We decided to take a little jaunt after Christmas, up the Sunshine Coast to Powell River, over to Comox, down to Victoria and then back home. We left Aldergrove at 5:30 am on Monday morning because there were no reservations available on the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale ferry and we wanted to get onto the 7:30 sailing. We did so but only after driving through torrential rain on the North Shore and the associated pooling water.
First stop after Langdale was Gibson's Landing. I grew up watching The Beachcombers but this was the first time I have ever stood in front of Molly's Reach (only buzzed through Gibsons a couple of times in the past).
We took a little walk on the pier (almost entirely by ourselves at 9ish on Boxing Day). This fellow was surprisingly unimpressed with us.
We got to Sechelt a little faster than we expected but our host at the Driftwood Inn was happy to check us in even though it was only 10:30ish. I think we might have been the only guests! The motel was right on the beach and was clean and comfortable despite the very noisy heating unit ( turned it off in the middle of the night).
After a little walk on the beach and under some if not a lot of blue sky, we started to think about something to eat. Surprisingly, I had 4 places on my list in Sechelt that had respectable vegan options (plus a couple of bakeries) but only one was open on Boxing Day!
So we ended up at El Segundo, a sort of fusion Mexican place. It was busy at just after noon but we were able to get a table for 2 right away.
We started with Brocco Tacos and a Kale Caesars Salad. The tacos were surprising! The broccoli must have been dusted with rice flour or cornstarch and deep fried as they were nicely crispy. Complete with corn, cabbage , some lettuce and sauce, we realized later that we could have used some hot sauce on these dishes but these were very good tacos!. The Caesar Salad was tasty also.
Next up was a Yam and Black Bean Burrito. Complete with dirty rice, vegan chipotle mayo, guac, salsa, cabbage and herbs, this burrito was a tasty meal all by itself. We chose truffle tots as a side which came with vegan cheese and a vegan garlic aioli! Really tasty and no one got carried away with the truffle!
El Segundo is a nicely festive place and the staff are friendly and helpful. We pretty well exhausted the vegan choices other than a couple of other starters and soups. Still, they were there for us when the other vegan forward places were closed.
Food 4 out of 5
Vegan choices 3 out of 5
Comfort 4 out of 5
Service 4 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
Early Tuesday morning, I was out on my walk and surprised to see that The Bakery was already open and folks were inside getting their coffee and pastries.
I don't usually eat early in the morning but I was curious to see what they offered and sure enough, there were a few vegan items in their bakery case!
I sat down to try an Oatmeal and something Cookie (sorry) that was full of coconut, dates and some dried fruit and nuts. Very good! And excellent coffee as well! My intention was to bring some home for Mharie to try but next thing I knew, I had eaten the whole thing.
So I got her a vegan Chocolate Oatmeal Bar which was ridiculously rich and could keep you alive for days if you were lost in the woods!
Sorry to not have a better interior photo to post. I thought I had taken one that showed the whole room. A beautiful and warm little place to have coffee, and open at 6:30 every morning. They also have vegan lunchtime choices like wraps and daily soups. Friendly folks too!
Food 4 out of 5
Vegan choices 4 out of 5
Comfort 4 out of 5
Service 4 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
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