1550 Cedar Hill Cross Rd
Saanich, BC 
(250) 472-0047

E: 1550’s is one of those cozy bistros which will send diners back in time and if Back to the Future fans will recall, that’s where George McFly met his son, Marty, and he would not attempt to date Lorraine Baines until Marty dressed up as a nuclear suited version of Darth Vader.

Interestingly enough, on the drinks list was a drink of the same name. Coincidence?

J: At first I thought it was an alcoholic drink so strong that it would give you a force choke. But there is no such luck because it doesn’t contain any alcohol. It’s similar to a Shirley Temple and has fruity ingredients, hardly a drink for a Sith Lord and more suitable for a Hollywood child star with curls.

E: I did suggest an alcoholic version with some kind of spirit with the name ‘dark’ attached to it. Dark Rum perhaps? Even this tamed down drink, was quite nice. Normally, I’m not a pepsi soda person, but after it was disguised with the taste of tropical fruits like pineapple and grenadine, I found it rather tasty. But the colour pink does not suit a Sith well. I’m sure Darth Maul would have issues.

J: 1550s has that 1970’s look about it. It reminds me of the decor you could’ve found at the Noos Pizza Shoppe in Market Square or at Jason’s in Bastion Square.

From what I have seen and heard, the 1550’s crowd tends to be a mix of adults and university students. This establishment is within reach of the Camosun College’s Lansdowne campus, the University of Victoria and St. Michael’s. Prices are medium range and they carry a good burger menu, a must if you plan to serve the students.

And there was one burger that caught my eye, a bacon and goat cheese. I love goat cheese but this was advertised as local goat cheese.

E: Interestingly, James did not bleat too much about it. In a curious twist, while James ordered fries

for his meal, I want for the garden green salad with my Cajun Chicken Melt. The combination of ingredients intrigued me… is it possible to have a melt on a french bread? Hell yes. THat was one of the tastiest pieces of grilled bread that I’ve had in a while. I’m sure the lemony taste was more of a result of me sipping down a lemonade than in the dressing, but that food and drink combination worked very well with my meal. The swiss cheese could hardly be tasted, but its nuttiness came out after the fact. The chicken was just done to tender perfection.

J: My goat cheese and bacon beef burger was just as good. The beef was fresh but I’m guessing it wasn’t Alberta beef because it lacked that unique flavour. Perhaps I would have paid more for the privilege. But the goat cheese was strong. Goat cheese is much like blue cheese to my taste buds, the stronger the better and this cheese was packing quite a wallop. With each bite my mouth was watering. There was little grease to the burger and because of this I managed to keep myself splash free. And I love the way it was cooked, medium rare with just enough of the pink to, as Ed would say, bring out the tyrannosaurus Rex in me.

With this burger option I could have switched to a chicken breast but I wonder how tasty the combo would be if they offered bison. I would pay $1 – $2 just to try it.

E: Well, it better be Alberta bison. Try as I might several times, I just don’t think Island Bison is that good. Mind you, that won’t stop me herding over to James’ plate to sample a few of the fries. They were good, but I would not call them spectacular.

And what was with those fries, they were absolutely delicious. They were crisp but not overly and with enough pepper to keep them from boring me. A little Heinz ketchup and I was like a customer on wings night, stuffing them into my mouth in quick succession. Fortunately I felt generous enough to share with Ed or I didn’t want to explode.

E: After my meal, the Death Star in me thought that it would. My meal was very filling. I actually pondered having dessert, but before I could open my mouth, James interrupted saying we didn’t need anymore.

I suppose like A New Hope, the Ed will Strike Back!

4 Blokes out of 5