Sunday, September 30, 2012

The Beach House

The Beach House Restaurant 
5109 Cordova Bay Rd. 
Victoria, BC 
250.658.5224

Having grown up in Victoria I had been to the previous restaurant that stood where the new "Beach House Restaurant" stands. It is still a beautiful location and the renovations are stunning. While they are currently only a casual dining restaurant, I hear there are plans to open the bottom level for fine dining.

I had been hearing mixed reviews about this new restaurant, but I felt it was good that people were at least talking about it. It was about time to check it out!

We were seated in the bar area, as it was a pretty busy night for them! I'm not sure if our waiter was one of the owners but he was an older gentleman, very straight to the point, not a whole lot of niceties. I didn't notice there were specials of the evening until the waitress for the table next to us began to spout them off. Which in turn made me realize we had not heard them. That's okay though, we found items we wanted on the menu and waited patiently. We began with the appetizer of fresh chips, which were deliciously crisp and slightly flavoured. Served with a refreshing dip, our table of 4 all enjoyed them. Our waiter then cleared our chip dish in what seemed preparation for our meals arriving, however they didn't arrive for a good 10-15 minutes later. Unfortunately, 2 of our 4 meals were incorrect and had to be re-done so we did not all receive our meals together.



Unfortunately, a bit hard to tell in these photos what was even being eaten. This is my meal of the night! I had the crispy chicken burger! A crispy chicken breast with BBQ sauce and coleslaw, served on a pretzel bun. Oh my. I must say, it was delicious! I absolutely loved it, and would go back in a heartbeat for it. The fries were also delicious, though my plate didn't come with ketchup and SM's had, I did have to ask for it once the other meals came out. SM had the halibut burger and wasn't impressed with the lack of flavour. PD got the same as me and also enjoyed it, though he got it with a side of poutine and shared that with CD. The poutine was not enjoyed unfortunately, also for the lack of flavour. CD had the cheddar, cream & butter Mac'N'Cheese as her main which she enjoyed. I found it to be a little plain but she liked it!

I think SM & I will go back and try some more items. The prices were affordable and the view hard to beat! I would definitely call ahead next time to get a table by the windows!
Go check out this new restaurant and let's see if we can get it's rating up on Urbanspoon.
Happy Eating!!
The Beach House Restaurant on Urbanspoon

La Belle Patate


La Belle Patate 
1215 Esquimalt Rd.
Victoria, BC
250.220.8427

This will be a quick little review for the tiny little "restaurant".
They had a larger menu than I expected, but known for their Authentic Quebecois cuisine, we obviously opted for the poutine and 2 steamies.





Oh man, this poutine looks delicious, doesn't it. I will disclose that I have never been to Quebec, nor had an authentic poutine in my life. I have had many a poutine, but none claiming to be authentic.
Let's get down to it.
The fries were quite delicious. The gravy was flavourful. The cheese was a bit too "squeaky" for me. I like when cheese curds melt with the hot gravy and hot fries. This cheese did not, and maybe that is an "authentic" characteristic, but it wasn't for me. Portions were decent for one. I think there were multiple size options, ours were the smaller option.

What a stark contrast in delicious looking food, eh? These "steamies" do not look very appetizing to me. And truthfully they weren't much to call home (or in this case, blog) about.

A very average hot dog wiener. Simple, flimsy bun. "Sauerkraut"/cabbage and onions on top. Mustard inside. I would give these little steamies a pass if I were to visit La Belle Patate again.
Happy Eats!



La Belle Patate on Urbanspoon