Susanne "My Name is Sookie" J.'s Profile

The service was so inexcusably slow I don't think I could ever return.  Our waitress blamed the kitchen but the drinks, my one mojito actually, took 25 mins on its own.  Took her 15mins to ask in the first place, so that was 40mins before anything even arrived at the table.  Rolls were 30-40min a piece.

If you must try this place I'd suggest ordering all at once.  Not once did the server come by to apologize even or let us know we could anticipate some delay, that would have definitely softened the blow.  Twice I thought she'd totally forgot about our orders.  Friends were quick to point out the place was busy, but I'm sure it's the same every night.  

If you're looking for some place chill (music wise) this isn't it either, they'll blast anything from crappy rock to bad euro dance tracks from the 80s.  I tried to avoid it by sitting on the patio but everything just grated on me after awhile.  I prob coulda hit up the sushi joint across the street in one-third the time and half-the price.

We felt slighted from the start, not getting a spot on the patio despite many empty tables.  We were tucked inside a doorway and mostly forgotten by our waitress who seemed to be serving on an upper floor as well.  We had to ask for basics like utencils to be brought to us, ground pepper and further drinks.  Not once did she return to ask how our meal was and sadly  our tip had to reflect this.  Someone on the ferry told us Tuscany had recently changed ownership and were sad to hear nothing had improved.  

The place is lovely and seems to want to invite people desiring a high standard of food and service but just really can't deliver on either.  Our hand-rolled pasta with clams in white wine sauce was ho-hum, can't help but think the teenage skater boys in the kitchen might need some more experience in the flavour department.

Beyond that they seemed to run out of several things on their menu and just gave us a shrug and said "that's how it is on the island."  No one seemed to give much a care about anything here.

I was super impressed with BISK.  They were accommodating and informative right off the bat.  No problem booking me and 3 friends for a kayak lesson a few days in advance, they just required 50% down.  Once we got there I was equally happy.  Right off the ferry dock was their Caribbean style stand, samba music loosening us up before the lesson.  Karla was our instructor, and was smart to ask right off the top what the occasion was.  The plan would be to learn to sea kayak so I could explore more of the coastline on camping trips, finding spots that are only water-accessible.  Karla was sure to give us pointers on kayak camping throughout the day and during the full day lesson took us to explore a few different Bowen bays.  We easily learned new strokes and rollover rescues.  It was a gorgeous day and Bowen was a great place to be, with massive mountains on the far side side and seals playing in the foreground.  I highly recommend this outfit and will be back for weekend rentals in the future.

We were jonsing for breakfast and asked a couple on their bikes where to go in Brackendale.  They said they always go to The Nest.  I can see why.  First they let us know that benny's are 2 for 1 all summer weekends. There were several kinds to choose from too.  AMAZING!  They made us delicious caesars and checked-in on our second round to make sure the spice was to our liking.  Breakfast was terrific, service was fantastic (plates disappeared the minute I was done) and the view from the patio was incredible too.

Showed up Saturday with no camp spot but met some cool new friends on the lake and were welcomed into their campground. Park Ranger gave us some hassle about it but we paid our $13 per car and he let it slide.  The place was pretty packed, despite serious bear warnings and half the campground being closed due to a roaming and pissed off mama bear.  

We were super meticulous about food prep, putting everything back into the cars (a 10min walk away) when done.  Since a baby bear had tore up a tent a few days earlier (in our exact spot!), and was sadly shot because of it, warnings were strict about what to keep in the campground, though not everyone around was taking the directions seriously enough.

We put away our cooking stove, gas canisters, soap, lip gloss, sunscreen, even the clothes were wore to cook - as advised.  Once we had this back under control we could kick back and enjoy this great site.  

A couple graveley beaches fill up fast with sun seekers while others float by on blow-up toys and meandering logs.  Great relaxing weekend overall.  Have to say we were the loudest group, even though music was off at 10PM.  Seemed everyone may've been tired from too much sun and turned in early.

This is the kind of place you want to like.  I went in, just needing a nickel-coated light plate.  I found one in a bin amongst a bunch of others with a $1 price tag.  Happy at my find I brought it to the front, where 3 girls sat bored out of their brains.  They didn't talk, just held it up for someone else to look at.  I told the woman they showed where I'd found it and asked how much.  She said she wanted to know where I found it because they don't sell light plates.  Clearly they do, because i had found a bin.  As soon as I showed her she starting muttering, "oh, no-no, this one's been removed form another lamp" with a slightly accusing tone, then scuttled off to see where it came from.  She was more concerned about finding a matching lamp (of which I saw none) than a customer in her midst.  Obviously I wasn't going to win this one.  "Where can I get a light plate like this one?" I asked.  "Oh y'know, one of the regular stores".  No customer service here.  I prob would've bought the whole lamp if she found the matching one, but sales didn't seem to be her concern.

Fantastic place to try new things.  I had a sunchoke and nettle pesto phyllo purse.  It came with potatoes (menu said roasted veggies) which weren't all too exciting but I was happy nonetheless. The vermicelli rolls my friend got were fantastic.  Nori rolls were decent.  Canneloni was excellent.  Amazing it was all done dairy free.

I feel spoiled living so close to Granville Island.  I've gotten so used to going, a weekend doesn't seem complete without a visit.  I can get almost anything I need here.  Today I picked up art supplies, sea asparagus, had a lobster BBQ and inquired about powerboat rentals.  Next weekend, who knows.  I keep going back, each time for something new and different.

Love how lively and colourful the market is.  It relaxes and excites me, looking for rare treats, like sea asparagus, granville island teas, salts, smoked salmon pieces, BC mushrooms and more.

The Munin is a 40ft replica of a Norwegian viking ship.  We found it one day on a stroll by Heritage Harbour, just behind the Maritime Museum.  For a donation you can go aboard for a ride.  We booked a couple days in advance, got a 1PM time slot and made our way down.  There were 3 crew there to meet us and instruct us before the journey. With our oars in we made our way out to English Bay and then set sail around the harbour.