambri’s seems to keep their brunch offerings on the D.L. At least it seemed that way when we arrived at 11am on a Sunday morning and the restaurant was more than half empty. Because of the lack of diners, I was honestly a bit worried that my first visit to Zambri’s would be a bit of a disappointment. I thought, “if this place is so great, where is everyone?” My concerns very quickly vanished as soon as I was served a truly great americano. The friendly folks at Zambri’s certainly know how to handle their espresso.

—

Perfection.

—

N: That whole Atrium block is great. They’ve also got Cook Culture, who constantly tempt me with their cooking classes (soups from scratch, yum). Truth is I’d never been to Zambri’s either. The reviews were rave, but that was for dinner in their previous place, so a new location and an empty Sunday morning had me a little worried as well. My beverage was a straight up coffee, served in a white mug on a white saucer.

—

Very classy. Very tasty.

—

J: The only sweet item on the menu (other than a fruit cup) was french toast - panettone french toast, to be exact - served with amaretto maple syrup and wee bit of whipped cream. I was more than happy with that option. Panettone (pronounced pana-TOE-nee) happens to be a type of sweet Italian bread containing raisins, bits of candied orange and citrus zest. It originated in Milan and it is damn good. The dish was deluxe.

—

A portion any Italian grandmother would approve. “Eat! Eat!”

—

N: I was tempted by the Meatballs and Eggs, but opted for the Italian Scramble - eggs scrambled with potatoes, peppers and smoked caciocavallo cheese. I was enamored as soon as I saw it laid down in front of me, beautifully plated. The texture of the eggs was exactly to my liking, and the dish burst with flavor.

—

These vibrant food colours were sponsored by Crayola.

—

N: The only thing missing from it was meat, so Jen and I decided to split a side of double smoked bacon. I’ve had some time to think on that bacon, and I can honestly say that that bacon in my top three bacon experiences of all time. I’d go back for the bacon alone. Bacon.

J: Oh god that double smoked bacon. That bacon was amazing. I bet you regret offering to share with me. Next time we’ll each get our own order of bacon.

—

If I ever have a pet pig I’m going to call it Zambri.

—

N: Yeah next time I’ll definitely get my own triple order of bacon, but bacon has given so much to me, it’s only fair I gave back to it by sharing its bacony love.

—

How do you say ‘please sir can I can have some more’ in Italian?

Shine Cafe

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:43:00 -0800

1320 Blanshard St.
7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. seven days a week
1548 Fort St.
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. seven days a week
http://shinecafe.ca/

—

The Boiled Down

Still somewhat over-hyped around town, but definitely worth more than one visit, and the new location means no more ridiculously long waits.

Nick’s rating: 7 swollen tongues out of 10
Jen’s rating: 8 pleasant surprises out of 10

—

The Slow Cooked

N: There was a time when Shine was my nemesis, back when there was just the one location in Stadacona Centre, but it wasn’t because of the ever-present long lines. It was because for the first twenty-five-ish years of my life I was mildly allergic to eggs, and their old menu was heavy on the oeufs. I didn’t know this the first time I went there, and I was left with a choice of only a fruit bowl with yogurt. Now, Shine has a second location and I’m no longer held back by an egg allergy.

The new location is where Demitasse used to be, which was one of our favorite go-to, never-a-wait spots. We were sad to see it go, but good on Shine for pouncing on such prime brunch real estate. We went just after 10 on a Sunday morning and we happy to see they kept up the Demitasse tradition of seating us right away.

J: Even though I’m allergy-free, my first experience at the Stadacona Shine Cafe was also unfavorable. I recall waiting in line for 40 minutes and thinking “I don’t get all the fuss - this food is not worth the wait.” I’m happy to say that my feelings have changed. The demise of Demitasse was sad, but this new Shine experience has definitely turned me from critic to fan.

N: The menu is larger than the last time I was here, with more non egg-based options than before, but the special on the wall caught my eye. I’ve mentioned before I’m not much of a benny fan, but I couldn’t resist the Feliz Ano Nuevo. Homemade molé sauce with bacon, avocado and peppers. I wasn’t feeling hash, so I got it with a side of fruit. Both main and side were just great. The eggs were a perfect medium poach, the avocado was ripe, the bacon was not too crisp. And the molé was chock full delicious ingredients. But, once I finished the first benny I noticed a slight tingly feeling in my mouth, and my lips were stinging a bit. Yes, I shook my egg allergy, but I’m still allergic to nuts, and I was familiar with what the feeling in my mouth went. Luckily, it was a really mild reaction. It could only have been the molé sauce. It was my fault for not asking, and when I did, our server came back with a long list of ingredients, one of which was almonds. Lesson learned. For the umpteenth time in my life.

—

Oh molé sauce. What an unfortunate secret you held.

—

J: The menu now boasts more options for sweet-tooth diners like myself, but I went with the french toast (I really need to start reviewing different dishes!) and I was not disappointed. The simple ingredients married perfectly in this expertly grilled, hot and satisfying dish - and the generous portion of fruit was a welcome addition to my plate. It’s certainly not the be-all-end-all of brunch, but I was pleasantly surprised and can finally admit that I understand why Shine has so many fans.

—

Mmmmm carbs.

—

N: Looking through my photos I realized I forgot to take any coffee shots. It’s only our fourth brunch in and I’m already slipping. Perhaps you could speak to the coffee, since I didn’t have any. I’ll assume all the usuals: liquidy, coffee-coloured, came in a mug?

J: Yes, the coffee was indeed all of those things - and it was also quite good. I bet if you had ordered some you would have reached the necessary caffeination levels for coffee photography. Let this be a lesson to us all: never decline a morning cup o’ joe.

Overall, the atmosphere at Shine was bright and pleasant, the service was very good and I’m looking forward to a return visit. Next time I’ll have to try one of their famous potato scones.

N: Allergies aside (which were totally my fault) my Shine experience was definitely better than all previous ones. I don’t agree with their tagline Victoria’s premier breakfast restaurant, but I’d happily give it another go. Lots of egg-based goodness to try on that menu.

—

Good work Jen. I hope this is the only plate I ever don’t clean.

The Superior

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:53:00 -0800

106 Superior St.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
http://thesuperior.ca/

—

The Boiled Down

Artsy and somewhat pretentious ambiance, but style does not overwhelm substance here. The food is never anything but outstanding.

Nick’s rating: 10 spoken word poems out of 10
Jen’s rating: 10 hipster bicycles out of 10

—

The Slow Cooked

J: You know those times when you wake up in the morning and you need really good coffee and gourmet food but would prefer to consume said coffee and food in the company of several mounted stag heads surrounded by an ever-changing collection of eclectic artwork? Me too. That’s when I call the gang and head down to The Superior.

Perched on the tree-lined corner across from Fisherman’s Wharf Park (where St. Lawrence, Kingston and Superior Street all meet), The Superior is a fairly well known gem in James Bay. Post-brunch, why not take a stroll along Fisherman’s Wharf and visit the local harbour seals? These especially roly poly pinnipeds can almost always be seen frolicking amongst the houseboats and hamming it up for tourists who just might toss them a few morsels of fish. (A brunch of another kind perhaps?)

N: An elegant intro for an elegant brunch spot. Well, maybe not elegant. Let’s be honest. The Superior serves a heavy side of pretense with their food and drink. I have no problem with pretentiousness if it’s backed up with good food and drink. And The Superior backs theirs up just fine. Their pretense is an oddball one though, as you pointed out. Rather than Versace chandeliers and diamond encrusted dessert spoons, they have unplugged modern bohemian and named tables, like the “sand table”. Okay that one isn’t true anymore since their renos, but it used to be.

J: Indeed. The Superior is certainly a hipster refuge, but its patrons are very diverse - as is the menu. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 3pm and offers up a fairly broad selection of dishes that change throughout the year. This time I began with a delightful americano. The friendly and attentive staff (never an empty water glass!) always whip up a mean espresso with locally roasted Discovery coffee.

—

These milk and sugar containers are the skinny jeans of coffee accessories.

—

We were warm and cozy by the fireplace as we awaited our meals. I ordered the french toast (shocking) which was specially created for the holiday season: eggnog infused bread pudding style french toast with Sailor Jerry’s spiced rum caramel and whip cream. It was, in a word, mind-blowing. Somehow the dish managed not to be overly sweet - and I polished off every crumb. Seriously perfect french toast - dense and hot and lovely.

—

I’m surprised I even waited for you to take a photo before I tore into this.

—

N: The Superior is the only place in town I can think of where I always order the same thing. Normally I like to try something different upon repeat visits to my favorite places, but the Poutine is just too good. Yep, poutine for breakfast. White cheddar, poached eggs, roasted garlic, miso hollandaise and pulled pork on top of some not-too-thick-not-too-thin fries. The simple flavors are outstanding, the texture is perfect. The rest of the menu always tempts me, and maybe one day I’ll branch out, but I think that day is a long way off.

J: You had me at “poutine”.

—

It’s so good every time I have it, I bet even this photo would taste good.

—

N: My meal, and my whole experience there, is always so good I really need to get nitpicky to find a fault. So here it is. You have to pay the counter, which I find mildly annoying. I’m always so blissfully full I don’t even want to think about having to stand up.

J: True, but I’d rather wait to pay than wait to get a table. The Superior never seems to have a line-up, which is surprising for how tasty the food is - but you won’t hear me complaining.

—

I would have licked the bowl if I didn’t feel like the stag was watching me.

—

Spoon's Diner

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:49:00 -0800

2915 Douglas St.
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. seven days a week
www.spoonsdiner.com

—

The Boiled Down

Funky, atmospheric place with a decent sized menu where you’ll find most of the brunch staples you’d expect.

Nick’s rating: 5.5 food thermometers out of 10
Jen’s rating: 5 cannibals out of 10

—

The Slow Cooked

J: Last time we went to a small, intimate bistro - tastefully designed and catering to a fairly refined crowd. This time we went in a different direction: we went to Spoon’s Diner.

I think of Spoon’s Diner as a poor man’s Floyd’s Diner. In fact, Spoon’s started out as Floyd’s II when it first opened in 2008. If you want to experience a wacky retro diner that serves up some pretty decent plates of food, but you’re not willing to wait in line for an hour (or venture downtown), then Spoon’s is the place for you.

N: There was a bit of a wait, but I’m not sure how long it was because I was distracted by the old man in the puffy red jacket telling all the other customers in line that Spoon’s chops up customers once they’re done eating and uses them in their food. I don’t know old man. Sure you’d save on food costs, but it wouldn’t exactly allow for repeat business.

J: That crazy old man was great. After his chopping up customers comments he said something like “can you think of a better way for them to serve breakfast?” Um, yeah, I think we can probably do better.

—

The coffee shots were blurry, so this is coffee by association.

—

N: We were seated in the back, which wasn’t great for photo lighting, but Spoons has such a great atmosphere that you can’t really complain about where you sit. To paint a quick picture. A mishmash of pop culture art and artifacts on the walls, a clientele that ranges from young families to hungover clubbers to creepy old men, and trivial pursuit cards on every table circa 1990.

—

Expect questions about Milli Vanilli and the USSR.

—

We were confronted with a hefty menu full of sweets and savory. We’ve done Spoon’s a number of times, and I’ve always been impressed with their fry ups and breakfast burritos, but this time the specials menu caught my eye, in particular the Crunchy Mademoiselle, a takeoff on the croque madame. I didn’t take notes on it, and now I can’t remember the cheese or meat type, so whatever the takeoff was didn’t impress me too much. The biggest problem is that it was warm, at best. The texture was a nice blend of crunch and soft, and the flavor was decent, but the wrong temperature can ruin anything. It did come with a heap of hash browns, which I wasn’t able to finish all of, but they were pretty good. Yep, pretty good. Your move, real food critics.

—

It looked so nice and warm.

—

J: The atmosphere and the staff are delightful. Unfortunately the temperature problem plagued both of our meals. Mine wasn’t cold enough for me to send back to the kitchen but it was un-hot enough for me to be disappointed - though it won’t stop me from going back to Spoon’s again. It’s certainly worth another try.

I ordered a “Thetis” - homemade banana bread french toast topped with yogurt and honey. It also came with butter and syrup. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, steer clear of this one. If you can handle sugar and you’re a fan of banana bread, you can’t really lose (except if it’s cold I guess). Our server recommended that I get a half order and I’m so glad I did - I couldn’t even finish the smaller portion. The folks at Spoon’s do NOT skimp on their plates. You will certainly not leave hungry.

—

Knock knock. Who’s there? Banana. Banana who? Banana bread.

—

So I guess the bottom line is: the food wasn’t the greatest, but there was a lot of it and we had fun.

N: I’ve only ever sent food back for being cold once in my life. I’m usually too hungry to care enough.

The bottom line for me is if this was my first time at Spoon’s, I might not go back, but given their otherwise solid track record it’s still a definite recommend in my books.

—

The cold, dead remains.

The Village

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:07:00 -0800

2518 Estevan Ave
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. seven days a week
http://thevillagerestaurant.ca

—

The Boiled Down

A cozy place with a small, quality menu that blends traditional Jewish fare with more modern favorites.

Nick’s rating: 8 shaloms out of 10
Jen’s rating: This shikse says: 8 noshes out of 10

—

The Slow Cooked

N: So, here we go with the inaugural post. I’m totally ready for witty asides and insightful, informed food commentary. How bout you?

We’ve been to the Village before, but I never realized it’s a daytime only restaurant, done at 3:30. This really stood out when I saw the drink menu, which offers a 12-year old Glenlivet single malt. A Jewish restaurant in a yuppy neighbourhood offering some of Scotland’s finest, but only while the sun’s up. That my friend is fusion.

J: Mmmm. Next time we go to The Village I’ll ask for a shot of whiskey in my coffee.

—

The coffee isn’t anything to blog home about, but our cups were never allowed to stray below half full.

—

N: Pretty impressive how fast we were seated hey? It’s like they knew there were two completely inexperienced food bloggers about to grace their establishment. Normally at The Village on a Sunday morning you can expect to wait in line outside for up to half an hour. It’s one of my least despised brunch lines though, since they’ve provided us with blankets in the past, and there’s great waiting-in-line coffee across the street at Crumsby’s.

J: It was very impressive how fast we were seated. We literally walked in the door and straight to our table. It felt like when you arrive at a movie theatre, walk in as just as the lights are dimming and find the perfect seats - not too far back, not too near the screen, and not too close to any weirdos or noisy teens. Delightfully fortunate.

Crumsby’s does have great coffee. Too bad it caters so heavily to moms with young children. It’s not the kind of environment that lends itself to a pleasant Sunday morning coffee-drinking experience. Maybe the whiskey-coffee idea would go along way there too.

Aaand segue back to The Village. I suppose I should mention how delicious my challah french toast was. First words after my first bite: “Oh. My. God. This is ridiculous.”
—

Holla fo challah.

—

N: Right, right the food. I didn’t have any first words out of my mouth because it was never empty. I’m not normally all about the benny’s, but when you can put one on top of a latke, well that’s hard to turn down. It would be like if you weren’t really a fan of anchovies, but put them on pizza and you suddenly want to start an anchovie farm so you can put anchovies on everything and spread your love of anchovies. I had the Montreal benny, with the obligatory smoked meat, topped off with tomato, paprika, and a perfectly medium poached egg. And of course Hollandaise. I’m not much of a connoisseur, but I appreciated that it wasn’t overly rich.

—

If I had a blue plate my benny would have been a dead ringer for My Pet Monster.

—

J: Maybe you’re not all about the benny’s, but I am most definitely all about the french toast. I think I’m at a point where I might actually refer to myself as a french toast connoisseur. But not in a braggy way, in a seriously, I love french toast and I almost always order it for brunch so I know what I’m talking about way. As a “connoisseur,” I’d like to highlight what I have determined to be the defining features by which any french toast can be categorized.

- Type of bread used. I.E. regular bread or fancy bread?
- Type of topping used. I.E. plain ol’ maple syrup or a bunch of fruit and other delicious crap piled on there?

I should probably create a graph or something to visually represent the spectra of french toasts out there. Yeah, I probably will.

Anyway, The Village has perfected what I’d call “simple french toast” by pairing a couple of lovely, thick slices of challah bread with maple syrup. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a bunch of delicious crap piled on my FT too - but simple is wonderful when it’s done right. The Village does it right.

PS. If I were a potato, I think I’d like to end up as a latke.

N: That’s a pretty thorough breakdown. Have you ever thought of starting an FT farm?

What else can we say about The Village? The service is always great and the prices are reasonable. It’s not a broad menu, but it has a lot of depth. I always prefer limited, quality options to a plethora of fry ups and omelettes. I would love to see them offer something in the breakfast sandwich or huevos oeuvre, but as long as I can keep putting things on latkes I won’t complain.

J: You’ll grow anchovies and I’ll grow french toast and never the twain shall meet (I hope).

In conclusion, I agree completely - no complaints from me. Plus, with the addition of their ever-changing monthly features menu, I’m fairly sure a breakfast sandwich will come your way (eventually).

—

The aftermath.