Travelling on the ferry is still fun for our clan. The views, the ocean breezes (and gusts), the very experience of being aboard a ship -- they have not grown old.
On B.C. Ferries' Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen route, we often indulge in the Pacific Buffet. As we stand in line, waiting to pay (you pay and then you eat), we often hear people exclaim at the posted prices. It's $16.50 for breakfast, $19 for lunch, $22 for dinner.
I admit to hesitating at $22. There's something about crossing the $20 threshold for a meal.
I justify the extravagance this way. In the cafeteria, you're paying around $10 for a burger combo and another $4 for a dessert. So, things aren't dramatically cheaper if you go that route. Also, in the cafeteria, you're jostled by the crowds, you have much less variety, the tables are closer together, and on a busy sailing, you might buy your food and not be able to get a table.
In the buffet room, it's almost like being on a cruise. You have room to stretch out. You can meander up over and over for a bite of this or that, and to replenish your drinks. You're surrounded by windows and gorgeous views. And the food is generally good, plentiful and sometimes offbeat (in a positive way).
The buffet is only available on Spirit of British Columbia, Spirit of Vancouver Island and Coastal Celebration.
Here's what we discovered on a recent visit to the Coastal Celebration lunch buffet.
Coastal Celebration's buffet can be a little hard to find. It's down an ill-marked hallway on Deck 6. Maybe they should paint BUFFET in great big letters along one wall, with an arrow. But that would ruin the tasteful decor.
Here's the price list that can cause a fright. Sail on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (until Sept. 3) when the fares are discounted and put the savings toward the buffet.
The route from the main table area to the food is through a narrow opening that's also blocked by a pillar. This can be a little challenging when everyone decides to go for the food all at once.
There's a huge bank of windows wrapping around the buffet room. You feel like you're on the ferry's bridge.
The hot selections included steamed mussels, wild salmon in lemon dill sauce, pork medallions in green Thai curry sauce, chicken breast in mushroom pernod sauce, spinach and cheese cannelloni with marinara sauce, battered onion rings, basmati rice, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower). Plus two soups -- clam chowder and broccoli cheese.
I usually start the buffet by eating the hot items on the theory that they'll taste better if they're recently out of the kitchen and I stand a better chance of getting a bite of popular items.
The pork in green Thai curry was especially good. It had a bit of satisfying heat and the meat was still moist. But I can see some danger with this dish -- after sitting for a while, the meat could become tough. My fellow diners mostly ignored the curry pork, maybe because it looked a little grey.
The most popular dish was the salmon. It disappeared fast. I barely got a portion, even though it was replenished a couple of times. The B.C. Ferries version is better than some salmon I've had in land-based restaurants. It wasn't overcooked, the sauce was just right.
The cannelloni was also good. My portion was hard around the edges. I should have paid more attention to what I was scooping.
I didn't like the chicken breast. Despite the sauce, it was dry, didn't have much taste, and had a weird texture.
The first batch of mussels disappeared fast. They were eventually replenished.
The salad bar has a generous variety of things.
You can help yourself to fountain drinks -- pop, ice tea, a fruity concoction. I didn't see any real fruit juices; maybe they're reserved for breakfast. There's also milk, coffee and tea. I overheard several people praising the coffee. "Hmm, it's good -- not bitter," said one. "Very fresh," said another.
The cream dispenser is decorated with a salmon design that also appears in other spots on Coastal Celebration.
Here's an overview of the food serving area. I took this shot while everyone was busy eating.
I initially thought the dessert selection was poor -- limited to cookies and tarts. But then I looked further afield and spotted a second counter, with more dessert.
It was a good experience for $19. We spent nearly the entire one-hour-35-minute sailing time in the buffet, nibbling at small portions and enjoying the view.
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A few more observations about the buffet:
-- Many people sprawl, perhaps encouraged by the wide spacing of the tables. Newspapers here, luggage there, feet on chair.
-- Ferries staff often come in for a bite. They tend to eat salads.
-- A few folks like to set aside a few things to eat later. I'm sure this is frowned upon, but there isn't a big sign banning it. I saw one fellow set aside a small something wrapped in a napkin each time he came back from the buffet -- for a total of three items, I think.
-- At the breakfast buffet, they have dim sum -- shrimp dumplings and pork dumplings. They were horrible on one journey, their casings falling off, the shrimp tasting tinny. Another time, they were fine.
-- There's no need to pile food on your plate. In fact, the experience is much nicer if you get a little bit at a time. Less merging of foods. More exercise from the walking. But, yes, a few more plates for B.C. Ferries to wash.
-- On several recent rides this spring, the buffet has been eerily quiet. On one ride in June, there were about 40 people in a room that seats more than 200.
-- You're supposed to pay if you go into the buffet, even if you're not going to eat. My favourite tale about this is told at the Annoyances and Anecdotes blog. Parent chaperone on school trip declines to pay upon going into buffet with child, insisting she isn't going to eat. But at end of meal, staff spot her picking one last piece of food off child's plate. Ruckus ensues.
-- A family visitor went into the buffet with us once. We paid full freight for everyone. To my skinflint discomfort, he declared himself to be not hungry and didn't eat a thing during our buffet stay.
-- I usually skip dessert. I get too full on the hot food and the salads. Just can't seem to pace myself properly.
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Here's a July report on the $16.50 Pacific Buffet breakfast, complete with dim sum, at the Victoria Buffet Blog. He says, gasp, that the scrambled eggs are made from a powder, and has high praise for the sausages. And he mentions candied salmon – which I've never noticed.
A colleague here at the Times Colonist, a veteran of cruise ship buffets, loves the corned beef hash.
