The Village (Royal Oak)

Posted on May 18, 2014 in breakfast in Victoria

The Village has two locations – Royal Oak and Estevan Village.  They serve breakfast all day and promote a sustainable approach to food and dining.

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

The Village (Royal Oak):  4517 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC

Group:  4, had reservations and arrived 12:30 pm on May 18.

Eggs benny (back benny):  Eggs (overcooked as they came medium, not soft), hollandaise (very strong lemon and vinegar taste), back bacon (ok), english muffin (none – served on a latke).  The latkes were done really well and tasty. I would’ve preferred to have had my eggs on an english muffin and the latkes as the side. The fruit selection was beautifully arranged and was very fresh and tasty.

Other items ordered:  Village Hash and various bennies. The Village Hash and daily benny special, both served on cubed and roasted hash browns, were huge. Everyone reported the same taste experience as I did.

Average price/person:  $18

 

 

 

 

Pros: We were seated right away. The restaurant was clean, comfortable, and lots of room between tables. The food was hot and the portion size was good. The fruit was excellent. The toast and decaf coffee was reportedly great. There were lots of gluten free options. I really like that they offer locally available fare. While it’s highlighted on their website but not in the restaurant (big marketing miss) they are big into recycling and keeping waste down to a minimum. We weren’t rushed out.

Cons: The service was friendly but a little slow. But once we ordered food it came quickly. The hollandaise sauce wasn’t great but wasn’t awful either. While my eggs didn’t come as ordered, everyone else’s did (they all ordered medium, I ordered soft). Didn’t offer to refill coffee very often. The coffee was a little too strong/bitter for me.

Overall: It was ok. The presentation of each plate was lovely and everything fresh, but the food was just all right. If someone really wanted to come here, I would have no problem coming back, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. I felt it was a little over-priced. We had heard we’d need reservations (so reported on Twitter), but there was actually no line-up when we arrived. Whether it was the due to the long weekend or that the patio was open, I think it would be a good idea to have them.  I would like to check out the Estevan location as a comparison.