Last summer my mom’s friends visited and together we celebrated her birthday over lunch at a Vancouver Island winery. It was a surprise and she loved it. She loved it so much that she wanted to celebrate her wedding anniversary this year at the same place.
Except my dad is not a fan of travelling. Plus that would be a day trip for the whole family, leaving behind my cat Luna. So I offered to look for a restaurant on the wine route near Vancouver.
We decided on Bacchus Bistro at Chaberton Estate Winery. The menu is French and the plan was to sample some of their wines and have a leisurely lunch.
Bacchus Bistro
To start with, we all had French Onion soup. The daily soup was garlic and I thought my mom would go for that. She didn’t. My dad ordered the lamb shank (which had good online reviews), my sister the roasted banana squash (left in the photos), essentially a spiced garbanzo mash, my mom a quiche, and I had the pan-roasted ling cod (right in the photos). I was surprised my mom, who loves cod, did not order that entrée. One of her favourite spots is Fish Counter on Main. She was full of surprises that day. And so was my dad, who wanted to share a glass of red wine.
From what the others said of their meal, the winner was clearly the cod. The French Onion was also brutally salty. I considered pouring in some of my water. Unfortunately even the dessert did not turn the meal around.
What we liked about Bacchus Bistro
The server was very friendly and service was good. The atmosphere was light; everyone seemed to be happy, talking to their lunch companions. Soon after we had sat down, seeing some people leave the patio, we asked for a table outside. That was a good call.
Wine Tasting at Festina Lente
As my mom wasn’t feeling the best, she skipped the wine at lunch. We looked at the tasting choices and I suggested a mead or honey wine at Festina Lente and my mom was keen. After the first tasting, she decided she didn’t like it and so my sister joined in. She just had to make sure to use the spit bucket. She wanted to taste it but she’s allergic to alcohol. Also she was driving us home.
In the end, we decided on one of the flavours; with all the back and forth, I don’t even remember which! I had really wanted to like the lavender, or even the mojito mead. I quite liked the peach and the ginger. Anyway, a bottle of mead sits somewhere in my parents’ house.
Visting Fort Langley
The owner of Festina Lente was very helpful, directing us the way to Fort Langley, the birthplace of British Columbia and our impromptu next stop. Little did my dad know that my sister and I would disappear for a little bit of shopping. They insisted on sitting in the car. The weather was cool and they kept the keys and so we agreed on half an hour.
My sister and I spent most of our time in just a few shops – the crystal, soap, and kitchen shops. We sampled some tea at the first and bought some supplies at the second, including a bath bomb for my dad who loves his baths. My mom, the inconsistent environmentalist, declines baths for conservation. She won’t even do an epsom foot bath.
Anyway, my parents were about to send out a search party. Fort Langley is a one-main-street town. More likely, my dad was itching to go home. He hates waiting and he hates shopping. So off to home, we went, with my sister driving, towards the Port Mann Bridge.
