Exploring the world one bite at a time

Month: August 2015 (Page 2 of 3)

British Columbia Parliament Buildings: “A must see when in Victoria”

A must see when in Victoria. The architecture of the building is a reminder of the wealth of the British Empire. The interior of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings is stunning, with on top of that lots of information about the history of BC. An extra touch are the guides dressed as historic characters which tell you their personal story. We were honored to hear the story of Queen Victoria herself. Oh, and the visit is for free. So you can pop in for a short visit if you like.

British Columbia Parliament Buildings, 501 Belleville St, Victoria, British Columbia V8V 1X4, Canada
https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-peo/Pages/Tour-Information.aspx
+1 250-387-3046

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about British Columbia Parliament Buildings also on TripAdvisor.

Embassy Inn: “Right in the heart of Victoria”

My boyfriend and I had a very pleasant stay in this lovely hotel. Reception staff was super friendly and helpful. We felt right at home.

The hotel has lots of parking space, which is very convenient if you’re traveling by car.

Our room was beautiful, very spacious with a big tv, a fridge, a water cooker, a coffee maker and two nice big queen size beds. So much space! Beds were very good, slept like a baby. Bathroom was clean with lots of towels, and a bath and douche combined. I really like the art in our room, which showed some beautiful Canadian nature.

Location is key. The Embassy Inn is situated right in the historical center of Victoria. Just a few minutes walking from the BC parliament buildings en the beautiful harbour.

Breakfast was nice, with enough options to choose from (cereal, bread, scrambled eggs, bacon, pastries,…). Loved the scrambled eggs and the fresh fruit salad (went back two times for some extra fruit). You have to clean up your own table, but we didn’t mind at all.

Embassy Inn, 520 Menzies St, Victoria, British Columbia V8V 2H4, Canada

Stayed July 2015. You can find my review about Embassy Inn also on TripAdvisor. My scores: location 5/5, cleanliness 5/5, service 4/5.

The Docks: “Great lunch!”

We really had a lovely lunch at this restaurant. Really enjoyed the view from the terrace on the harbour of Victoria, although I noticed the wind screen needed some reparations. I ordered the Albacore Tuna and my boyfriend the Wild BC Salmon Wellington. Both dishes were really excellent. My tuna was cooked to perfection with a very good salad.

Wine is also very good, I tried two different BC wines. Service was super friendly. In total we paid about 100 dollarts for our meals, two glasses of wine en two beers. A little bit pricy, but we felt like we got our money’s worth. The combination of the good food and the lovely view, made this an unforgettable lunch.

The Docks, 1208 Wharf Street, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
http://www.thedocksnow.com/cgi-sys/defaultwebpage.cgi
+1 250-360-1808

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about The Docks also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

Vi La Palace Vietnamese Restaurant: “Great food!”

This Vietnamese restaurant is really a treat. The food is excellent and the staff is very friendly. I also loved the interior decoration: a big round fish tank with beautiful fishes and some Vietnamese style artwork.

I sat on a comfy couch while deciding what to pick from the menu. My friend wasn’t sure either, but got guidance from the waitress who was very helpful.

I decided on the house special wonton soup with seafood. My boyfriend went for the pad thai, a lovely classic from the Thai cuisine. Food was served on heated plates and was absolutely lovely. Really enjoyed my wonton soup. There were lots of vegetables and seafood in it and the broth was tasty.

A thumbs up for the big toilets which were accessible for people with disabilities. When we asked for the bill, we got it immediately, together with a fortune cookie. Not really Vietnamese, but we’ll happily let that one slide. 😉

Vi La Palace really offers value for money. Food was delicious and we only had to pay 22,97 Canadian dollar, tip not included.

Vi La Palace Vietnamese Restaurant, 107-3240 Mt Lehman Rd, Abbotsford, British Columbia V4X 2M9, Canada
https://www.vilapalace.com/
+1 604-625-5555

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Vi La Palace Vietnamese Restaurant also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park: “A must see!”

Highly recommend visiting this gorgeous place. The Suspension Bridge in itself is fun, but the walk though the tree tops of the gorgeous Douglas-fir pine trees is unforgettable. Really enjoyed this experience. Oh, and the home made fugde is great!

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, 3735 Capilano Rd, North Vancouver, British Columbia V7R 4J1, Canada
https://www.capbridge.com/
+1 604-985-7474

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Capilano Suspension Bridge Park also on TripAdvisor.

Troll’s Horseshoe Bay: “Nice lunch”

Went to Troll’s for a quick lunch. This place has a really friendly vibe about it. Loved the interior (the canoe was a very nice touch and the caricatures were funny to look at) and the atmosphere. We got a seating booth near the window so we could enjoy the view on Horseshoe Bay. Our waitress was very friendly. We had a nice chat with her.

Food was great and very reasonably priced. I enjoyed some lovely salmon with mashed potatoes, while my boyfriend had a chicken burger. Portion size was more than enough. Toilet was very clean and spacious. Next visit I hope I will be able to have lunch on the terrace in the sun!

Can really recommend this place.

Troll’s Horseshoe Bay, 6408 Bay St, West Vancouver, British Columbia V7W 2H1, Canada
+1 604-921-7755

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Troll’s Horseshoe Bay also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 4/5, food 5/5.

Truffles Cafe: “Beautiful terrace”

This café next to the VanDusen Botanical Gardens is really a terrific place to have a drink or a small bite to eat. We only had drinks here, so I can’t commend on the food. You have to order at the counter, but your order is brought to your table. We sat outside enjoying a beautiful sunny summer evening.

I had ordered a mimosa, but the waiter came to our table to tell they were sold out. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t take away the placard that advertised this summer drink. The staff handled the mistake quite well, I didn’t have to pay for the price difference when I changed my order to a glass of white wine.

If you’re looking for a beautiful terrace to enjoy a nice drink with friends, this is a great place.

Truffles Cafe, 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, British Columbia V6M 4H1, Canada
https://trufflesfinefoods.com/
+1 604-505-4961

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Truffles Cafe also on TripAdvisor.

Sage Bistro: “Food is not up to expectations”

We had to wait quite a long time before we got seated. Seemed like all of the waiting staff was busy. Sadly there wasn’t room on the terrace. A pity because the view at Sage bistro is absolutely stunning and the weather was perfect for an outside lunch. Luckily we had a table at the window so we could still enjoy the view.

Sage bistro is a quite stylish place with lots of room for the tables. I really liked the interior design of the restaurant.

Options on the menu all sounded delicious, so we had a hard time choosing. I went for the horseradish root crusted wild spring salmon, one of the recommendations of our waitress. A local caught salmon, sounded great to me. My boyfriend had the ponzu marinated British Columbia Sturgeon.

When our meal arrived, we were thrilled. Both dishes looked gorgeous, the plates were decorated with little edible flowers. But looks can be deceiving. My salmon was average at best. The salmon was overcooked and too dry, the potatoes weren’t crunchy (I suspect they weren’t fresh) and very mushy. A pity, because everything looked so great.

All in all I left with mixed feelings. This restaurant could be great, but expectations weren’t met and the prices were too high for the quality of the meal.

Sage Bistro, 6331 Crescent Rd, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z2, Canada
+1 604-822-1500

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Sage Bistro also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

Queen Elizabeth Park: “Lovely Park with a great view on Vancouver”

This park is situated at the highest point of the city. The view from the beautiful garden with lots of flowers is stunning. Do visit the Bloedel Conservatory. If you love exotic birds, you’ll be able to admire them up close.

Queen Elizabeth Park, 4600 Cambie St, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Y 2M4, Canada
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/queen-elizabeth-park.aspx
+1 604-873-7000

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Queen Elizabeth Park also on TripAdvisor.

Museum of Anthropology: “Great museum”

This museum is definitely worth the visit. The architecture of the building is just perfect for the First Nations artefacts on display in the museum. The collection is very big, so you’ll need your time to explore everything. You can also view the objects in open storage, but those objects are not labeled.

I recommend joining the free guided tours. The guides are very knowledgeable and give more insights into the collection and the vision of the museum.

You can also visit temporary exhibitions which are great, but are completely different from the First Nations exposition. We visited an exhibition about Portugues folk art.

This museum is quite far away from the city centre. You’ll need to take a bus and afterwards a shuttle that will bring you to the museum.

Museum of Anthropology, 6393 North West Marine Dr., Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z2, Canada
http://moa.ubc.ca/
+1 604-822-5087

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Museum of Anthropology also on TripAdvisor.

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