Urban Fare

Today I headed out to lunch with a lovely colleague and a wonderful former colleague.  I was craving some warm you up food and was hoping to eat inside because I'd been a bit chilled all morning.  We didn't want to have to sit in a food court dungeon, so we decided to go to the Urban Fare beside Shangri La. 

I had no idea that the Alberni Urban Fare had an area to sit down and eat until about a year ago.  For those of you who haven't been there, it's a hidden gem!  There is a great deli area where you can buy a pre-made sandwich or have one made to your liking.  (Word to the wise, if you order the chicken sandwich, you literally get a whole breast of chicken!)  They also have a hot and cold buffet, a deli section with pre-made salads and such, and a hot food section with chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies.  Plus, word on the street is that if you buy their packaged meals near the hot food section, they'll warm them up for you so you can eat them there.  How awesome is that?

The best part?  Their seating area.  Nothing fancy, but it's at street level with tonnes of natural light!  Such a nice switch from the rest of the food courts downtown.  Plus, they have jugs of ice water and plastic cups.  So you can save that toonie you'd spend on a bottled water for another day.

The long and the short of it?  The food isn't out of this world mind blowing, but it's good, reasonably priced, and the seating area is bright and sunny.  Definitely a nice place to grab lunch if you didn't have time to make anything.

My cajun chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies.  Delicious!  It was just what the doctor ordered and came to about $9.50 tax in.

A hot and cold buffet special for about $8, tax in.

A salmon, chicken, green bean and fry meal for my wonderful colleague who doesn't eat anything with four legs or a tail!

http://www.urbanfare.com/restaurant-menu