Shine Cafe (Blanshard)
Shine Cafe – 1320 Blanshard Street
(image from restaurant’s website)
Shine is a family owned all day breakfast & lunch restaurant. The first location, at Oak Bay junction, opened in 2004 and they recently expanded to this second downtown location.
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
Shine Cafe: 1320 Blanshard Street, Victoria, BC
Group: 2, arrived 10:30 am on Sunday, June 1.
Eggs benny (Canadian): Eggs (very small, edge of yolk was medium and centre soft), hollandaise (good, not enough), bacon (good), english muffin (good, toasted perfectly), and topped with brie, mushrooms, bell peppers (excellent, next time would ask for no peppers as I found it slightly over-powering). Had choices of sides – went with oven roasted hash browns (ok). No garnishes.
Other items ordered: Cali eggs benny on gluten free english muffin with a side of fruit. Avocado and tomatoes were fresh, eggs done well, english muffin tasted just like a regular one, more hollandaise would’ve been better, fruit was just ok.
Average price/person: $16 ($18 for gluten free or fruit substitute)
Canadian Benny
Both benny’s
Pros: We only had a five minute wait. Service was attentive and reasonably quick. The earl grey tea from Silk Road got rave reviews. My breakfast was really filling, and couldn’t eat all the hash browns. Having gluten free options that look and taste like regular fare is a real plus. They use local suppliers and buy hormone and antibiotic free meat. It’s bright and clean.
Cons: Even though we only had a short wait, I’ve been informed that this isn’t normal especially after 10:00 on weekends. We got the second last table, and within 10 minutes of us arriving, the lineup began. Some people were waiting over 40 minutes. My coffee was so strong I couldn’t finish it even after trying to kill it with all kinds of cream and sugar. I was told it was a medium roast, but it could’ve passed for Starbucks strongest.
Overall: It was ok. If someone wanted to come here, I would have no problem coming back, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. I’d definitely recommend it for folks avoiding gluten.
