Victoria food reviews 2011 Moon Under Water Pub Bay Street · Sunday June 5, 2011 by colin newell
It has been a while since we tried a new brew pub in the city of Victoria – Our fair city has, perhaps, more than its share of good brew pubs; the likes of Canoe, Spinnakers (one of North Americas first brew pubs) and Swan’s comes to mind – all good in their own right – most of whom that have had food offerings that have varied wildly over the years – nowadays they are all pretty passable.
We popped into the Moon Under Water Pub on a very, very, very quiet Sunday afternoon – I think there were 3 parties of 3 folks each finishing up their late lunches and since we were coming in 2:20ish, we were guaranteed a buffet selection of seating options. One of the owner-partners came out to greet us with an overview of what was happening or not happening on their menu that day.
The Moon Under the Water pub is more like a traditional English public house than your typical table service joint downtown – My personal Island favorite, The Crow and Gate, south of Cedar, British Columbia (near Nanaimo) is like this; show up, walk up to the counter/bar, place your drink order and food order, maybe run a tab if you are inclined and take a number to your table. I am used to it – not everyone else would be… but it is fairly clear on the door and on the menu that this is the way that it is. All good.
One of the benefits for me of this concept is that you can talk to the beer keep or host directly about the specialties of the day or something about the beers without having to break the rhythm of the serving person who brings out your grub – although they could be the same person. I personally like the relaxed feeling of running a tab and/or paying for your food ahead of time and only having to worry about a gratuity after the meal is complete.
The Beer Needless to say, with Andrea and My sister Lisa along for this exploration, we were going to try all of the beer offerings (in a responsible fashion of course…) – harder to do when there is only 2 of you. We tried the Blond Ale, the Best Bitter, the IPA and the limited edition Brown Ale.
The Blond is a American style wheat beer with 10% wheat malt. Very crisp without being overarching in the citrus department. Sometimes the Ales can have too much grapefruit and come off a tad puckery (not a skilled beer reviewer folks – just relying on my senses from coffee tasting.)
The IPA was very, very drinkable – delicately balanced. Not to hoppy or aggressively in your face like a lot of other locally produced IPA’s.
I enjoyed the Best Bitter – crisp and balanced with a slightly lower alcohol/volume content than the IPA.
Finally, I shared the limited edition Brown Ale with the table. More complex sugars were present but like the other offerings, they tend towards the conservative end of the beer flavor spectrum for being “more drinkable and less quirky and strong flavors.”
I think as Moon Under the Water brewpub finds their legs, the beer will get more interesting and mature – but for now, I give them top marks. I would much rather drink a polite Bitter than wrestle with a raspberry espresso stout with an oil drum of attitude — especially on a first visit.
The Food – OK. Here is the thing about brew grub. One of my litmus tests for a kitchen is: If you have onion rings on the menu as a starter and they are reasonably priced (between 4 and 7$) and they come from CostCo, trust me folks, I am shooting you down! Joyfully, the bar keep advised me that their rings are hand cut, coated and dipped in house. They are at the higher end of the price point, yes – but so what. They were fabulous, fresh, crispy, hot and a tad oily – served with a paprika aioli.
So you know: An onion ring is perfect (this is the test part), when you break them in two and the coating and the onion breaks at the same time. And when you bite into the perfect onion ring, a piece of onion and breading (coating) comes off in your mouth. Unlike most other places in Victoria (contradict me all your want) where the onion rings come directly from CostCo, Walmart or Thrifty Foods. Selling commercially made previously frozen onion rings in a pub, any pub… is a sin.
The rings at the Moon Under Water Pub on Bay street were worthy of a return visit – if only for the onion rings and some more beer. Enough said.
Andrea and Lisa had “Moon” burgers several different ways with different sides. The burgers were considered “very good” and repeatable – each one came with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese (as an add on). Lisa had the mixed salad (very nice and fresh) and Andrea had the fries, thin cut and likely made in-kitchen.
I had the Steak Mushroom Beer pie in puff pastry with the side mix salad.
For those most familiar with the traditional steak and mushroom pie (more mushrooms, less steak), this was the opposite; chunks of lean steak that you actually had to cut up with a knife – and overall, melt in your mouth.
The Pub – Moon Under Water is at 350B Bay Street just before the Bay Street bridge on the Victoria side. It’s in an industrial neighborhood where you would not expect to find a pub. Lots of free parking and overnight parking for those having a really good time. The interior, high ceilings and lots of art, is pleasant and welcoming. The pub has several “snugs” or alcoves for more private gatherings – and a games room. In the main room there are no TV’s that I could see (thank goodness!)
It is an unassuming space – does not bug me at all – and any reviewers that would find fault with this are not actually food reviewers, they are self acknowledged interior designers… obviously.
The staff are very, very friendly, informed and informative about the menu and the beer.
Going back? Definitely!
Colin Newell lives and works in Victoria B.C. Canada – edits a very old coffee website and writes for EAT Magazine.
Victoria Spring 2011 - Good Eats - Tofu dirty rice re-boot · Monday May 30, 2011 by colin newell
Andrea and I have tossed this screaming hot recipe around a couple of times – almost always with wonderful results. Here is today’s snapshot. This is NOT a truly vegetarian dish… but it could be with the removal of the “chicken” based stock and Ham.
1 large Onion
1 Red Pepper and 1 Yellow Pepper
1 Anaheim Pepper
2 Jalapeno Peppers
2 tablespoons tomato paste.
2 cups rice
2 cups “chicken stock”
1 package (400g) extra firm Tofu
3 tablespoons Emeril Lagasse Creole Spice mix
2 cups diced Ham
1/4 cup canola oil
Step 1 – put rice on to cook (set aside once fluffed)
Step 2 – chop all peppers and onions into small chop (dice)
Step 3 – Combine 3 tablespoons creole mix with 1/4 cup oil to make a liquid paste
Step 4 – Cut Tofu into 1 X 1” cubes. Toss into creole oil/paste mix
Step 5 – Pan fry Tofu until all sides are browned/crisp + set aside.
Step 6 – Heat 1/4 cup oil in large pot. Add all onions and peppers
Step 7 – Saute veg for 10 minutes until softened.
Step 8 – Add tomato paste to 1/2 cup chicken stock
Step 9 – Combine rice + veg + tofu to complete dirty rice,
adding remainder of stock.
You can garnish with green onions, cilantro or even sprinkle whole or crushed nuts.
We warned – this is a VERY hot dish. Not for the faint of heart.
Creole Spice Mix:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Makes 2/3 of a cup.
Victoria Spring 2011 - Tofino sunset or sunrise on great coffee · Wednesday April 27, 2011 by colin newell
My wife and I have been visiting Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island for well over 10 years since we were married.
And in a decade some things have changed and some other things have remained absolutely and irritatingly the same.
Food: For all intents and purposes, Tofino has come a nice distance in the last decade. There was a time, 20 years or so ago, that there was little to pick from apart from some questionable burger joints and some really questionable seafood places…
Which is an atrocity when you consider that Tofino and Ucluelet are sea food meccas. For goodness sakes, there are fishing fleets based in these two magical little towns.
In 2011, Tofino and Ucluelet cuisine has moved forward big time — for the cuisine that is. You can still get some horrifyingly appalling fish and chips, burgers and hot dogs… ironically at mom and pop joints… because… wait for it, there are no chains or franchise fast food operations in Tofino or Ucluelet… Because heavens knows that a Taco Bell or McDonald’s could not possibly get down to the junk level of some of the joints up here on the coast. OK. Enough picking on that front.
A notch or two up are the deli’s that I have encountered – the ones that charge $10 for a fancy grilled cheese sandwich, that when you order it to eat in, takes 25 minutes to make and is handed to you wrapped in plastic, tinfoil and or paper. No name, but the one deli we visited on this last weekend kept me in stitches after witnessing one order mess up after another… only to have my order screwed up – where we waited almost an hour to get a cheese sandwich made properly. No apology either. Not a word. No sorry for the wait. Nor a nod. Because this is Tofino.
Tofino – all attitude and no substance. None at all.
At the cuisine level it is another matter. When fresh fish or local meat and produce are being prepared in Tofino, they are generally as good as the big city. Pricing tends to be slightly higher than other major centers – but what the heck, Tofino is a tourist town and a bit of a food trap. That said, there is a lot of competition and competition in close quarters is good for you and me.
Coffee: – There are no qualms about it. The coffee culture in Tofino is nearly hopeless. This is starting to change – thank heavens. A notable and sometimes irritating deli, Breakers, has just picked up a Fernwood Coffee contract – they have good equipment and raw materials… so with a little training from the fabulous people at Fernwood, there is hope. Let’s all cross our fingers.
The interesting observation I get about Tofino coffee culture is that it is all attitude and no production. And I want to be contradicted on this – in 20+ visits over the last decade plus, the coffee groove has remained sad.
A colleague of mine quipped the other day, “Remember Colin, Tofino is surf culture, not coffee culture…”
Huh? Why can it not be both? Victoria is coffee culture, tea culture, food culture and tourist culture?
Could it be that Tofino is not capable of doing anything but hippie chill out and surf? Maybe. I hope not. A community like that cannot survive on one trick pony.
Summary: – I would be remiss in not acknowledging the great people that live and work in Tofino and Ucluelet. Yes, the food and tourism culture is there for our comfort and amusement – much like my little city of Victoria – but there are other sides to the culture of community. Victoria is no different.
But if you are going to do coffee and offer a chunk of espresso culture, try and deliver the goods – even if you are pretending.
For now, if you are visiting Tofino or Ucluelet, I beg of you: Bring your own coffee!
We stay at the Middle Beach Lodge and the drip coffee they serve in the Lodge is very good. I know, I drink too much of it.
If I was anywhere else, I would have brought a Press or the Aero and a hand grinder.
To do anything else would be risky.
Espresso in Tofino? Forget about it…
For now.
Colin Newell lives, eats and drinks Vancouver Island food culture – and can often be found between the pages of EAT Magazine or hovering over a cup of Joe at one of many fine Victoria cafes.
Comment [5]
Victoria Spring 2011 - Ferris Upstairs Food Review · Wednesday April 6, 2011 by colin newell
Let me just say that Ferris Oyster Bar – the main floor is one of my favorite places in Victoria.
On the insistence of a dear friend, I took my dear overworked wife to Ferris Upstairs for something new and exciting.
Made a reservation at 4 PM today – thought it might be challenging getting a table 2 hours before dinner service… for such a popular place. No problem.
Arrived at 6 PM to an empty restaurant — apart from the staff that is.
Ferris Upstairs is kind of a duplicate of downstairs – fewer tables… bits of kitschy art… a few windows… Old Town at its funkiest. Lots of brick and bare wood on high ceilings.
Wait staff were formal and pleasant… punctual. They seemed to be slightly distracted – we were the 1st customers, so maybe like a good motor, they needed to warm up.
Ordered a couple of glasses of Merlot and some bread for purchase… a tiny baguette and hard butter for $1.50 – no big deal, bread does not grow in trees.
I ordered the Bouillabaisse and Andrea the Ravioli.
The Bouillabaisse was OK – rustic with lots of shell fish, white fish, salmon and shrimp perfectly cooked in a fairly ordinary tomato broth – a garlic toast with a mysterious orange butter on top… Again, it was OK.
Andrea had the Squash Ravioli with grilled sage, walnuts and cheese.
The ravioli was so overcooked that my wallet could have been chewed and swallowed more easily. Did I complain? Nah. Not worth it. Andrea gave up on the Ravioli after a few labored chews. I dug in while she sampled some of my Bouillabaisse.
Thankfully, a few folks sauntered in by 6:30. We were feeling pretty lonely.
Dinner for 2 with 2 glasses of wine. $64 with HST.
I would give the meal a 4 out of 10. Andrea gave it a 3.
The pasta should have gone in the bin – no, chef served it. Unacceptable.
I quipped to Andrea that we would have been better off at McDonald’s – could have gotten a happy meal.
Loving it. No. Verdict. Will try again another time – As a dear friend and baker told me – “You cannot judge a restaurant on the first pass…”
Yea – they probably had something going on that was effecting the quality of the product – I could have spoken up but I did not. It happens. Only human.
As I said earlier, Ferris Oyster Bar downstairs is an eclectic classic – we visit there almost monthly and they are reliable as heck.
Comment [1]
Winter to Spring Victoria Food Culture 3 Making sauces with Don Genova · Friday March 18, 2011 by colin newell
Prosciutto and tomato pasta sauce
Heat 8 tablespoons of good Olive oil in a pan
Slice 2 pieces of Prosciutto into bite size pieces (from 100g)
Cut up tablespoon of shallots finely
When oil heats add the Prosciutto and stir for 5 minutes
Add shallots
Add teaspoon of chili flakes
Add teaspoon of lemon pepper
Add parsley
Minute before you take out of pan, add 20 grape tomato
cut in half.
Drain pasta preserving around 1 ladle full of pasta water
Combine cooked pasta into the Prosciutto and tomato mixture
add 1/2 cup Parmagiano Reggiano cheese and the pasta water.
Stir to combine.
Plate and top with more grated cheese.
Serve with garlic toast and some yummy Italian Red Wine.
