When planning a recent weekend getaway to Parksville, a couple of friends recommended Bread & Honey Food Co. as a good spot to eat. The small cafe is also highly rated on Trip Advisor and Yelp! which helped make sure we made the time to grab a meal before leaving town.
Located in an unassuming strip mall, Bread & Honey was a full but there was two seats left at the small service counter which we gladly took. Speaking to one of the servers behind the counter, found that Sundays are their busiest day and on a sunny morning like this, even more so. The friendly vibe in the cafe was boosted by the seating arrangement; a long bar across the window, a great table in the middle and a half dozen 4-seaters around the edge and outside. Listening to the other patrons, Bread & Honey sounds like a regular spot for many of them.
Bread & Honey emphasises local, sustainable and seasonal ingredients in their menu. The menu is filled with comfort food, from oatmeal and bacon & eggs for breakfast to burgers, soup and sandwiches for lunch. For our meal we selected a couple of all-day breakfast items from the hot sheet; Eggs Cochon and Duck Benedict. Both were unique takes on traditional benedicts but elevated with unexpected ingredients.
Eggs Cochon is rich, flavourful bbq pork and soft poached free-range eggs on fresh baked black pepper biscuits topped with hollandaise.
Duck Benedicts is melt-in-your-mouth duck confit and poached free-range eggs on a crispy potato rösti topped with hollandaise and served with orange slices and peashoots.
Both dishes were flavourful and especially satisfying after a morning swim at Grotto Spa at Tigh Na Mara. Adding a coffee, tea, organic juice or, if we weren’t driving, a mimosa or brunch cocktail, made for a great relaxing brunch. We look forward to returning again to try more of the menu.
Bread & Honey Food Co. is located at #4-163 Harrison Ave, Parksville, BC. At this time the cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Sunday, it previously opened at dinner too but the owners cut back the hours when they started a family and couldn’t be as hands-on as they would like.