Barb’s Bakery & Bistro
1-121 McPhillips Ave.
Ganges
Salt Spring Island, BC
(250) 537-4491

E: At the start of a new day, the only thing I could think of was enjoying some morning Salt Spring air and my next meal. I considered Salt Spring Coffee along with some bacon & eggs. After some quick inquiries, we walked down to Barb’s Buns, and oh how sweet and firm they were.

J: A local who worked over at Mouat’s Home Hardware told us Barb’s has the best coffee on the island. It was then Ed and I wished Yvonne was with us. She has a better appreciation for good coffee.

Barb’s appears to be the gathering place for many of the locals and a target for many tourists. It provides both bakery and bistro so one can either eat in or grab a coffee and run.

Breakfast was on my mind. I ordered a small orange juice only to nearly fall out of my chair when our server asked “would you like that freshly squeezed?”

I already wondered how their Eggs Blackstone with home fries would fare.

E: I jump started my morning with an Emerald–a juice blended with apple, lime and mint. The minty flavour was strong, and I liked it. But already, my imagination can see variants of this concoction: toss in some 80% proof Jameson Irish whiskey and I’d probably be seeing leprechauns while exploring around this emerald isle known as Salt Spring.

I could’ve gone for a heavier meal, but I was saving some space for lunch–James and I planned on checking the north side of the island later that day before heading back to Victoria.

With that in mind, I opted for a BLT with locally made cheese in the combo. I forgot to ask for whole wheat and got it served on white. Although it was unevenly toasted, I was too busy enjoying the savoury bacon. It was crisped nicely, so the fat was still oozing, and the tomatoes weren’t too strong when put up against the cheese.

The main three ingredients were well balanced and the price was right.

J: My home cut fries were decent yet flavourful but it was the Eggs Blackstone that had me singing praises. I’ve had many different eggs benedict versions at many different restaurants but this was the best of them all.

I’ve had breakfast at the Empress Hotel in their Empress Room and their eggs benedict could not match what Barb’s has produced. It was a great combo of some very tasty (but not overly salty) bacon, eggs that tasted farm fresh and the hollandaise was to die for. It was so tasty I wanted more but I knew I had to save my appetite for Raven Market Street Cafe.

4 Blokes out of 5