Monday, September 6, 2010

Brown's Social House



<2010-09-06 Mon>

No. 98

Like many, I have preconceptions when I see a restaurant from the outside. And these types of hip sport-bar-restaurant makes me very cautious. Furthermore, this is a franchise. Its web site seems to be more interested with convincing you to become a franchiser than getting you into the restaurant.

Brown's opened few months ago. I am not quire sure who its clientele is. Some of it is likely to be tourists, but I suspect some of Victoria's young crowd might also e regular by now.

It was a rainy day and it was late. The restaurant was almost empty, except for another table. One thing I dislike in a restaurant is TVs everywhere. A restaurant that has TVs tells me that their main customer is a group of men. Lord forbids they talk to each other about their own lives. Instead, they prefer to watch "something" and center their discussions on what is on TV. Sorry, but for me a TV is a distraction. It is like having rotating ads in front of my table the whole time I am there, and I don't like it.

The waitress was dressed in a tight dress and high heels. It is probably a job requirement, but it must be very tiring. Do some customers feel more inclined to visit a place with such dress code? I wonder.

The menu leans towards the expensive, and tries to have a west cost influence, rather than being "pub" food. I ordered the reddened halibut. I was surprised: it was very good. The fish was properly cooked, and the salad was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the salad; it liked the walnuts and feta, and its overall freshness.

The food is good but expensive. If you like eating at bars, and don't mind the price, I would recommend it.

I really liked the lightboxes with photographs distributed around the restaurant. They remind me of Jeff Wall's photographs, but of course, at a significantly smaller scale.

Verdict: Surprisingly good food, but expensive.


Paid: 19.04 + tip

For more information, including location, please visit:
Brown's Social House on Urbanspoon

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