Mosi - Breakfast, with a side of Italy

Another revolving restaurant door is about to stop with the opening of Mosi on West Saanich Rd and Prospect Lake Rd/Sparton Rd.

If you long for the fabulous'ness of the original La Collina (remember pizza and pasta nights at the original Cedar Hill location?) - then you'll want to head out for breakfast or lunch at Mosi. It's run by the same family.

Their Italian roots are authentic - there's a photo on the wall of the owner's grandmother....

The Ruby - breakfast at the Zed

You've probably noticed the brightly repainted Hotel Zed across from Mayfair Mall on Douglas...well, now there's a great new restaurant on the property - The Ruby.

They may not be the Corner Gas version with Lacey & her chili dogs…

Mamie Taylor's - YVR Chinatown brunch, hold the dim sum

Breakfast in the big city - Vancouver to be exact, in Chinatown - but hold those dumplings. This feast had nary a shui mai or har gow....

Only the address of Mamie Taylor's would make you think the food would lean towards Asian - once you're inside. There are certain hints to suggest what lays waiting for you.

Keep your eyes peeled for it as you stroll East Georgia....

R 'n' R Diner - Classic Peninsula Diner

The R 'n' R Diner in Central Saanich may have a modern setting on the outside - but it's all classic in the inside. From the food to the decor to the old-fashioned service (the latter being: on-the-ball, whip-smart & fast).

The outside is actually a little unassuming....

But the diner part comes thru loud and clear as soon as you step in the door. Maybe it's the stools at the counter...

TUC Craft Kitchen - make friends with the new(er) kid in town.

Another Vancouver trip....another great restaurant to eat at. It's a tough hobby, but someone's gotta…well eat and talk about it.

TUC is a new'ish restaurant near Gastown on West Cordova St. (they've just marked a year in business). Sandwiched in between the Army & Navy and the Woodward's condos.

The space is very "loft" feeling - with high ceilings, exposed pipes, reclaimed wood and neon sign art (think cool, partial cafe sign, not eye-rolling MillerTime).

Red Wagon Diner - circle this wagon and attack

The Red Wagon Restaurant in Vancouver has been popular since, well, pretty much the day it opened. No surprise then that Guy Fieri and his TV show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives (Triple D's to the fans) made a stop at the restaurant to film an episode.  But if you don't have Guy's credentials, you may have to time your visit based on how long you want to wait for a table (we hit it on a Friday, so we expected a line; a Tuesday? Maybe not so much...). But, as they say, it's worth the wait.

We arrived at the Red Wagon and, after putting our name on the wait-list, strolled a bit of East Hastings to bide some time - and it's an interesting area - great stores and food shops abound. On our return (and hearing our name called), we saddled up to two stools at the counter (and a front row seat to the bustling kitchen)…

Catalano - and let there be brunch

Catalano Restaurant and Cicchetti Bar is located in/beside the Magnolia Hotel at Courtney St. and Gordon St., just a block up from the Empress Hotel.  Many restaurants have graced this space ($teak, steak, pub, etc) so it was exciting to hear that two veteran restaurants (Ferris' Oyster Bar & The Tapa Bar) would be partnering to open up something new and different. Touches from each restaurant can be found here at Catalano.

The interior has been spruced up - the entrance is more open and the bold coloured paintings & wood finishes give a warm feeling throughout.

Over Easy Breakfast (YYC) - boxed happiness

I was recently in Calgary, the home of the Stampede and, as I soon found out, amazing breakfast joints (those Calgarians take their brunches as seriously as we do here on the coast). By some accommodation fairy luck, my friends and I found ourselves within three short blocks of 3 of Calgary's great breakfast places.

Our timing wasn't the greatest on our first morning out - but after carefully strategizing the second morning, we found ourselves tucked into Over Easy Breakfast (OEB) in the NE.

OEB on Edmonton Trail NE + light dusting of snow.

The retro-inspired interior is bright, fun & comfortable. There's a communal table that runs down the middle and individual tables around the perimeter. Look up and check out.....

Jam - they're worth the wait

Jam Cafe in Victoria is a great little breakfast spot on Herald Street.

It's no secret though....

When you arrive, it may look like the picture on the left....or, if it's the weekend and you're arriving at peak brunch time - you may take part in the photo on the right.

All quiet on the Western front (aka 8am)

An eager crowd awaits, 8:05.....kidding (more like 9:05)

Once you're inside - great things await you...

Ca Va Bistro Moderne - Tres Tres Bien!!

Tucked into Fernwood, across the square from the Belfry Theatre, an array of restaurants have come and gone from the tiny store fronts. Some were/are just take-away, but one spot allows for a sit-down restaurant with cozy patio seating that has been home to some nice, but apparently temporary, food establishments.

The latest to lay roots is Ca Va Bistro Moderne (and if the lunch crowds when we were there are any indication...these roots have spread deep already!).

Ca Va Bistro Moderne in Fernwood Square

My "ladies-who-lunch" partner and I decided to try out Ca Va on a weekday for a late'ish lunch, we arrived around 1:30 and claimed one of the last remaining tables. The lunch service was in full swing (running until 2pm).

The lunch menus arrived at our table along with a bottle of water and a nicely rounded out wine & drink menu - so we ordered some...

Relish - Weekend Brunch Happiness

Relish is a lovely little cafe located on Pandora Avenue, just east of Quadra Street. Bookended on the corners by McD's and a Provincial Government office, a few older, one-storey buildings house a large amount of food-goodness. Relish is one of them (the Blair-Mart and Hot and Cold Cafe are worth standalone future blog write-ups). Relish is open Monday-Friday for breakfast & lunch and on Saturdays for brunch. A weekend brunch was our meal destination – so we slid into the last available table at the time.

Relish's sunny tables on Pandora Ave.

The menu is not long but it is diverse – including granola, french toast, bennies, sandwiches and a burger. Some of the menu items have very interesting Korean & Chinese influences, as well. They also have a beautiful espresso machine - so you can start your meal off...

Clay Pigeon - early bird gets the breaky

The Clay Pigeon does breakfast and I finally made it there! I can't be the only one out there who drives/walks/bikes by a restaurant and proceeds to act out a V8 commercial. After said head-smacks and mentions by friends, we finally pulled in there to saddle up to some breakfast fixin's.

Located right on the corner of Blanshard Street and Broughton Street, the Clay Pigeon serves up breakfast everyday, starting at 7:30. Yes, everyday (which makes my head-smack even bigger - 7 days a week - it's not like their hours were stopping me from coming). A cozy interior holds the majority of the seating - but you might luck-out (and if the sun is shining) and snag one of the spots right outside.

We plunked ourselves down inside and started breakfast off the proper way...with a....

The Village - now feeding Royal Oak

The Village Cafe has now opened its second location. The original is located in the Estevan village, in Oak Bay, just a hop, skip & a jump away from Willow's Beach. Location number two is in Royal Oak - in the Shady Oak Plaza (a small set of stores across the street from the Royal Oak shopping centre). It's just past the Petro-Canada gas station, if you're driving north on Royal Oak Drive.

Another revolving door of a location (who remembers Cakes by Mary-Ann? Man, those were great cakes!) - but I'd lay bets that the revolving ends now. The inside has been renovated and is bright, modern and open....

Argyle Attic - Canadiana Breakfast

On the advice of a friend - we visited the Argyle Attic restaurant this past weekend. We love eating breakfast out....and they were open....the equation worked.

The restaurant is situated above Smith's pub on Courtney Street and can also be accessed through the Quality Inn Hotel on the corner of Blanshard Street. Decorated in rustic Canadiana - it was a comfortable setting of folk-art pictures, 70's table lamps, Hudson Bay blankets and a scarf-wearing mounted stag's head. Nice mix of music playing too.

Breakfast pricing is simple - $12 for everything - and includes a tea or coffee. The menu includes waffles, pancakes, omelettes, traditional eggs & bacon/sausage, and poutine. Our table chose the poutine, an omelette and the pancakes.

The poutine came with a choice of red curry or sausage gravy (the former was opted for). Two perfectly soft-poached eggs were set atop a great amount of cheese, chopped bacon and hash browns, all covered in a lightly spiced curry gravy.

Poutine with red curry gravy & poached eggs

And then the hotcakes and ommy.....

Italian Brunch at Zambri's

I really love heading out for breakfast/brunch. I’m not in the minority in that love as most breakfast restaurants around Victoria suddenly spring line-ups on weekends (and the really good ones have line-ups DURING the week!). Whether our timing was right or not many know about it yet – we were able to waltz right into Zambri’s and grab a lovely table for two just before 11am on a Sunday for their brunch.

As with any meal at Zambri’s, the setting, service and food are really great.

We ordered the meatballs & eggs and Italian scramble. The meatballs were sliced, sitting on two solid pieces of polenta and topped with soft poached eggs. The polenta was sitting on a delicious, fresh tomato sauce with a lovely drizzle of olive oil. Beautiful, tasty, but watch out for errant pieces falling off your fork and into the sauce. I may have splattered a tiny bit of sauce….around the plate…and onto my teapot…and cup…but my napkin remained pristine and white!

Meatballs and Eggs (before sauce disbursement)

The other dish wasn't as napkin challenging.....

Dine-Around - Flying Otter Grill

I love Dine Around (DA) in Victoria - trying restaurants I haven't been to in a while and dropping in on places that I already love - to try something new. The Flying Otter Grill was last year's DA find - a new-to-me restaurant that surprised and delighted our group. The experience was so great, it caused us to return to the restaurant post-DA (which is the entire point of the promotion).

We eagerly anticipated their DA menu for 2013. Both the indoor and 'patio' seating are toasty warm and comfortable, thanks to heaters and a large corner fireplace (which the staff happily informed us could be turned off when we got too warm...which we eventually did).

The Flying Otter has drink specials almost everyday - so in addition to a great meal-deal - we added some well priced mojitos and beer sleeves (and a nice large soda for the DD). We split the difference at our table of four ordering two $20 and two $30 menus. Starters off the $20 menu included a wild mushroom tart. It was a nice starter size, flaky pastry filled with mixed mushrooms and the perfect amount of goat cheese. And French onion soup - piping hot, filled with soft onions and a topped with a large broiled, cheese crouton.

Mushroom & goatcheese tart

French onion soup

Onto the other starters:

Lunch reviews for :

AYO eat

Bengal Lounge (Empress Hotel)

Ca Va Bistro Moderne

Charelli's & Co.

de'lish

Devour Bistro

Empress Hotel Curry Buffet

Empress Hotel Tea

Finest at Sea Food Cart

The Fish Store

Foo Asian Street Food

Hot & Cold Cafe

La Taquisa

Melt Truck

MOMO Sushi To Go

Norte Street Food

PiCNiC

Refiner Diner

Relish Cafe

Taco Justice League

Tacofino

tetote

Village

West Coast Waffles

Wheelies Motorcycle Cafe

Zambri's

Breakfast reviews for :

Argyle Attic

Catalano Restaurant & Cicchetti Bar

Clay Pigeon

Jam Cafe

Melt Truck

Mosi Bakery, Cafe & Gelateria

Paul's Restaurant

R n R Diner

Red Wagon Diner (Vancouver, East Hastings)

Relish Cafe

Tre Fantastico

Village (Royal Oak)

Zambri's