Jake’s Pub, Cowichan Lake

Next to pretty Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island in Canada, this classy pub is a great place for a good substantial meal and a refreshing drink.  My husband and I went there for a sunny afternoon drive about an hour south of our hometown of Nanaimo.Starting with battered and seared shrimp as an appy, we then shared a smoked salmon wrap. The wrap came with our choice of a side, so we took the asian coleslaw.  I had a glass of Merridale cider on tap and we also had fresh pure ice water, so refreshing!

My favourite item was the pan-seared shrimp with aioli dipping sauce.  Sid found the sauce too hot.  His favourite was the crunchy asian coleslaw.

The wrap was okay, but had a rather doughy texture, as the salmon was as raw as sushi and the goat cheese turned out to be cream cheese.  It also contained yams which added an interesting touch to the flavour but were soft-textured too, and then there was the large doughy whole wheat tortilla wrapped around it all.

It was lovely sitting out on the covered deck overlooking the lake and listening to the 60s music.

The service was good, and the bill came to about $35 Canadian.