UPDATE - May 2008
Demistasse has been under new management for awhile. I'm told they have improved on their predecessor reputation and is worthy of a visit.
Also, a couple of people have gotten in touch with me asking that I clarify that the Oak Bay Demitasse is not related to the Downtown store of the same name. Seemingly a bit of a long story, but bottom line, they are different owners and are unrelated.
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A bit of a Victoria institution, really, I had fairly high
expectations for Demitasse. Their two Victoria locations have been
operating on and off for over a decade - they must be doing something
right. Right??
Hmmm . . . not so much today.
I'll begin by differentiating the service from the food. The server
was friendly, attentive and I have no complaints whatsoever about her
performance. The rest of the operation, however, caused us to pause in
confusion and disappointment multiple times.
We ordered soup and sandwiches. We waited 25 min to receive our soup
and sandwiches. We were sitting in front of the kitchen, as we watched,
waiting to be fed. The problem was obvious. Three people in the kitchen: one dishwasher who wandered around aimlessly looking for something to
do; a second cook who stood staring at his first cook waiting for
something to do; and the first cook who attempted to single handedly
operate her kitchen - and failing. There was absolutely no delegation of
tasks and as a result everyone in the restaurant waited for their food.
Upon receiving our food, we realized that truly, no one was in-charge
here. While our sandwiches passed muster, the soup, a veggie bean barley
was a stinker due to the total omission of seasoning. Where was the head
chef?? No one tasted this soup!!
The format for Demitasse has worked for them for a long, long time -
while still busy, the concept has passed it's prime. Once upon time and
in the absence of much brunchy competition, Demitasse's menu provided
Victorians with something they couldn't get elsewhere. Now, it seems
like a lunch place that's trying half-heartedly to do breakfast. There
is not enough variety on the menu and a huge amount of repetition.
Bottom-line: they need to review the menu and get some
management.
Our recommendation: minimize the breakfast menu and expand the
lunch options.
Value
of Food: 74/100
Quality of Food: 55/100
Service: 66/100 (server was
great, but the kitchen was too slow!)
Ambiance: 78/100
Wine List: n/a
Reviewed: January 2, 2005
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