To celebrate my parents' wedding anniversary, we headed to Langley's Bacchus Bistro and then Fort Langley for light shopping.
Last summer when my mom’s friends were visiting, we celebrated her birthday over lunch at a Vancouver Island winery. She loved it. So much she wanted to do the same for their wedding anniversary this year.
Except my dad is not a fan of travelling. Plus that would be a whole day trip, leaving Cat alone at home. So I said I’d look for a restaurant on the wine route near Vancouver, with a few stops at vineyards.
We decided on Bacchus Bistro at Chaberton Estate Winery. The menu is French and the plan was to sample some of their wines and have a leisurely lunch. That was the plan, at least, until it wasn’t. My mom decided against wine tasting since she wasn’t feeling so great. It was only her and me, to begin with.
To start with, we all had French Onion soup. The daily soup was garlic and I thought my mom would go for that. My dad ordered the lamb shank (which had good online reviews), my sister the roasted banana squash, essentially a spiced garbanzo mash, my mom a quiche, and I had the pan-roasted ling cod. That was the entrée I thought my mom would order. She loves, loves ling cod. Or at least at Fish Counter on Main. She was full of surprises that day. And so was my dad, who wanted to share a glass of red.
Unfortunately even the dessert did not turn it around for everyone. The winner was clearly the cod, and I was the only happy camper. Along with a bit of red wine and a lavender créme brûlée. I know that French Onion skews towards salty; it was WAY too much, my mom wanting to return it. I may have even watered my down! Blasphemous, I know.
The +’s of Bacchus Bistro? The server was very friendly and service was good. The atmosphere was light; everyone seemed to be happy, talking to their lunch companions. Soon after we had sat down, seeing some people leave the patio, we asked to be moved outside. That was a good call. I had forgot to request that when I called and I kept forgetting or when I remembered, they weren’t opened. I read in the online reviews that phone messages were not always returned.
We did do one tasting. I had suggested a mead or honey wine at Festina Lente and my mom was keen. After the first tasting, she decided she didn’t like it and so my sister, after given a spit bucket, joined in. She’s allergic to alcohol. Plus she was driving home. In the end, we decided on one of the flavours; with all the back and forth, I don’t even remember which! I had really wanted to like the lavender, or even the mojito one. I quite liked the peach and the ginger meads. I’m pretty sure, it was neither of these. Anyway, a bottle of mead sits somewhere in my parents’ house.
The owner was very helpful, directing us the way to Fort Langley, the birthplace of BC and our impromptu next stop. Little did my dad know that my sister and I would disappear for a little of shopping. They insisted on sitting in the car, which was fine by us as the weather was cool and they had the keys.
We spent most of our 30 minutes at just a few shops – the crystal, the soap, and the kitchen shops. We sampled some tea at the first and bought some supplies at the second, including a bath bomb for my dad. My mom, the inconsistent environmentalist declines baths for conservation. She won’t even do an epsom foot bath.
Anyway, my parents were about to send out a search party. That somehow we had gotten lost in the one-main-street town. More likely, my dad was itching to go home. He hates waiting and he hates shopping. So off to home, we went, with my sister driving, towards the Port Mann Bridge.
