Closed Address: 3111 Cedar Hill Ave. Phone: (250) 590-1500 Website: http://www.cabin12.ca/ Price: $6-13 breakfast entree Notes: Westcoast & welcoming to the max! Free wifi. So Cabin 12 has moved! The space they were previously in downtown has a questionable future, so they were on the hunt for a new location. They decided on the old Sliders location on Cedar Hill. It's a bit of an out of the way location that has had difficulty keeping a restaurant around, but I think the strength of the Cabin 12 fan base will do well for them! They have done such a great job of building community... The new location is still in flux, I think, but it feels a bit more upscale, a little bit less patchwork or put together on a shoestring. It still is incredibly comfortable and welcoming, and has a west-coast vibe. It kind of feels like the little cabin is growing up! I'm not sure if they have more seating or less in the new place. It feels like slightly less, but it's difficult to tell because of the difference in configuration. Several booths around the side offer seating for small groups, with several tables of more flexible seating in the middle of the room. A cosa area of couches is in the entrance so you can sit in comfort should you have a wait for a table. The menu is full of amusingly-titled options, and I love that you can "smurf-it" for $2 less if you just want a small sized breakfast. I'd be tempted next time to "smurf it and add a mimosa" for a net of +$1.50. They also serve "breakfast beer" from Phillips which I was disappointed to discover is just rebranded Blue Buck. With the new location, there is a dinner menu with plenty of comfort food options, as well as an incredible-sounding food menu!
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* Expires October 1st 2015 Food: March 18, 2012 Whoa! I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I blogged about here. It's not for a lack of visits really (although I have been generally having less brunch than normal). I clearly have just been lazier about my updating than I remembered! I haven't tried this benny before, but I'm glad I did! It came with onions and peppers cooked with a little bit of char. A slice of pineapple on the benny and a drizzle of hot-sauce on top of the hollandaise made it taste a lot like a shish kabob benny. There was guacamole as well, elevating it to true decadence! I would totally order this again. My partner-in-food-and-life decided the breakfast club (har har!) was the perfect food for a late brunch. Typically, it comes with a sunny-side up egg but they were happy to substitute for a softer yolk to add a little bit of internal sauce to the whole sandwich. A cute take on a classic! We both noted that our potatoes were a hair under browned, but between growing pains of a new kitchen and their first (second?) Sunday brunch in the new location we weren't too worried. May 25, 2011
I'd been hearing great things about the Willie's Hash from friends who eat at Cabin 12 often, so I had to order it this time. Oh boy am I ever glad I got this smurf-sized! Even then I wasn't hungry for hours and hours. This reaffirmed that I have suddenly had a change of heart about green onions! I always used to pick around them but suddenly I love them, and they worked really well with all of the savoury meat/eggs/potatoes flavours in this.
I had a long day ahead of me today before a potentially late dinner, so I decided to opt for the Harl's Burg(er). When I tweeted out to that I enjoyed my burger, I was cheerfully informed that it is calorie neutral (as long as I walk to Nanaimo afterwards). Let's start with the fries: they were supremely seasoned, nicely cooked with skin on (yum!) and when paired with a side of garlic sauce I was just about in HEAVEN! This burger is pretty loaded... bacon, two kinds of cheese, an egg, an onion ring, a tomato and chipotle mayo. My only suggestion for future improvement is that all the toppings and the sauce is on the top of the bun, leaving the bottom of the bun very lonely. Without flipping the burger over, all of the good taste was a bit lost because the bun was whole-wheat — which isn't a bad thing in balance, but out of balance the flavour and texture of the bread takes over. The burger patty looked home made - huge bonus points!
This sandwich came with lovely peppers and onions, cheese and the choice of tofu or chicken. What sold me on this was the garlic sauce. See, back when I spent a year living in the UK I became addicted to Heinz Garlic sauce. It then became Garlic and Chive sauce and now a google search reveals that it might be discontinued! It was perfect with grilled cheese. It was amazing with chips (aka fries). I dream of the stuff. GOOD NEWS FOLKS, I no longer have anything to fear because the garlic sauce in this sandwich makes for an amazing substitute and right in my own back yard! So excited. I'm craving it now.
Oh wow. Really, WOW! I don't know why this isn't a more common benedict - steak and eggs, it's just so logical. Add mushrooms and hollandaise and you have reached pure perfection, honestly. The name also warms the cockles of my nerdy, nerdy heart. The muffin was really nicely crisped - I almost feel like it was done on the grill. The juices from the steak and the mushrooms soaked into it so it wasn't too chewy or crunchy. The steak was perfectly cooked at medium-rare, and the mushrooms were so thinly slided you could practically get a paper cut. The hollandaise was nice and thick, although it wasn't a stand-out flavour on it's own, at least not compared to the other toppings. The hashbrowns were big chunks of potato, and very lightly seasoned. Service: March 18, 2012 Good service again, despite the fact it was a packed Sunday at peak brunch time! Lots of coffee and water refills and super friendliness. Good times. I can't wait to go back for dinner! May 25, 2011 The service was a fair bit more demure than usual today, but I was there for the #tweetup so I suppose we were left to our own small-talk and networky devices. The sever didn't even blink twice when we pretty much all "smurfed" our meal. Normally I wouldn't for a brunch, but a) it was early morning, b) I had a really good lunch packed for the day and c) I was still full from the Canucks win at the pub the night before. May 14, 2011 This was my first time visiting on a weekend. You could see that the staff were in full-out slammed mode, but still had time to be super friendly and welcoming and cheerful. Not as much chatty but that's understandable! Still got epic coffee refills. April 29, 2011 I spent a really, really long time today chatting with Corey today about the philosophy and vision he has for Cabin 12. I walked away feeling very inspired. He's so very intentional and thoughtful about building a space that is connected to the community in significant and meaningful ways and more important that community includes those who have traditionally been on the margins. I could have stayed and chatted for hours - this man was talking my language! Sadly, I suddenly realized I probably had a parking ticket so our conversation had to come to an end but I am even more impressed by the space and determined to make sure everyone else knows of its awesomeness. What I really loved is that he wasn't doing it for this reason, but because he truly sees the value that shifting towards a more inclusive culture brings to his business and the greater society. April 23, 2011 I was eating by myself today, as my partner-in-food-and-life had a dentist appointment. The waitress was very sweet - she said "just you? I mean... you! Fantastic! You're here!" I knew what I thought I wanted, but it was too much fun to read the menu, but she checked on me diligently until I made up my mind. She sat down to take my order, which always makes me happy. I don't know why, it's just so casual and friendly. Once I had ordered, someone else (one of the owners?) brought me reading materials. I tucked in to a book about the history of Victoria, not that I needed to for long since my meal came very quickly.
