Blogging on a Ferry

I needed to be in Victoria today for a business meeting. With the stormy weather, there was no way I was going on a float plane or helicopter. So I got cats to wake me up at 5:30 am and I head over for the first bus-ferry trip from Vancouver to Victoria. 12 hours on the road makes for a fun Eating on the Road adventure.

The "cappuccino bar" welcoming you at the bus terminal brought back memories of Italian and Spanish cafes. Unfortunately, as you get closer, nothing about the ambiance or the food comes even close to anything in Europe.

The baked goods wrapped in plastic was enough to make me pass on this and starve. 

Once on the ferry, the Pacific Buffet was my saviour.   

Sit in a quiet part of the ship, have a spread of food waiting for you, and be able to work, blog, and psych yourself up for the meetings ahead.




Three kinds of eggs, salads, squash, baked beans, cereals, fruit, croissants and even dim sum. I kept it simple but went back for seconds of the oats/barley salad.  

Pre-meeting meeting took place at Rebar Modern Food (50 Bastion Square in Victoria, BC, 250-361-9223).

By far, the most interesting and tasty healthy food, vegetarian and vegan restaurant I have tried so far.

Famous for their smoothies (and they had lots on the menu), I ordered one with Almond milk, blueberries, banana and orange. The milk was simply the liquid base and did not overwhelm the taste of the fruit - refreshing, tasty, and was all gulped before lunch arrived.

For a keep-me-awake-during-presentation lunch, I had the veggie-steamer with grilled tofu. A delicious medley of broccoli, carrots, yellow zucchini, and kale; served with brown rice mixed with shallots and sesame seeds and a nice lemon oil drizzle sauce.

I enjoyed it so much that I walked out with a copy of their cookbook!

That was the beginning of the shopping part of the trip. After a successful meeting, strolling back to the bus depot, I stopped by two of my favourite, regular sweet locations.

The first is Dutch Bakery (718 Fort Street, Victoria, BC).
 

Always full of surprises, today's finds included almond cookies with almond paste, pumpkin shaped marzipans, all sorts of Halloween treats and tons of chocolates.




The second is Rogers Chocolate Original Location from 1885 (913 Government Street, Victoria, BC).

I never visit Victoria without dropping by for one of Rogers Creams. My favourite is the vanilla.

Check out their beautiful limited selection tins.





Now I am back on the Ferry, on my way home, dreaming of jardin, warm bed, and snuggling with cats.