The Queen Mother was the Little Piggy's inaugural review last year, so we thought it only fair to drop on by to see what's new.

With a previously cursed location, I was delighted to see that they were still in business. With patio space at a premium in Victoria in the summer, this space should really catch on with their ample outdoor seating. The location does however have its drawbacks - having had to walk through an al fresco shooting gallery on the way down the hill. My brother joked quietly, that he wondered if we would be seated with a view of the junkies. Indeed, we were seated with such a view.  That said, as any long time Victorian known, this vista is part of life and a social problem better voiced to city council and the provincial government (ahem...safe injection site).

The menu is very much the same, with some minor variations from the last time we visited. All in all, the theme remains a slightly awkward combination of Asian and standard fare. From a menu design perspective I'm not a big fan of merging two distinct themes, without any actual fusion, but in this case it works adequately well.

I had the salmon BLT ($10.95). Bacon, wild salmon, tomato jam with arugula on a baguette. While the baguette could have been fresher (or more thoroughly toasted) and the tomato jam stronger flavoured, I enjoyed the combination and appreciated the 'wildness' of the fish. Served with a side salad, I thought the raspberry vinaigrette was a bit of a snoozer, but the salad was presented attractively and there were no slimy bits of lettuce.

Patty had the Khoa Soy Gai ($9.95) two marinated and grilled chicken thighs, rice, salad and dipping sauce. The chicken was lovely and crispy and I appreciated them using thigh instead of the usually obligatory breast. The dipping sauce was good, but I thought the plain white rice could have been spiffed up a bit.

My brother Hew had the Ping Gai ($10.95) - noodles in a curry coconut broth. Hew complained it was a little bland, but with sambal oelek brought by the server, he seemed quite delighted, slurping up the broth until he started rubbing his belly.

The wine and beverage list is modest, but accommodating, with a reasonable selection of beer, wine and cocktails. Prices aren't cheap, but are competitive ($5.5 pints).

Our server was demure, but effective. We tested him on a number of occasions and we passed with flying colours on food and beverage knowledge. He asked all the right questions and seemed legitimately interested in providing us with good service.

The food is portioned well, fresh, with quality ingredients and priced reasonably. The Queen Mother hasn't really created much of a buzz around town, but their product is good and the ambiance comfortable. If you're looking for lunch on a patio and you're sick of the usual, the Queen Mother is worth visiting.

Value of Food 78/100

Quality of Food 73/100

Service 80/100

Ambiance 81/100

Average 78/100

Review Update June 11, 2006

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Reviewed July 31, 2005

In its somewhat cursed location at the bottom of Swift Street, across from Canoe Restaurant, we came across The Queen Mother Restaurant. Always up to see more terrace seating in Victoria, we decided to give it a try. It was a busy holiday weekend Sunday lunchtime and there were a dozen people sitting on the patio with a classical guitarist performing in the corner. It’s a nice spot, albeit a little windy (I would recommend a jacket, on anything but the hottest days). The inside of the restaurant was much the same as it’s previous incarnations – modern and minimal. We were seated promptly and had our drink orders attended to quickly (although our hostess did push the booze a bit, I can’t really blame her).

The menu was a point of discussion for Patty and me. It’s a combination of South East Asian and contemporary sandwich fare. We couldn’t quite put our finger on it, but the combination didn’t sit perfectly with us.  It seemed like a peculiar combination and there wasn’t quite enough variety to make it fly. However, we didn’t struggle to find something to eat. Patty settled on the Bah Me Hang a noodle dish with chicken and prawns ($10) and I went for the QM burger a veggie patty in a pita with secret sauce, served with a salad ($9). I was very happy with mine. The patty had lots of flavour and texture as did the secret sauce. It appeared like a light lunch in the menu and I wasn’t disappointed, it was light and didn’t leave me feeling overly full. Patty’s noodles, similarly had great flavour and attractive presentation, but he complained that he’d eat too much of the larger serving size because it was, “too good.” He did in the end complain of a small tummy ache.

It wasn’t the most memorable dinning experience, but the food was good, the price was reasonable and you’ll never catch me complaining about waterfront outside seating.  I’ll get back sometime to try the dinner menu and hopefully catch a sunset over the harbour.

Value of Food: 7/10

Quality of Food: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 5/10

Wine List: n/a

date visited: July 31, 2005