First impressions; a cross between Eggbomb+ and Paris Baguette.

They have a selection of baked goods you can choose from and also a sit down restaurant that you can order from a menu.

Not much is appealing to me here.

We ended up getting a couple of pastries and the Salmon Benedict.

Our pastries:

Normally I’d be all over that puff pastry. But that’s a savory one. Tomato and basil. Ok ya it’s fresh. But that is not a combination of flavors I like in a puff pastry. I’ve had it in a scone and that was okay but this just did not work for me. Merilynn was ok with it though.

That other pastry is Financier.  The picture doesn’t do it justice but that was burnt. Like way burnt. Not even close to being presentable. The cake was dry and you can actually taste the burnt flavour.

I do make these at home. I know what they should be like. One of the reasons why I like this little cake is because it is so moist. And it actually stays moist for a few days. This was completely unacceptable.

Whoever thought it was okay to put that out should have a talking to.

The latte was good, perhaps just not quite warm enough. And they did a pretty design on top.

We also shared a Salmon Benedict.

I think I need someone to explain to me what it is exactly that’s going on here.

Am I the only one that thinks fruits AND veggies dusted with icing sugar as a garnish is a little strange?

I’d say the presentation is lovely but that is a piece of broccoli right there. And brussel sprouts. Sitting right beside a strawberry.

My inner Gordon Ramsey is screaming “you donkey” right now.

As for the meal itself, once I got rid of the vile weed on my plate it was quite tasty.

The eggs were done right, the Hollandaise was good and the brioche bun a rather acceptable substitute for an English muffin. The salmon could definitely have been seasoned better and perhaps a minute less on the grill. Overall not too bad. Just a really weird combo on the plate.

As with any first time visit to a restaurant we make, as we wrapped up our meal I considered our experience and asked myself would we come back?

In this instance, while it was not a complete fail, the answer to that question would be no.

There are better options for this style of dining.

And Jim’s Cafe is just a few doors down.

4/10

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After a quick Google search I narrowed it down to Skylark’s. I plugged it into maps and here, once again, we find ourselves in Fairhaven.

I love all the historic buildings in the Fairhaven area. It’s a great spot to come and explore a little bit.

The restaurant itself is a wonderful ambience. Lots of natural wood with nice decorations and a great bar on one side of the restaurant.

There’s also an upstairs seating area and a downstairs seating area which we were led to for our table.

It’s very well appointed and kept up quite well.

But more importantly, the food.

This is one of the best Eggs Benedicts I’ve had in a while.  A decent amount of Hollandaise with eggs so lightly poached I’m surprised the chef could lift them out of the water without breaking them. And they were able to switch out the ham for some bacon for me. And even the potatoes were tasty. 

Absolutely wonderful.

Merilynn had the soup and half sandwich combo.

The sandwich was good but the star here was the soup.

It was a Chipotle tomato bisque and it was excellent. It had a bit of a kick due to the chipotle but it added a really beautiful element to the soup.

The service was very good and the kitchen got our food out to us pretty quickly even though the restaurant was pretty busy.

So far this is the winner if you’re in Fairhaven. Actually maybe in Bellingham so far. Haven’t found anything better I don’t think.

9/10

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Other than layout though it’s pretty much the same as the Burnaby location that I have been to.

It is counter service but they do bring your food out to you. There’s a selection of pastries and other desserts to choose from as well as a menu for lunch and breakfast items.

Today I’m having a latte and the breakfast croissant.

I do very much like the presentation. The idea of slicing the croissant down the middle instead of in half in pretty functional. It was difficult to eat though due to its size.

Inside is lettuce, bacon, cheese and egg. The croissant was very flaky and fresh which as a baker I do appreciate. However they completely overcooked the egg. Overall it was pretty good.

It is served with a salad which had dried cranberries and a vinaigrette dressing. I think some pine nuts or candy pecans would finish that off perfectly.

The Latte was very good. Whole milk is standard, as it should be in any espresso drink.

At $16 it’s not a completely unreasonable lunch as it is quite large and the quality is there. I’ve been baking a long time. That’s a nice croissant.

And it’s a very nice atmosphere.

Looking for a nice lunch spot? La Foret is a pretty good option.

8/10

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Here for brunch on this long weekend. We had heard good about it. Best restaurant in Port Moody apparently.

The place is a pretty cool vibe. It’s new and has some cool artwork on the walls. There’s a nice patio outside but I think we’re past patio weather for the most part now in Vancouver. 

They also have a date night, $78 3 course meal for two here on Tuesday nights which we do plan to try.

As for today we were here for brunch.

My usual go to for brunch is Eggs Benedict. Now I am not one that usually enjoys any alternative to the  standard English muffin for the base of an Eggs Benedict. So I wasn’t very happy to see the options on the menu this morning.

Option one used toasted focaccia as it’s base. I had this once my eggs Benedict in a New West restaurant and it was by far the worst Benedict I’ve ever had. Next.

Option two was on a waffle. I actually like waffles but the idea of an Eggs Benedict on one didn’t thrill of me.

But much to my surprise I really enjoyed it.

The salad on the side didn’t impress though. The lettuce was rather soggy. And pickled apples? Definitely not in my list of things I like. But the candied pecans added a nice touch. I’m getting potatoes next time

Merilynn had a Albacore tuna salad.

By the time I tried it I found the salad the same as mine, soggy.  However she said when she is started eating it it was fine. I didn’t care for the preparation of the tuna. I’m guessing Sous Vide. That ring around the edge is just too perfect to be seared. Quick dip in hot water methinks. It was pretty bland. Salad  overall was okay. But Brown’s is better. Honestly I can’t believe I’m saying anything positive about Browns but there you go.

The atmosphere here is nice. It’s pretty new and I like the vibe.

The service was good, but it wasn’t busy.

We do plan to come back for date night.

Food 6/10

Ambiance 8/10

Overall 7/10

The post One Sixty Wine Bar and Cafe appeared first on Gregs Food Blog.

Unfortunately this visit didn’t go as well.

To start with it was a grey, somewhat miserable day.

The coffee was good. The view not so much. And much too chilly to sit on the great patio today, even with the heaters.

As for breakfast, the chefs (there were 3) weren’t paying much attention this morning.

Absolute minimum amount of Hollandaise. The eggs were overpoached. The bacon just a bit too crispy and the English muffin completely dried out. I’m guessing par toasted and then finished just prior to serving.

All three of them probably had a hand in this abomination.

Merilynn has the granola and yogurt.

The granola was really good, but the yogurt was plain Greek style. A vanilla or honey yogurt would be much better.

While it is a nice spot the horrible attempt at making Eggs Benny today might make this visit to Keenan’s our last.

4/10

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Did you know South Langley has some wineries?

One of them, Chaberton Estate (formerly Domain de Chaberton) has a bistro that I’ve heard good things about.

As we also have a friend that works there we thought we’d go check it out.

Bacchus Bistro (Bacchus is the Roman god of wine)

You have to work your way around the main building from the parking lot to find it.

The inside of the bistro I’m not particularly enthused with. Painted cement bricks, an electric fireplace that’s clearly an afterthought, dated mirrors, a bit of a tacky bar wedged into the corner and a cold tile floor. Not my my idea of a cozy bistro.

The patio is closed today but it would be a lovely spot to sit in the nice weather overlooking the vineyards. I suspect this is the true appeal of the location.

After a visit with her friend we moved onto lunch.

Disclaimer – The head Chef was out today due to that illness of mysterious Chinese origin.  A junior chef stepped in to run the show.

Up first – Rabbit Rilette

A rilette is similar to confit, where the meat is cooked in fat. It was very rich, I really didn’t need such a big portion. The mustard and  pickled beets were a nice compliment cutting through the richness of the rabbit. Could I have identified this as rabbit had I been pressed? Unlikely. Unfortunately the brioche was quite over toasted.

For my main I had the quiche. I don’t have a photo unfortunately.

It had leeks and roasted garlic. The quiche itself was very light and fluffy, however a tad bland for my taste. Get out the salt shaker. Once I zinged it up I enjoyed it a lot.

But the dish that Merilynn had, that was something. Something awful. Something from the pits of hell. Something for vegans.

This is organic butternut squash with a spiced garbanzo mash and a basil pistou topped with a pea shoot salad.

If you’re unsure what a pistou is, I had to look it up as well. Basically a pesto from France minus the pine nuts.

Honestly I’m not sure what they’re thinking with this dish. Other than trying to appeal to the vegan crowd. It’s awful.

The pea shoots tasted like grass. I found it quite unpleasant. The spiced garbanzo mash seemed to be missing the spice. Where’s the heat? It was so bland. The squash itself was okay. But the texture of the squash combined with the texture of the mash made for a very one note texture dish. After about three bites I could not eat anymore. I really don’t know how anyone could finish this, other than a hardcore vegan who has fewer options. The only thing remotely appealing was the basil pistou, and man cannot live on pistou alone.

Too bad it didn’t actually come from hell. At least the char might have given it some flavour.

Having said all that, a table came in shortly after us that apparently are regulars and all three had this dish. I think I maybe saw a forked tail peeking out from under one of their dresses.

Props to the underling that carried the day though. Running a kitchen isn’t easy at the best of times. When the head chef is out sick even more so. They did a pretty amazing job all things considered.

Am I going back anytime soon?

Maybe when it freezes over.

As for a score…..not even gonna bother.

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