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Vancouver Island: Food Reviews
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Eric Akis Times Colonist (reprinted with permission)
A VERY TASTY YEAR INDEED 2003 proved to be a very tasty year. Each month, starting last July, the Times Colonist polled readers on where to find Vancouver Island's finest food and drink. We started with coffee, and moved on to ice cream, fish and chips, sausages and pizza, and ended in December with holiday sweets. There were more than 2,000 suggestions from readers all over the Island. A TC tasting panel then set out to sample some readers' suggestions and to explore others that may have been overlooked. Here is your guide to the best eating on Vancouver Island, summarizing the findings from our reader polls. Also in the section, restaurant reviewer Pam Grant offers up her findings on the best place for brunch, best restaurant with a view and best restaurant to find something "a little different." AN ISLAND OF GOOD FOOD BEST OF THE ISLAND: COFFEE Islanders are keen on coffee. The submissions that piled up a metre high proved this. Most aficionados want their coffee freshly brewed, made with freshly roasted beans, ground to order and poured by someone familiar with their cup of choice, it was being made as they walked in the door. More than 40 establishments were recommended, and with just a few votes separating the top 10 places, Mocambo Coffee in Victoria came out on top. "This isn't a coffee shop, it's a community experience," wrote reader Dick Chadwick. With support like that, it was not surprising owner Claire Yoo was also the reader's top pick for the Island's best barista. The tasting panel honed in on those that received many and lengthy summations from readers and included to 2% Jazz Espresso Bar, Fresh Cup Roastery Café, Broadwalk Café and Caffé Fantastico, all in and around Victoria. When factoring in all the elements to having a great coffee experience, 2% Jazz Espresso Bar in Victoria, owned by Sam Jones, edged out the others as our favourite by just a few grinds. READERS' CHOICE: BEST PLACE FOR COFFEE
Other Notables: Caffé Fantastico, 2% Jazz Espresso Bar, Paradiso Di Stelle, Chocolat au Lait Cafe, Blenz Coffee and Broadwalk Cafe, all located in the Greater Victoria area. READERS' CHOICE: BEST BARISTA (Coffee Making Artist)
BEST OF THE ISLAND: ICE CREAM It's too chilly for ice cream now, but in a few months, you'll want to be reminded of the best places to grab a cone. Readers lauded dozens of places to buy a cone and sweetly described local companies making top-notch ice cream. Ice Cream Mountain, 2892 Trans Canada Highway near Goldstream Park, was the clear favourite as the best spot for ice cream. Four others were virtually tied as runner-up. Hard ice cream was favoured over soft serve by a 10 to one margin. That being said, Victoria's historic Beacon Drive-In, specialists in soft-serve ice cream, still managed to crack the top five places to enjoy a cone. As for who makes the best ice cream, another historic business, Island Farms Dairy, was the top vote getter, with smaller Island producers Shady Creek and The Udder Guys finishing not far behind. This was the one category where kids deserved to make their views known; we included top kid picks in our list. READERS' CHOICE: BEST VANCOUVER ISLAND ICE CREAM MAKER
Readers' Choice: Best Place to Grab a Cone
Others highly rated: Hopper's Ice Cream and Candy (Parksville); Billy's Delight (Chemainus); Coombs Market (Coombs); Whiskey Creek Store (On Highway 4, 18 kilometres east of Parksville); and Sweet Memories, Italian Bakery, Red Barn Market and Village Patisserie all in Greater Victoria. TASTING PANEL RESULTS BEST VANILLA ICE CREAM
BEST CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
BEST SIGNATURE FLAVOUR
Highest Rated Ice Cream, Kids' Choice:
Highest Rated Ice Cream, Adults' Choice:
Highest Rated Ice Cream Adults and Kids:
BEST OF THE ISLAND: FISH AND CHIPS Our readers were primed to read the verdict on the best fish and chips shops. One activity coordintor of a seniors residence begged (unsuccessfully) to get an early tip on the TC's winner so she could book a bus charter to the eatery. With a boatload of great fish and chip places there are many opinions on which one is tops. The freshness of the fish, great service and a friendly atmosphere were the most-cited reasons for going back to a fish and chipper year after year. Also important is a location near to home. Hyland's Fish & Chips in Sidney received the most votes from readers but alas it was closed for lunch the day the judging panel went on a four-hour eating fest as it cast about for its winner. Here are the results from readers and judges: READERS' CHOICE: BEST PLACE FOR FISH AND CHIPS
Others highly recommended: Willows Galley, Fairfield Fish and Chips, Barb's Place, Brady's and Naughty Nellie's in Victoria; Yorky's in Parksville, The Fish Trap in Sooke, Jigger's in Ucluelet, Shakey's in Jordan River, Fish Tales Café in Qualicum Beach and the Rock Cod Café in Cowichan Bay. TASTING PANEL RESULTS
BEST OF THE ISLAND: SAUSAGES The link between flavour, quality of the ingredients, service and tradition is key to determining the best sausage maker. Coming directly from Scotland in the 1970s, Ronald Orr set up Ronald Orr & Sons Family Butcher Shop in Brentwood Bay in the style of Scottish traders. Now his two sons and one daughter are carrying on a splendid tradition and readers gave that establishment the nod. The judges meanwhile preferred Galloping Goose Sausage Company by a small margin. The company's deft use of flavourings, quality of meat and innovative style were just too tasty to ignore. The South African-born owner of the company, Johan Wessels, says he decided to make sausages after being totally disgusted by the greasy, rubbery little ones he was served at business breakfasts he attended when he first moved to Canada. READERS' CHOICE: BEST SAUSAGE MAKER
Other Notables: Cowichan Bay Farm, Cowichan Bay; Slater's Meats, Victoria; Karin's Country, Duncan; The Dutch Deli and Meats, Shawnigan Lake; and Hertel Meats, Port Alberni. TASTING PANEL RESULTS
BEST OF THE ISLAND: PIZZA Readers love Romeo when it comes to pizza, and Villages Pizza is a close second. The judge's panel however widened its search for the best pizza to include, for curiosity's sake, one from international chain, Domino's Pizza, and pizza places that did not score highly in the reader's survey, but have been consistently recommended: Ali Baba Pizza, San Remo restaurant and Pacific Rim Pizza. Service was rated along with taste. The judging panel considered telephone manner and delivery time. All the pizza, except two orders, arrived in around 30 minutes. Romeo's took just over an hour; San Remo 90 minutes. One observation about pizza. "Two for one" deals appear to have caused many establishments to cut costs by, for example, cutting mozzarella cheese with other less costly cheeses, such as Edam, a cheese originating from Holland. READERS' CHOICE: BEST PIZZERIA
Other notables: The Pizza Joint (Victoria); Cosmos (Victoria); Columbo's Taverna (Langford); Chris's Pizza (Langford); Domino's Pizza (Multiple Island locations); Pizzability (Sidney); Surfside Pizza (Tofino); Pizza Hut (multiple Island locations). TASTING PANEL RESULTS Best Classic Pizza (Pepperoni, green pepper and mushroom)
BEST VEGETARIAN PIZZA:
Best Overall (Pepperoni and vegetarian results combined)
Best of the Island: Christmas Cookies, Confections and Squares The search for the finest Christmas cookies, squares and confections was difficult as many readers -- perhaps caught up with their home baking -- didn't have time to tell us their favourites. But readers enthusiastically praised the Dutch Bakery's marzipan and Amaretti cookies from the Fairfield Bakery and Deli in Fairfield Plaza. In truth, even the judges' panel had a hard time declaring winners. Treats were sampled from Lila's Specialty Bake Shop in Nanaimo; Bernard Callebaut Chocolaterie (Victoria and Nanaimo); Westfalian Bakery in Duncan; Breadstuffs Bakery in Brentwood Bay; and La Collina Bakery and The Italian Bakery in Victoria. The conversation by experts went something like this: "I really liked Callebaut's brandy cherries, but the figgy fruit roll from La Collina was amazing, too." "Oh, and those toffee bars from Breadstuffs and Kahlua tarts from Lila's could become addictive." "Then again, the panforte from the Italian Bakery and German Christmas cookies from Westfalian were beautifully made." You get the picture. © Copyright 2004 Times Colonist (Victoria) |
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The Best of the Island 2003
