Met some great old friends, Mike & Alice, for lunch at Bridgeman’s Bistro at the Mill Bay Marina yesterday and had a wonderful time. 

Bridgman’s is located right over the marina and has a great view of Saanich Inlet. They serve up typical Bistro/Pub fare and do it really well. 

https://www.millbaymarina.ca/menu

A very charming server arrived at our table and we chose a bottle of Chardonnay to share. It was cold, crisp and very good. We don’t often drink Chardonnay so it was a nice change. Choices were made including a Burger with Blue Cheese, Fish Tacos, Clam Chowder with fresh clams and a Spanish Carbarnara. Everyone was pleased with their choice although I found the Taco Shells too soft causing me to resort to  the fork. Still delicious. 

The Bistro has an attractive open bar, a patio and also does takeout. If you are in the Mill Bay Area, Bridgeman’s Bistro would make a good stop. 

After lunch we dropped our friends off at the Mill Bay Ferry so they could return home to North Saanich. 

Then, Sheila and I decided to take the slow road home and, no surprise, stopped at some wineries. We Checked out CHERRY POINT Winery just to see if the had a restaurant. They do, a nice Bistro on the patio. ENRICO WINERY was next. It’s just down the road from Arbutus Ridge Golf Course and looks delightful with an indoor/outdoor tasting room. A must stop. Being short of time we didn’t stop. Another day for sure. 

However we did stop at DAMALI VINEYARDS (http://www.damali.ca):where they grow both Grapes and Lavender. We must return in July when the Lavender is in bloom. A nice tasting room has wine and various presentations of Lavender for sale. We tasted the Pinot Grigio and then their award Winning RHUBE LAVANDRE, a PINOT GRIGIO blend with Rhubarb and Lavender. We loved it and left with 4 bottles.

These folks encourage picnics on their patio.  DAMALI is just a few yards from Arbutus Ridge Golf. 

The wineries in and around the Cowichan Valley are well worth visiting.  If you have not done so consider taking a day and visit two or three. Have lunch at Cherry Point or Unsworth. Or take a picnic to Damali or Averill Creek Wineries.  You will love it! 

Just saying…