Tempting Tim Hortons on Robson

After arriving in Vancouver last week I needed a familiar pick me up. I ventured out to take a walk on Vancouver's famous Robson Street and to generally get the lay of the land.

A couple of blocks later and a big sign beckoned to this Canadian.  Was it mirage?  Was it a miracle?

I walked up the block and in the front door to the famous Canadian institution located 463 Robson Street, Vancouver, Tim Hortons!

Tim Hortons Storefront

 This Tim Hortons takes full advantage of it's downtown slightly tight urban setting.  As soon as you walk in the front door a sign directs you to the spot to line up.  The que area can hold maximum three customers only waiting for one of the three cashes to become available.  Normally this set up works but if one of the cashes is closed or there is a hold up due to customer errors or filling a large order, customers may end up quing out the door.

I was able to make it the front of the line and order my usual order:

The Order: 1 Medium Black Original Blend Coffee.

The coffee was quickly poured and I paid.  But a lingering question remains....

How come in Vancouver the Tim Hortons Medium Black Coffee is $1.80 as opposed to in Ottawa being $1.70?

To further add intrigue, how come in Vancouver and Ottawa a Tim Hortons Small Black Coffee is both $1.50?  Why the additional $0.10 difference for the medium as opposed to the small?

Tim Hortons' Medium Black Coffee

Anyway, I enjoyed the medium black coffee as any Canadian would.  The coffee was made to specifications in terms of warmth and strength in a standard issue Tim Hortons cup.  It would make the President of Tim Hortons himself smile!

The seating areas though needed some attention.  Despite this being a downtown urban location, this Tim Hortons had more than adequate seating to handle the volume of customers.  However, unlike many other Timmies worship locales, this location's seating area was dirty with crumbs and coffee stained tables.  It appeared nobody had been hired to ensure tables were wiped or the floors swept and mopped on a regular basis.  I've since returned this location a couple of times and was forced to strategically select a cleaner table wherever possible.

Service wise the location is impeccable.  Short waits in line and a sandwich bar preparer who always seems to keeps things moving.

Overall, this Tim Hortons location has excellent counter service while serving average "nothing special" corporate Tim Hortons fare.  A few tweaks around the edges to affect cleanliness of the seating area would help make this location an all start showpiece of Tim Hortons' family in the Vancouver area.

Enjoying Familiar Costco Grub in Vancity!

After landing in Vancouver, settling in and in search of a few necessities which also included lunch, I ventured forth to find the downtown Costco (605 Expo Boulevard, Vancouver) and it's famed Food Court.

First the hard part was actually find this place.  Based on my Google Mapping of the place it was supposed to be easy to find right near both BC Place and Rogers Arena.  Seemed simple enough.  

My first attempt saw me try going down Georgia Street and the Georgia Viaduct looking for a way around BC Place Stadium.  Big mistake as all I got were stunning views across False Creek to Science World and no exit in sight.  So I backtracked and decided to head down Beatty Street in hopes of finding a coffee shop with Wifi.

Before I could find a Starbucks or Tim Hortons for Wifi, I stumbled across a ramp leading to a parking garage with a sign overhead saying "Costco Wholesale".

Success!

...Not quite as I was on foot. Next to the ramp was a park with pedestrian entryway with stairs that looked like it lead to the parking garage.

Success!

...Not quite as the door was locked.  I turned around figuring I was snookered.  Should I venture down the parking ramp on foot to the disgust of many a driver?   Hmmmmm....  As I was thinking and scanning around I saw another Costco Wholesale logo which accompanied a map.  Apparently I wasn't the only one to question how to get to Costco from here.  But perhaps they could move the map to the opposite stairwell where I tried and failed entering Costco from there.

I followed the directions on the map around to the Dunsmuir Viaduct and took the stairs (next to the elevator) just before reaching Rogers Arena when heading from downtown.  A tip on accessing Costco from here:  Take the elevator down!  The stairs wind their way around the elevator shaft making them a little longer than necessary compared to the traditional switchback style of most staircases.

After a little shopping and exiting the regular Costco store,  I ventured over to the food court.  Yes, this is a different type of Costco Food Court as the restaurant access is located outside the store as opposed to within the membership checked area.

I waited in the short line to order my usual Costco cheap lunch for $4.86:

The Order: 1 Jumbo Hot Dog, Soft Drink and Fries.

After paying and assembling my food, I asked for the usual tray for the meal and got the weirdest answer from Costco:

"We don't have trays".

Um....right!

Apparently the trays have been stolen or used for other unmentionable purposes.

I made several valiant efforts to juggle my food over to the drink station, condiment station and back to the food counter to inquire about napkins.  Unlike other Costcos where the napkins are located directly next to the ketchup, mustard and relish dispensers, this Costco has it right next where you order.  I presume this is so customers and non-customers are supervised so they only take what they need.

Finally, after almost getting lost and ending up in the far reaches of Burnaby and shopping at Costco I could eat!

Jumbo Hot Dog

The Hot Dog was the usual standard all beef hot dog that is very similar to what you would get at a baseball game or from urban downtown hotdog stand.  In fact at less than two dollars with a fountain soft drink included this hot dog puts Ikea's famous hot dog deal to shame.

Fries

The fries were the usual Costco slightly breaded fries.  These, I would argue, could be improved by changing them to a more freshly sliced technique made famous by New York Fries (i.e. slice the potatoes into fries and fry them up!).  That is to say to improve on an already decent product to make it even better.  Perhaps though this idea was considered to be too time consuming or costly so shipping them in a unique breaded style was better. To say the least, Costco fries aren't my all time favorites, but they aren't my least favorite either.

Overall, this Costco's uniqueness of being outside the members only store is great for those in the area looking for a cheap quick bite to eat while not being a Costco member.  With average Costco fare along with decent service that Costco Members have come to expect, this is a great spot to grab a hot dog, fries, pizza and a drink.

Tim Hortons Tribulations at Ottawa Airport

On an early morning last week saw myself on an early flight to Vancouver. After clearing security with minimum time to spare and no breakfast as of yet, the Tim Hortons (2nd floor beyond security in domestic departures of the Ottawa International Airport at 1000 Airport Parkway, Ottawa)

I waited in the lengthy line at this Tim Hortons storefront off the main hallway leading the airport gates.  The line at times never seemed to move.  Quite a few people nervously looked at their watches or phones to see if they should stay in the line or run for their flight without one last Timmies fix.  I stayed in line patiently but quite frankly the two cashiers seemed overwhelmed while the single employee at the sandwich counter was fantastic in keeping her orders moving.  Add in the odd customer who gets to the front of the line to ask six different questions of the cashier before ordering and whole families ordering their breakfast meals things were slow to a crawl.  To make matters worse there was only one single employee at each of the two cashes meaning they were also preparing the drinks, donuts and muffins preventing other orders from being taken.  Not sure why this occurred as at other Tim Hortons locations normally when there is usually two employees per cash during busy morning rushes. But eventually things progressed and I was able to order.

The Order: 1 Medium Black Coffee and 1 Cinnamon Raisen Bagel, toasted with Cream Cheese

After picking up my coffee at the cash and being impressed with the speed the bagel was prepared at the sandwich counter, I was off to my gate with little time to spare.   Thank goodness you're allowed to bring food and coffee onto the plane purchased post security checks.

The bagel was still warm and similar to what I get elsewhere.  To be fair it is hard to screw it up as Tim Hortons ships everything in and the preparation really comes down to cutting the bagel, toasting it in the automated conveyor belt toaster.

The coffee was also as expected corporate quality that any Canadian would appreciate.  But again, nothing special cause it really is pour the coffee grounds into the machine's filter, etc. and change the pot every 20 minutes.

Overall, this Tim Hortons could do well as it is highly visible right after security. The promise of success is even better as there is a captive audience of airport passengers who now have time to wait for their flight with possibly a drink and something to eat.  Sadly, though Tim Hortons' fails by not adequately staffing this location to keep the line moving in an adequate fashion. If there were just a couple more employees many more customers would instead be enjoying a fine cup of coffee instead of leaving in disgust sans le java to barely make their flight.

MMMMM...Burger at Kelsey's

Earlier last week I was able to take my father out for a beer and dinner while using a Cara Gift Card we had recently acquired by redeeming some Scene points.

We headed to Kelsey's (Elmvale Shopping Centre, 1910 St. Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa) to check out how well this location does in a dated local area shopping centre vs the traditional big box store format.

We entered on Monday evening to find a couple of tables occupied by customers and greeted by what we presumed to be a hostess who promised to be with us in a minute.   Turns out the hostess was also a waitress as she would later be serving us our food and drinks at our table while another person worked the bar area.

We were shortly seated at a booth and handed presented with the menus.   After a quick review of what was on tap and little bit of a wait longer than expected for our beers we ordered our food.

The Order: The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger (Double stacked 4 oz. sirloin patties topped with double-smoked bacon, peameal bacon, cheese, fresh tomatoes, crisp leaf lettuce, red onions and mayo spread on a toasted pretzel bun) with fries and a Shock Top Belgian White beer.

Shock Top Belgian White Beer

The Shock Top Belgian White beer was perfectly cold and refreshing.  Served in an appealing tall glass with an average fresh orange slice to add a little more flavoring, the beer goes down easy yet tasty.

After a reasonable short wait of 15 minutes of pleasant conversation our orders arrived.  

The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger with Fries

The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger was pretty good. For presentation purposes, the burger was skewered by kitchen grade knife to hold it together while sitting on a plate alongside a small bowl full of fries.  The burger itself was pretty decent tasting with the melted cheese, adequately cooked bacon and juicy burger.

The fries were average bar fries at best.  Nothing great but not the worst I've had.  Cara restaurants, including Swiss Chalet and Harveys, though aren't really known for their fries.

Overall, this Kelsey's is similar to a neighbourhood pub as opposed to a destination their other locations are at the big box store plazas.  With a low key leisurely feel it was nice to have a no rush quiet dinner and drinks plenty of space between you and the next table over.  This location serves up average Kelsey's fare along not overly great but not terrible service. It may be worth a return visit on a busier Friday or Saturday evening in the future to see how things change with a few more customers coming through the door.

Don't Bank on this Cramped Tim Hortons

Today for lunch I stopped by the Tim Hortons on Bank Street at Heron Road (1611 Bank Street, Ottawa).

I entered and almost stumbled over the front counter all of three steps in.  Not sure who built designed this Tim Hortons interior layout, but there is virtually zero space for customer queing forcing people to stand in the doorway if the there are more than two customers waiting to be served.

Add in a smaller customer seating area compared to a conventional Tim Hortons restaurant things seem to get worse.  This location is almost like the Tim Hortons Head Office merely pointed at a map and said "let's stick one here", then shoehorned  a store into a too small existing plaza.

Tim Hortons on Bank Street at Heron Road

I strategically waited at the front as two Tim Hortons employees were flabergasted on how to put together an order of 50 Tim Bits for the customer ahead of me. They started with two boxes and the first one, who took the order at the cash, was explaining that with two boxes there should be 25 Tim Bits a piece.  Next, a manager came up and said use the box for fifty Tim Bits and to use that.  The 2nd employee was dumbfounded, he'd just finished computing how twenty five Timbits in two boxes equals fifty.

Eventually after the second employee was told to count fifty Tim Bits into a box of fifty, computed that and then, somehow, was able to also remember to come with manager to do another task after counting the fifty Tim Bits, I was able to order with the first employee.

The Order: 1 Chicken Salad Sandwich on a White Sandwich Bun with Kettle Chips and 1 Medium Black Coffee

 The first employee took my money, made change and asked me to step to my left to wait at the pickup counter for my coffee and wait for the sandwich and Kettle Chips.

The visit get even better as two minutes elapsed and I was told by the lady making the sandwiches that they were out of White Sandwich bun, would I like Whole Wheat?

Really? Dare I ask for a refund of my purchase and walk across the street to the Tim Hortons in the Esso Gas Station and then walk back in hopes of getting a seat?  I digressed knowing that would be at least 45 minutes which would include the time for the employees to figure out how to even process a refund. As well, it's 11 O'Clock in the morning?  How in the heck is a Tim Hortons location out of white buns before Friday lunchtime even truly gets going?

"Sure that'll do" was my reply to the offer of Whole Wheat Bun.

Three minutes later I had the sandwich and Kettle Chips with me and was ready to go.

I found a semi dirty table and sat down.  I carefully straightened the table and pair of chairs. Then I strategically wiped the sesame seeds off the table.  I quickly surveyed the other tables to find them also in need of at least a quick wipe.

Chicken Salad Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bun

The Chicken Salad sandwich was o.k., but obviously would have been better to my tastes if served on a white bun as requested. Otherwise, the sandwich was decent with average toppings of tomato lettuce along with chicken salad mix.

Small Kettle Chips

The Kettle Chips at Tim Hortons are usually kept warm slightly.  Not so at this Tim Hortons location as the sandwich bar preparer dished them out of a white bag with a ripped hole in it into the standard paper bag the Kettle Chips are served in.  Presumably the Kettle Chips are shipped via the Tim Hortons freight system in these white bags and are supposed to be transferred into the standard warming trays in the Tim Hortons franchise locations before being dished out to customers.  It seems the last step was missing.

Overall, combined with dirty tables, askew chairs, missing food items and being behind on food preparation, this Tim Hortons location is need of corporate office attention and training.  Sure the food was average for Tim Hortons, but the lack of following straight corporate procedures to ensure on hand quantities are sufficient and food preparation procedures are followed is concerning.  I wouldn't bank on this location for a standard Tim Hortons meal.

It's a Farm Boy Day! So Shop the Farm Boy Kitchen!

Sunday for lunch my wife and I decided to try out the Farm Boy Kitchen (665 Industrial Avenue, Ottawa).  Located within the grocery store itself, the food is laid out in a buffet serve yourself hot table style format and billed by weight.  Current pricing was $1.99 per 100 grams for salads and regular entrees plus $2.99 for 12 oz of soup.

After selecting from an assortment of options including chili, soups, spaghetti and more, customers check out via the regular grocery store checkouts before being able to sit in the front food court style seating area or exiting the store to take their food home.

We gathered our order, checked out and seated ourselves in the food court seating area.  But we had made a big mistake.  We didn't get the Farm Boy Salad Bar Card that entitles customers to purchase ten salads and receive one free.  With out combined order we would have had two salads.  We tried later on, with our receipts, to obtain a Farm Boy Salad Bar Card and load the points we would have had with the same cashier, but we were out luck and needed to do that at time of purchase.  Ah well, at least we tried.

The Order: "Power Packed Quinoa Veggie Chili" with Potato Salad and an Organic City Roast Coffee.

After checking out and sitting down I noted I made a big mistake.  I somehow had loaded up on twenty dollars worth of potato salad.   That is one of the dangers of paying by weight, some foods weigh more than others and this potato salad was apparently pretty chunky in the weight category.

Potato Salad

The potato salad itself was quite tasty with potatoes sliced into chunks and mixed into a mayonnaise based  potato salad dressing. Worth having again, but in lesser quantities.

Power Packed Quinoa Veggie Chili

The Power Packed Quinoa Veggie Chili was indeed power packed.  Yes, in the spice department! Otherwise the Quinoa chili was an interesting texture as I slowly ate it due to the spiciness.

Organic City Roast Coffee

The Organic City Roast Coffee was labelled a "medium blend" but it turned out to be a little more of a dark roast.  Sure the coffee was flavorful but a little strong on average taste buds.  At $0.99 for a cup about the size of a Tim Hortons Medium and better quality coffee it's worth a trip.

Overall, the Farm Boy Kitchen is worth the trip to try it out.  Lots of selection to choose from but be careful in the weight department to avoid a nasty surprise at the check out.  Apparently some people try to forgo purchasing the Farm Boy rice and instead cook their own at home while purchasing other items at the Farm Boy Kitchen like the curried dishes to save on cost but still take part in the convenience.  If you're in the area for groceries and are looking for a quality lunch, the Farm Boy Kitchen is worth a look.

A Pricey Continental Bagel

Friday for lunch I headed to the Byward Market to try out Continental Bagel in the Byward Market Square building (55 Byward Market Square, Ottawa).

  It was 11:00 a.m and one customer was just leaving after having their order prepared at a Subway sandwich shop counter like set up.  Another customer in front of me was putting in their order which, ironically, was the same as what I was going to order.

In the background was another employee working at a wood fired oven carefully rolling, placing and inserting the bagels into the oven on long wooden planks to bake. The whole restaurant set up looked like a Kettleman's Bagel set up fined tuned to fit into the historic Byward Market Square building.

I waited patiently for the single server to ring up the previous customer's purchase, slowly put the bagel sandwich together. I almost considered going elsewhere to grab a bite as I watched the previous customer's order come together slightly faster than a snails pace.  But eventually everything was wrapped up and, knife polished and I was ready to order.

The Order: 1 Turkey Sandwich (lettuce, tomato, deli sliced turkey, etc.) on a Poppy seed bagel. $6.75 including taxes.

The server punched in my order, I paid, and he proceeded to put together my order at the sandwich bar.  First grabbing a poppy seed bagel from the glass front display, cutting it and then going from container to container of ingredients.  Nothing fresh looking about any of the ingredients.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if, like subway ingredients, they come presliced in a package from some warehouse and placed in the containers then brought and inserted into the sandwich bar.  After the sandwich was completed and placed in the container, the server then went onto wipe his knife and the sandwich bar before then handing me my sandwich.  

Next, I headed over to Maple Valley Tea World for a Peppermint Tea before finally landing in Major's Hill Park for a fabulous lunch outdoors while being overlooked by Ottawa's Parliament Buildings.

Turkey Bagel Sandwich from Continental Bagel

The bagel sandwich was average.  A slightly hardened crust outside gave way to an average tough inside similar to any store bought bagel.  Nothing really fresh about this, perhaps the bagel I had a was mere day old.  The toppings, as expected, weren't that special at all in freshness.  But to be fair, the bagel bakery is meant for fresh bagels and not fresh lettuce, tomatoes or toppings.  But at six dollars and change with tax I had expected a little more than an average bagel put together like fast food subway sandwich.

Overall, an average nothing special sandwich.  Was it decent? Yes, but is it the best food offering in that building let alone the Byward Market?  Nope, far from it.  This place will be fine for the picky eaters under the age of eighteen looking for something to eat while Mom and Dad enjoy better quality food from elsewhere along with the ambiance of the market.