Nostalgie Restaurant - 3838 Cadboro Bay Rd, 250-590-5159
I may be alone on this one, but I think there should be more Russian/Eastern European culinary choices available. I'm a fan of what I think is the original comfort food. Nostalgie offers a combination of pub style fare and Russian specialties. Patty and I had the cabbage rolls and the potato, ham and cheese crepe. Both were topped with a very rich mushrooms cream sauce, a nice variation on the standard tomato sauce topping for cabbage rolls. They were hot and tasty and both served with a nice fresh salad. The portions were gigantic. Good value, but I think they could scale back the portion and put a little more money in their pockets. Similarly, they'd save money on takeaway packaging.
The server was assisted by the cook. They were both very personable and attentive. It's not often the cook comes out of the kitchen to assist the server clearing tables - wow, he's a keeper.
The menu design needs some work. There is a clear lack of descriptions (although the server was happy to assist). They could make the Russian dishes a whole lot sexier with a little more description. Similarly, I'd love to see more Russian dishes, or at least North American dishes with a Russian flare. Why not shashlik, koulibiak, borcht, smoked salmon and blinis? Ok, ok, not my restaurant and they might need to compromise authenticity to sell it to a broader clientele, but I'd like to eat it.
The wine and beer list is brief, but serves it's purpose with a few sensible choices. Howabout a vodka tasting flight??? I know, vodka is by definition a flavourless beverage, I'm just trying to increase their per cheque average.
If you're in Cadboro Bay village, or just have a hankering for comfort food, check out Nostalgie - they're friendly and it'll fill you up.