Nero Belgian Waffle Bar

Wow. Where do I even start? I don't know how I didn't discover Nero Belgian Waffle Bar earlier!! Talk about the best waffles in town... (On the planet!?) 

Nero is very small- 6 inside tables at most, a few outside, and has a lineup out the door on a consistant basis. It's worth the wait! Choose your waffle style- soft or crispy, then best of luck deciding on a topping (this is where waiting in line comes in handy. Nero Belgian Waffle Bar offers a variety of both sweet and savory toppings. There is something for everyone here. I went for the Liege Waffle topped with chocolate mousse and fresh orange.

 Oh my! I could easily eat this every day for the rest of my life. (No calories, right?) Nero Belgian Waffle Bar gets a huge win in my books. Don't let the line scare you! I promise it's more than worth the wait!

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar - 1703 Robson Street, Vancouver

Food Reviews...Day Five...Tofino

Breakfast - We decided on the tomato and goat cheese scramble at the hotel again (this time with our new jalapeno cheddar bread). It rained in the morning, so no patio, but great nevertheless.

Lunch - The Wickaninnish Restaurant - Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, BC
If for no other reason than the view, you must go here when you're visiting Tofino. Our server was great, he was such a sweetheart. The food (seafood chowder and fish n chips) was tasty. The view was breathtaking. After lunch you can down to the beach and poke around. It's a great place to go for lunch. Wickininnish Beach and (my favorite) Florencia Bay are both right by the restaurant. I would recommend going for lunch, not dinner, as you can entertain yourself at both beaches for a good portion of the day before and after. Best view on the Pacific Coast! Go there.

Dinner - Restaurant at Long Beach Lodge - Tofino, BC
The view here rivals our lunch location (The Wickaninnish Restaurant), but the atmosphere definitely wins. A cozy fireplace, huge comfy sofas and chairs (for those wanting only a drink), and tables with the most amazing views, definitely make this place one of my favorite atmospheres. Our server (Tariq... Who knows, maybe he will get a raise!) was so sweet, and provided stellar service. We had (guess what?) the oysters to start. I had the steamed clams and mussels for my entree. Everything tasted terrific, the view was stellar, the service was stellar. I can't complain and I want to go back. If you have a chance, and a few extra dollars to spend, go here for dinner. The view is just amazing. You are literally sitting right above the beach eating dinner. 5 stars.

Food Reviews...Day Four...Tofino

Breakfast - We stayed in and made breakfast this morning. On the menu- scrambled eggs on toast with tomatoes and goat's brie. Not too shabby. We sat on the patio and watched the waves.

Lunch - The Common Loaf - Tofino, BC
We had lunch at our favorite coffee shop in Tofino-The Common Loaf. Koala Springs and a mac'n'cheese (no calories right? hehe). Picked up a loaf of jalepeno and cheddar bread. Yum.

Dinner - The Shelter Restaurant - Tofino, BC
The Shelter was absolutely great. We had a lovely table upstairs, and an even more lovely server. We started with the usual-6 freshly shucked oysters. How were they? I could rave for an hour about how amazing they were, but I will spare you.  I had the steamed mussels as my entree with the Pear&Pepper martini (pear vodka and pepper vodka) . A-ma-zing. Coconut, chorizo and white wine sauce = happy mussels. For dessert? Chevre cheesecake with blackberry compote. Everything was great. The food was (and always is) great, the service was lovely. Not too intrusive. The Shelter is a must do when you're in Tofino.

Food Reviews...Day Three...Victoria + Tofino

Breakfast - Vic's (again)
Yet another 25 minute wait for my scrambled eggs. Yet another very nice server. Yet another $11 bill.

Lunch - Goats on the Roof - Coombs, BC
Lunch was mid-way between Victoria and Tofino. Goats on the Roof is a grocery store/deli/coffee shop that we make a stop at every time we head up to Tofino. Had a green tea latte and a great pizza. Nice break from the 4.5 hour drive.

Dinner -The Sea Shanty - Tofino, BC
Well this one I will rant about for a bit.  The Sea Shanty is a small, 15 table restaurant that overlooks the inlet in Tofino. We asked how long it would be to sit by the window (you pretty well have to sit by a window, as all the other tables are foul.) The bartender said "about 45 minutes, everyone just sat down", so we sat at a table away from the window. Around 5 minutes after we sat down, 3 window tables paid and left...so much for "45 minutes". We sat...and sat...and sat...15 minutes later, that same bartender came over to serve us. After studying the menu for a while, I saw it. The $30 chicken pasta. $30!!!??? come on. I have never seen a chicken pasta that cost $30, not even at the finest Italian restaurants in Vancouver. But I digress.  We shared a $17(!!!) mixed greens salad and the cedar planked salmon. The food was great (thank goodness). Then came my favorite part, our server cleaned our plates away (and I should mention she didn't bother to ask if we wanted the dessert menu, coffee or the bill) then disappeared for 17 minutes (I timed it. At 17 minutes I got frustrated and went to find her). We wanted coffee but were afraid it would be another 17 minutes for her to get it (after all it took 15 minutes (no exaggerating) to greet us.  My beer took 10 minutes, and I asked for a glass to go with it twice, to no avail). I went to find our server and told her we had been sitting there for 15 minutes and wanted our bill and to get out of there, to which I got a whole slew of excuses about how she was too busy to ask us for coffee and couldn't get our bill because she was too busy with another table, yadayadayada. I can't remember the last time I was spoken to so rudely. She was serving two tables- a table of 10, and us. Would it be so hard before you go spend 15 minutes dealing with the other table to simply say "may I bring you anything else or would you like the bill? I don't want you to have to wait while I am billing my other table" or something to that effect.
Anyway to the point. Great food, worst service in Tofino, rip off prices. Don't go there. Seriously.

Food Reviews...Day Two...Victoria

Breakfast - Vic's - Victoria, BC
We had breakfast at the restaurant at our hotel.(mostly because out darned hotel was so far away from downtown and we didn't want to make the trek.)  We split a brie, mushroom and goat cheese omelet. There were two other tables in the restaurant, yet our one omelet took 25 minutes! $11 later, I guess I can't complain. Very nice server.

Lunch - Irish Times - Victoria, BC
I refuse to go to Victoria and not go to Irish Times. We had half a dozen oysters and the Crab & Guinness bisque. I would go to Victoria from Vancouver every day for that Crab & Guinness bisque. It is bar none the best bisque I have had in all my 20-something years. Go there, have the biggest bowl of Crab & Guinness bisque and a Crown Float (Guinness and Strongbow) I promise you will be in heaven.

(Oops.. Somehow between lunch and dinner, I wound up with this purse. Hah)

Dinner - Tapa Bar, Trounce Alley, Victoria, BC
For dinner we went to Tapa Bar in Trounce Alley. We shared a pitcher of sangria (white!) and some tasty little tapas. The food was great, the sangria was great, the service was great. Not too much to say, as I was completely pleased. No oysters this time though. We got away with paying under $65 for dinner and it tasted phenomenal. Great suggestion mum!

l

Food Reviews...Day one...Victoria

Breakfast- Salmon House, West Vancouver.
The two of us ladies left for our trip on Father's day. (a little bad planning on our part) We couldn't leave without spoiling my dad a little, so we took him to the Salmon House for brunch. We sat by the window (very hard to get one of the roughly 10 tables by the window) and had the most amazing view of Vancouver. You can see for miles and miles from up there. Absolutely gorgeous! We had a salmon benedict, steak and eggs and I had the crab benedict. The food was great (although the measly 5 little potato slices that accompanied the benedict definitely left something to be desired). I think the winner was definitely the steak & eggs. They had done it up like a benedict. A bed of spinach on the bottom, then the sliced steak, poached eggs and hollandaise. Definitely the best looking steak and eggs that I've seen in a while. Food was great, mimosas were great (are they ever not??), the service was alright, all in all a good experience!

Lunch-
After missing the 1:00 ferry (we arrived 3 minutes before it left...they stop selling tickets 5 minutes before it leaves. Darn) and being told that the 2:00 was suddenly cancelled, we were 3rd in line for the 3:00 ferry, and stuck in the line for two hours with no possibility of going for lunch anywhere out of the terminal. 2 hrs wait = 2 unhappy gals. We wound up having Starbucks and Salad Loop. Sigh

Dinner- Ferris Oyster Bar & Grille, Victoria, BC
I am pretty sure that I could live on freshly shucked oysters. We downed a baker's dozen of them to start. Yum! For our main course we had their amazing (and huge!) cioppino. ($12. Amazing, most places would charge upwards of $25 for one just like this) It was filled with oysters, prawns, halibut, salmon, clams and mussels. The service was painfully slow, the table next to us waited nearly 15 minutes to be greeted and order. The food at Ferris is extremely inexpensive and extremely good. I would recommend this to anyone, but with a small warning to not take the service too heavily. A $12 ciopinno that tastes better than most $25 ones, and the best fresh shucked oysters in town make it a must if you're in Victoria.

Sushi Village in Whistler

Where ~ Sushi Village - Whistler Village - Whistler

What ~ Upscale sushi restaurant with a killer atmosphere

If you're a Vancouver city gal like me, you probably head up to Whistler every few months or so. There are a few solid chain restaurants up there, but we don't always feel like Earls or The Keg. We ventured up to Sushi Village a few trips back and have never ceased to be impressed with their food, atmosphere and service.  Being the fact that Sushi Village is a little more upscale, it is fairly pricy, but 100% worth it.

I recommend ~ Spicy Tofu (best spicy sauce on the West Coast), Sushi Village Double Hawaiian Roll and the Beef Tataki.

Price ~ $$-$$$

Verdict ~ Two thumbs up for Sushi Village