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Casual; pizza, chili, soup, sandwiches, quiche, wide variety of croissants, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, sweets and breads; espresso, coffee, and tea
The Cook St Bubby's (by Fort) was a cool funky place when it first opened - a novel addition to the typical coffee/deli joint in Victoria. Things have changed over the years though and I stopped going there altogether.
Service: slow. To order anything, you have to stand in a line that runs right through the middle of the place, and wait, wait, wait. It took me 15 mins last time I was there to simply order a slice of warm pizza. This place has to make the slowest cappacino in town - if someone in front of you orders one, expect to wait 5 mins for it to come because the person ringing it into the till is also the person who has to then turn around and make it. Why they don't just have someone work the till exclusively, and have other staff prepare the food for customers, is beyond me.
Food; not bad, but nothing special. Everything is vegetarian - not my first choice - but most of the food is pretty bland and unmemorable. The breads are good but no way are they better than Bond Bonds, expecially considering the extra $2-3 per loaf that Bubby's charges. Also for some silly reason, they don't sell regular buns, only these sourdough buns that are heavy and pungent tasting.
Atmosphere: Bubby's seems to attract a lot of eco-posers - upper-middle class who pretend to be hippies but wear $200 designer gum boots and expensive hemp clothes. You can spot them easily as they almost always have some purebred toy dog in tote.
Bubby Rose makes great pies, sticky pecan-cinnamon buns, the pizza is phenomenal if you get it when it's fresh out of the over and the flavour combo isn't too out there... BUT above all - it's the Challah bread that is their crown jewel. Regular challah (sesame, poppyseed, plain) wrap it in tin foil and warm in your over at the lowest heat for 30 mins before serving.
And if you want to make some mind blowing French Toast, I advise getting a loaf of the Raisin Challah (sold on Fridays only) and making this recipe.
Vanilla Challah French Toast.
In a shallow flat bottomed lasagna dish (to facilitate dipping the bread) mix the following:
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (REAL vanilla, not simulated)
3/4 cup milk
Mix well but lightly.
Take one navel orange and finely grate the zest off it (just the orange part of the skin, avoid the pith) and add to mix. Then cut the orange in two and squeeze the juice into the mix. Again, mix lightly, making sure the zest is evenly distributed for dipping.
Heat a pan to medium heat, using butter (if not butter, I've occasionally used oil - not quite as good)
Dip the bread for 2-3 minutes per side in the mixture. Transfer to the pan when ready. Generally, you should be able to cook a side of battered F-Toast while a side is being dipped, and then flip both - and so on, so there's always a piece on the go.
Put the pieces (remove when golden brown) into the oven at 150-200 Fahrenheit to keep warm.
When finished - smother in butter and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
They actually work well with only a little bit of Pure Maple Syrup - I take about a half cup or so of syrup and heat it in the microwave, and then use a tablespoon on each piece of toast. Alternately, a berry jam also works well instead of syrup. You can also use honey.
Because the recipe itself turns out quite sweet, you don't need to add a lot of condiments - just enough to give it another dimension of flavour. The way the orange zest carmelizes and works with the vanilla within the challah textures is absolutely exquisite!
This is a very popular spot, often with long lines of people waiting to get their lattes or cinnamon buns. I have to agree with an earlier reviewer, who stated the staff often have a "you're lucky I'm waiting on you" attitude. This hasn't improved, in fact, it seems to be getting worse. My latest experience included neither a "please" nor a "thank you" from the counter person. I guess there's no time for staff training.
The staffing hours are weird for customer service - they often seem to be shortest-staffed at the busiest times of the day (lunchtime), so don't expect to get your food in less than 15 minutes. That's a problem if you're on a short lunch break from work.
I do enjoy many of their baked offerings, but they can verge on the stodgy at times. And now, they've gotten really expensive with the HST. Time to cut back.
I have been a frequent visitor to this cafe for over 2 years and I have a few observations regarding what I consider to be a downward spiral in both the food and service. 1) an overall smugness in the staff. This used to be a very friendly cafe and it now has that weird vibe that comes with moderate success - like the customer is just lucky to be there. 2) The food LOOKS unappealing. The case is filled with lasagnas and pizzas and other stuff that just does not look good. It looks old fashioned, and worn out. Where is the fresh looking food? 3) The food is not up to my standards. Last week for example: the soup: "Mushroom and Tomato" it was terrible. weak and tasteless, jammed with shredded onion and cabbage. It was unacceptable. the pizza: black bean, corn and pumpkin seeds. It was bland, the crust was mealy and the flavours were unsuccessful. at $5 a slice it was a waste of money. My suggestion would be a complete overhaul of the lunch items and a staff meeting regarding the surly counterstaff. Cheers.
Hey, if you want a good croissant(a real croissant, not a peanut butter croissant or a pesto croissant), go to Choux Choux Charcuterie or go to Cliff Leir's Bakery where they are made,
right after the Blue Bridge in Vic west, where you can also get the best coffee in Victoria right next door at Caffe Fantastico. For the same value you'll get the real thing and all organic too, plus you can enjoy the water front view. Oh yeah, and the better coffee is also cheaper, don't forget to tip, the staff is sweet. Bubby Roses has nothing edible, nothing truly delicious at all, the food is pretty but that's it -- except for the chocolate torte. This Bakery claims to have the best in town -- false. They cannot make a decent egg sandwich. My grandmother can make a really good one and the lettuce is free of mud, I guess that's why they chop it up now. The new sandwich on the menu is cranberry jam with tomatoes and mayo, garlic flavor, brie cheese and there we go again with the peanutbutter(?) -- gag: "A gag is usually a device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help." HELP that cost me almost seven box, and I shall leave with it in my pocket to be polite. What's wrong with those wanna be hippie foods -- do the hippie thing or stick to classy TASTY simplicity, for the love of FOOD. My grandmother can make a fabulous flaky pie crust, not something pretty that tastes like playdough. The bread in this place should only be used for pillows, and the whole of Europe would agree. The only good thing on the menu were the Danishes but they were too much work so they're gone. You could have replaced everything for those and be in business. The best in town, no the last road to desperation. Victoria needs the best, there isn't the best yet! The environment is as pretty as the food tho, and the soup(?) I can make a million better soups -- never mind. The 3 stars are for the great staff at the Cook Street location only. If you have half an hour to order a buck fifty cup of tea go to the other location. I didn't mean to be mean, but this is my sincere opinion. Get a European chef soon, Austrian maybe(?).
Such a lovely bakery/cafe. This is one of the best places to get a good coffee in all of Victoria, and the baked goods are to die for. Super cute location in good old Cook Street Village which is always nice for a stroll in the sunshine. If you like a good cup of java, you will fall in love with this cafe!
| 1. | 1022 Cook Street (290 m) |  |
| 1. | Bubby Rose's Bakery (1 m) | |
| 2. | My Thai Cafe (12 m) | |
| 3. | Tooks On Cook (30 m) |  |
| 4. | Avalon Restaurant (81 m) | |
| 5. | Khona Cafe (91 m) | |
| 6. | Posh (93 m) | |
| 7. | Pluto's Restaurant (123 m) | |
| 8. | Cafe Ceylon (145 m) |  |
| 9. | Sally Bun (157 m) | |
| 10. | Little Piggy Bake Shop and Eatery (183 m) |
