Jam Cafe
Jam Cafe – 542 Herald St.
Success after at least 10 attempts to get into this restaurant! I absolutely understand why this place is highly recommended by friends. They serve breakfast all day long, provide a broad and unique selection of breakfast and lunch items, and portions on many dishes are huge. The outside is non-descript and could easily be missed if it weren’t for their bright, bold sign. The space is not huge and is cozy. The décor is eclectic and interesting and, thankfully, located on a less busy downtown street, so parking wasn’t too difficult. If only they’d take reservations they’d be darn near perfect.
The review below is based on my personal observations and experience. Please feel free to include your feedback in the comment section below.
Best breakfast – restaurant review
Restaurant Name: Jam Cafe, Victoria, BC
Group: 2, arrived at 11:30 am on May 30, reservations are not accepted and there is almost always a lineup.
Eggs benny: Eggs (perfect), hollandaise (perfect, but not enough), grilled ham (very tasty, and I didn’t feel I missed out on back bacon), english muffin (tasty and nicely toasted). They should get extra points for serving this with shredded hashbrowns and doing them so they’re grilled on both sides. The plate was garnished with a thin slice of tasty strawberry and a small slice of a dry orange.
Other items ordered: Gravy Coupe. Amazingly huge – if you actually can finish it, you should get a prize ;). The chicken was a little overcooked and the edges dry but still tasty, the gravy wonderful, eggs done perfectly, and the buttermilk biscuit is to die for. Thank goodness it’s huge so I got to share a wedge. It needs no spread or topping – I’ll definitely pop in just to pick one up as a take-out. The passion fruit lemonade was wonderful.
Average price/person: $16
Eggs Benny Classic Ham
The Gravy Coupe
Jam Interior
Pros: We got lucky and didn’t have to wait. Service was attentive and reasonably quick. My coffee, nothing special but ok, was constantly replenished until I was getting close to finishing my breakfast (a way to keep you from lingering?). There’s lots to look at, and I was always finding unique items tucked away in an unsuspecting spot. Portion sizes are good, and crazy big for most of the non-traditional breakfasts. There were many interesting things, and unusual combos, on the menu I want to try. I’ll definitely be back for the red velvet pancakes and cream cheese icing. All the baked items are made in-house and everyone around us raved about them. I’m still thinking about the buttermilk biscuit – slightly sweet, but savory enough to work in various types of dishes or as a stand-alone. All the dishes are presented really nicely and are very tasty. If the other lemonade combos are as good as the passion fruit, then it’s something not be missed.
Cons: Even though we didn’t have to wait to get in, it was a momentary blip as we got the last table and a lineup appeared within minutes. I think being a weekday also helped. There always seems to be at least a 20 minute wait and on weekends it’s more like 50+ minutes. They don’t take reservations, and that’s a big beef of mine as I feel it’s disrespectful of my time and experience. They lose huge points for that in the overall review. If there’s an option, I’d recommend a table away from the door, as they keep it open causing a bit of a chill. While my coffee stayed refilled, my friend who finished her lemonade within a few minutes never got asked if she’d like something else to drink. They were a little light on the hollandaise – another spoonful on each egg would’ve been an improvement.
Overall: There’s very little to dislike or complain about. As much as I enjoyed my food and could see this becoming my restaurant of choice, the no reservation policy probably means I’ll be lucky to make it there a couple of times a year. I would highly recommend people come here, but only if they don’t mind lineups or have the time to move along to another restaurant.
