Food Porn: Island fun

2009 was a tour of many islands. I took a mini-vacay with my Murray to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It's always a little worrisome to travel with your beau for the first time. But the food made up for it! No, no it was a lovely time spent with mon petite chou.


Black Rock Resort Ucluelet, British Columbia, Fetch Restaurant:
We didn't stay here since it had newly opened and we didn't know about it before planning our trip. Too bad, because it looked very luxe. Locals had suggested we check it out. I suppose in a town of less than 1700 people, a new resort and its resto is a big deal. And it did not disappoint. We had also visited Tofino which must be considered the more popular sister of the two towns, but I think Ucluelet had its own wonderful charm, even without the fancy hotel on the water.
Murray thought it was silly of me to think that the halibut on my bun was just caught out of the ocean that we were looking out at. A girl can dream, right? You should have seen the view. I don't think I've seen the Pacific Ocean quite like that. Mesmerizing.

There were so many stops on this island and not enough time spent there. We had to say goodbye and make it back to the mainland (Vancouver) via Nanaimo. You'd think there would be a bridge since it is quite close, but instead there's a ferry - that we missed. The ferry terminal food selection made a good effort, but it was nothing to write home about (or take pictures of). So we ventured out. We arrived upon a small marina and two pub/restos. One was decked out with loud music, some sort of sporting event was on the big screen tvs, and lots of neon beer signs to lure you in. A parking lot over, the other choice looked to have surrendered to the neon.
We chose the quiet, appropriately lit one. It was a bit of a dive, and the menu looked like your average pub fare with some emphasis on seafood given the location. "Would you like to substitute your fries for a caesar salad for $1 more?" I always feel bad when they ask because I'm sure most, like me, decline. Murray was getting fries with his oyster burger, so I thought I'd pretend to look healthy and said yes this time. I've never been so glad I splurged. Oh yes, and how could I forget - the most delicious shrimp sandwich that was paired with the salad. It was like there was a yet-to-be-discovered Michelin star chef in the back of this pub in the middle of nowhere, just dying to work at The French Laundry. Okay, I've never been to The French Laundry and I don't know exactly what the creme de la creme really is, but this was a damn good meal.

Good thing we missed that ferry - it was a delightful end to a great trip with Murray. This is a definite return vacay for me. Especially if I can have that sandwich and salad again. Oh, and I guess Murray can come too.