Royal Roads Cafe, Colwood

Always in the mood to try a new restaurant, my wife and I decided to check out the Royal Roads Cafe last Saturday. My wife is taking some courses at Royal Roads University and was told from some of her fellow students that the RRC was really good.

We arrived around 11:30 and the place was packed. It was clear to us that the RRC had a strong following; however, their clientele appeared to have an average age of 70 something. First glance at the menu and you could tell what attracted all the senior citizens; they serve up home style classics that tend to please our elderly population. Menu items such as Liver & Onions, Prime Rib and mashed potatoes with gravy. However, like I said I arrived close to lunch hour on a weekend so, most everyone was ordering breakfast. Another attraction item for the RRC is they have managed to keep their prices low and their menu big.

As for decor... outdated, old, plastic... hmmm, how many words do I need to say that the RRC is in need of a makeover both inside and out.

Enough of my verbal diarrhea, I am sure you are reading this to know about the food, not my critiques on plastic plants and old carpet.

The Food...

Yikes! That about sums it up. However, you've read this much nonsense, I will try and provide you with a more descriptive review on the culinary atrocities I experienced at the RRC. We ordered an appetizer platter to share and a couple of bowls of french onion soup. The appy platter consisted of chicken strips, deep fried zucchini, onion rings and chicken wings. What they should have called it was a plate full of oil. The oil obviously old due to the colour of the food, either that or, the chef cook way over fried everything. There were only two chicken strips and they appeared to come from the freezer section at your local Walmart. The chicken strips were so overcooked and flavorless that I could only manage to choke down one! The zucchini sticks were adequate and the onion rings were well... on par with the rest of the plate.

As for the French Onion Soup...it was awful! I couldn't figure out why it had a reddish oil all over the top of the melted cheese; then it hit me, they used vegetable soup for the broth instead of beef broth. The flavour was bland and other than that I have nothing good to say about it. You can get better french onion soup at your local Timmy's.

Overall experience - not good! However, I haven't written it off for a greasy spoon breakfast joint yet! I also think that this restaurant has a place in the restaurant world. In my experience elderly people like to be able to go out and have more simple food that reminds them of home cooking - I think the RRC serves this purpose. Not too many restaurants these days want to specialize in home-style cuisine.