West Coast Waffles - not just breakfast food

Decided to do breakfast for dinner at West Coast Waffles on Broad Street tonight. Well, not exactly breakfast – but they were waffles. Encouraged by a recent Groupon offer (valid M-F), we made our premier trek there for some waffle-iron action.

They have both the savoury and sweet side covered here – savoury choices include smoked salmon with cream cheese, brie and apple, chicken and BBQ sauce, and pizza. For the sweet tooth there are lots of fresh fruit selections, chocolate and almonds, Nutella and one with frozen yogurt. Some have ingredients mixed in before hitting the iron, others are topped with fun stuff. They’re a good size for sharing too.

You also get to choose your batter type – they have traditional, buckwheat, and spelt/oatmeal (that's diabetic friendly) – so these guys are really covering lots of dietary options. First step was figuring out what we wanted – so we joined other diners, blankly staring up at the huge menu, trying to narrow down the choices.

Order/cashier with full menu on display

And finally we made some decisions…

Paul's Restaurant - Breakfast with a side of Victoria history

Paul’s Restaurant (at Paul's Motor Inn) on Douglas Street (between Discovery & Chatham) is definitely a Victoria institution. You probably know someone (or maybe it’s you) who remembers when you would see the who’s who of Victoria at Paul’s (and if they weren't there, they were at the Princess Mary). The hours may have changed (not 24/7 anymore) and locations (the Finalyson/Douglas one is no more), but the classic booths and diner meals haven’t.

Three of us dropped in for breakfast on a recent Sunday (one of us had never been, one hadn’t been in decades and one was there the day before!). The booths are built in a u-shape around the service area and kitchen opening. They have openings on both sides – so the waitress can easily serve and clear. Love it.

Classic side booth access for the waitress.

Then we ordered-up some breakfast...

Finest at Sea - fish & chowda!

Another (somewhat) sunny Saturday in Victoria and we find ourselves on the search for some fish & chips again – this time next door to Fisherman’s Wharf. Finest At Sea (FAS) seafood (in a green heritage house) on Erie St in Victoria, overlooking Fisherman’s Wharf Park, is a great fish-monger, now wearing a restaurant hat (well, at least a take-out kiosk cap).

The retail fish store inside the house is under construction currently - so sales have been moved outside to a shiny trailer in the parking lot. And the best part - now they're cooking fish in this kiosk to serve! Fish, chips and chowder, to be exact. The small crowd ordering when we're there is an even split between those picking up fresh halibut & salmon fillets and those ready to dive into some yam fries with their halibut burger.

F.A.S. kiosk in parking lot beside store

Bring on the fish!...

Seattle - Some Serious Toulouse Crow Flair with Theo and the Top Pots

So I'm already cheating on Victoria restaurants, 15 posts into my new blog - but sometimes travel just happens.

So we're in Seattle...and we're eating....so I'm blogging.

Our hotel is in the Queen Anne district, so I base a few of our meals nearby. Dinner is at Crow (with our other choice being its sister resto, Betty).  It's the last day of Seattle's "Dine-Around" - $30 for an appetizer, main and dessert.

We're seated at the kitchen bar and after seeing the incredible main courses being cooked, plated and sent out, we quickly decide that our stomaches probably couldn't do justice to three courses and opt for just mains (which, refreshingly, are the same on both the dine-around and regular menus). We will be back another time to try the delicious sounding appetizers. We loved being seated at the kitchen bar, it's mesmerizing watching the perfectly choreographed dance of the chefs and their timing with putting out great food.

Crow: view from the bar of the evening's chefs

And after watching these talented guys prep a load of entrees, we were able to narrow down our choices...

Empress Tea Lobby - Pinkies up, it's afternoon tea

Living in Victoria, the Fairmont Empress Hotel can sometimes fall into the same category as Butchart Gardens or Fisherman's Wharf - not somewhere you frequent, but that you take out-of-town guests to see, enjoy and make a bit jealous that Victoria has it. Having tea in the Tea Lobby at the hotel is that for me - you hear about visitors "having-tea" but it's not the first thing that pops into your head for a unique experience for an afternoon.

But on a recent Saturday, after my friend decided to cross off something on her "things I still need to do in Victoria", we made reservations and headed there to cross it off. I have been to tea here before - having brought my mother and aunt here  (and *hot tip* I've also been during the Feb/Mar Be-A-Tourist promotion when your ticket gets you tea for 50% off...but you gotta make that reservation pronto). Which brings us around to the price.  Is it cheap? No. Is it a traditional tea with sandwiches, scones, desserts, tea and fruit served with CP Hotel stamped silver and in Royal Dalton bone china? Yes. Will you feel all fancy-pants as waiters treat you royally and your background music is a live pianist on a baby grand? Check and check.

We both opted for the Fairmont Empress blend of tea (but there are about eight choices including Earl Grey, Darjeeling, their Willow Stream spa blend and an orange-pineapple).

Ahhh - serving tea the right way.

Chorizo & Company - Friday night tapas

A great way to spend a Friday night after a hard week of work is to tuck into some appetizers and a beverage. For a european twist - we opted for some Spanish appetizers (aka tapas).

Chorizo and Company at 807 Fort Street has been feeding the lunch masses of downtown Victoria - but on Friday nights the candles and clay tapas dishes come out. There's seating both upstairs (a large wooden table and a couple smaller ones) and on the main floor (tables and the window counter). The setting is very intimate and enhanced nicely with a flamenco guitarist playing on the main floor.

Bring on the tapas!

The Fish Store - A great chippy at fisherman's wharf

With the sun out and the temperatures hitting the shorts'n't-shirt range these past few days - it seemed like the perfect time to hit Fisherman's Wharf - and we weren't alone in this decision - the wharf was hopping like it was tourist season.  So we headed to one of my favourite places for fish & chips - The Fish Store.

They have you covered here - half fish store, half kitchen - you can get provisions for tonights dinner and something for lunch right away.  And you can feel good about the fish & shellfish too - it's all 100% OceanWise certified (environmentally friendly seafood).  My heart says "yay!" and my stomach says "bring it on!"

And then onto the food...