Cecilia Creek Eatery

Address: 123 Gorge Road East (in the Ramada hotel)
Phone: (250) 381-1312
Website: http://www.ceceliacreekeatery.com/
Price: ~$13 for a main
Notes: Well-styled dining on the Gorge

The Cecilia Creek Eatery opened up this summer in the location where the highly lauded Flavour had it's short run (before they were gutted by fire!). The hotel clearly put a lot of thought and effort into the rebranding and redesign of the restaurant; everything feels extremely well put together and cohesive. The space feels friendly and welcoming, and is modern but still casual and funky. Although I feel like the wide open space and hardwood floors could get loud during peak times, our visit for a weekend brunch was just fine... especially as the hoards of Victoria's brunch crowds haven't quite caught on... (yet).

Their menu is definitely brunch-centric with a selection of protein-centric plates, eggs benedict and other assorted brunchy delights, although their website notes that they are opening for dinner soon. Their materials all emphasizes local, which makes me happy! I had been hearing a lot of buzz - not just from food folk, but random people whose conversations I eaves drop on in coffee shops and on the bus so I had high hopes. The dishes are as exquisitely aesthetically designed as the restaurant decor, with gorgeous fresh fruit and fancy compositions. Given the attention to detail overall, I was surprised that our first visit left us a little underwhelmed in the flavour department, but I have vowed to make another visit in the new year to make sure it wasn't just a one-off!

One thing that was super noticeable was the staff: maybe I am just getting old, but with the exception of the manager (who is also involved in the operation of Hecklers) everyone looked like they were barely drinking age themselves! The serving staff were certainly late high school or early university aged, and the parade of kitchen staff emerging from the underground parking (from their breaks?) didn't look much older. I don't really know what relevance I think this has for the overall critique, but it really stood out...

Purchase a deck of Taste Locally deals & get one free gourmet coffee with any regular priced breakfast and $10 off any purchase of $30 ore more before tax, tip and alcohol at Cecelia Creek Eatery! 

Find out more about supporting local restaurants, wineries & cafes in Victoria and becoming a local hero at www.tastelocally.com

* Expires October 1st 2015







Food:
November 30, 2013

Huevos

I was torn between the hash and the huevos, but my quest for the perfect huevos is never ending so in the end, heart won out over head. Again, this had all the components of the perfect dish, and it looked beautiful, but the flavour was just somehow kind of ho-hum. It all worked ok together, but each individual part didn't stand out. It was a bit confounding because it was clearly plated with an artistic eye which meant my mouth was anticipating much more! Again, I will visit again to see if perhaps this was just an off day in the kitchen...

Duck Confit Benny special

This was my partner-in-food-and-life's choice. It was hard not to be sucked into a special like that, however decadent! It arrived looking stunning, but the fact that a super over-toasted muffin escaped notice in the kitchen was shocking given the care that was clearly given to all other aspects of the restaurant. That kind of made it hard to comment on the overall dish because having that base kind of grounds the whole bite, but as with my dish the flavours seemed a bit muted. 

Bacon Bourbon Popcorn

When our bill arrived it came with a surprise present: bacon bourbon popcorn! The sweet end to our meal was lovely - and reinforced that I want to re-visit because I think there is definite potential! 

Service:
November 30, 2013
The service was good... neither fast or slow, but that was just perfect for the kind of Saturday brunch we were looking for. The staff were all very friendly, welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed and more.