Sunshine Coast Archives - Curiously Carmen

Shift Kitchen and Tapas Bar

December 20, 2018

During our weekend getaway to Sunshine Coast 1.5 years ago (whoops, very late post), one of the restaurants we checked out was Shift Kitchen and Tapas Bar. Why am I writing this post so late? Because a) I thought I wrote about this already but didn’t, and b) I need some content for le blog.

Anyways, Shift Kitchen is a pretty small restaurant in a plaza. It reminded me of Rogue Kitchen in Vancouver, but a shrunken version of it.

Caesar: The boyfriend started off our dinner with a caesar, which he enjoyed.

Chicken strips & salad: I don’t care if people think chicken strips are for kids only, I will still continue to order them! Anyways, my chicken strips were pretty decent. They were a lot better than the ones I ordered at Lighthouse Pub the night before, also on Sunshine Coast.

Burger: The boyfriend ordered a pretty big and filling cheeseburger that he enjoyed. It came with a side of fries too.

Overall, our meal at Shift Kitchen was enjoyable and service was friendly. It had a city vibe which we weren’t looking for because we could get that in Vancouver, but that is not the restaurant’s fault at all.

Mike’s Place – Gibson’s, Sunshine Coast

November 20, 2018

Wow, this post is an OLDIE! We are talking about 1.5 years old, folks. I was going through photos in my cloud storage and came across some restaurants that I never fully blogged about on our long weekend getaway in May 2017!

I did briefly talk them in my Sunshine Coast Weekend Itinerary post though. That’s probably why I forgot to write a post!

Anyways, after our hike up to Soames Hill, we stopped by Gibsons Pier. While walking around, we came across this small ice cream shop inconspicuously named Mike’s Place. It had great reviews so off we went!
Mike’s Place is a no frills cafe. None of the fancy stuff, but friendly and cozy service. They also sold convenience store snacks as well.

I forgot which flavours we ordered (can you blame me, it was 1.5 years ago whoops!), but I DO remember that the gelato was delicious. Both our ice creams were creamy and hit the spot perfectly on a hot summer’s day.

The best part of this was how cheap the ice cream was! I believe it was around $3-4, which is an absolute steal compared to Vancouver prices. There was also a plethora of flavours to choose from!

Mike’s Place is a gem on the Sunshine Coast. Delicious ice cream, cheap prices and friendly service. If there’s one dessert place you should eat at in Gibsons/Sunshine Coast, go with Mike’s Place!

Lighthouse Pub

September 1, 2017

Prior to visiting Sunshine Coast, I didn’t do too much research on places to eat and such. We wanted a slow, relaxing agenda and to just go with whatever we felt like that day. The only restaurant I wanted to try was Lighthouse Pub, because of the nice view. On our first night here, we came to Lighthouse Pub for dinner.

Lighthouse Pub is located in Sechelt, by Porpoise Bay Provincial Park.
The only reason I wanted to come here was because of the view. The patio overlooks Porpoise Bay and it looked super nice and fitting for our trip!

Look at that perfect view! We came on a quintessential hot summer day.

At Lighthouse Pub, you seat yourself so we went straight for the patio. Luckily, we got the last table on the patio… but the bad thing was that it was located in the smoking side of the restaurant… It’s been awhile since I’ve been to a restaurant where people smoke. =\
Chicken strips, $15.95: Once I saw chicken strips, I was sold! However, these were really disappointing. I am probably the biggest chicken strip lover out there, and over the years I’ve been able to tell whether or not the chicken strips were good. Right when she brought them over, I knew that they aren’t the good quality ones.

The chicken strips did not peel off in piping hot strips. Rather, the meat was similar to the frozen nuggets that have a light texture to it and makes you wonder if it is even made out of chicken meat or not. On the plus side, they had a great seasoning to it.
Lighthouse cheese burger, $14.95: What chicken strips are for me, are cheeseburgers for the boyfriend. Unlike my dish, he was really satisfied with his cheeseburger. The meat patty was very juicy. He upgraded his fries for a seafood chowder, and was not disappointed either.

Each spoonful of the seafood chowder was met with a generous portion of seafood, such as salmon and clams. We were very surprised at how much seafood they put in there – but surprised in a very good way!

Despite my disappointing chicken strips, I would come back to Lighthouse Pub but order something different. I would still recommend it for those visiting the Sunshine Coast on a sunny day because the view is very pretty! The inside of the restaurant is nothing special though.

Yay!

Lucky’s Smokehouse

August 9, 2017

Back in May, the boyfriend and I went on a weekend getaway to the Sunshine Coast! I have a couple of food posts to publish still. Plus, there is a Sunshine Coast weekend itinerary at the end of this post if you’re thinking of heading there as well!

After we got off the ferry to the Sunshine Coast, we were ready for lunch! The boyfriend found Lucky’s Smokehouse on Trip Advisor, and being the barbeque fan that he is, he really wanted to go check it out. I’m glad we did because it was probably the best restaurant that we ate at on our trip.

Lucky’s Restaurant is located in Sechelt, about a 25 minute drive from the ferry. Sunshine Coast has one main road called the Sunshine Coast Highway (it’s not a highway at all though) and once you get into Sechelt, you make a right and it’s there. We actually drove by it the first time by accident because it was a bit hidden and surrounded by car repair shops and such.

When we parked the car and walked over, we were greeted immediately by a delicious, smoky BBQ smell outside. Taking that as a good sign!

After ordering and paying at the counter, the staff will bring you your food. There are two tables outside for you to enjoy on a sunny day, which is what we did. The outside tables had a water bowl for dogs as well!

Train wreck, $15.95: The boyfriend’s colossal meat tower burger. It came with their signature BBQ pulled pork, sausage, and brisket. He was in love at first bite. All of the meat was extremely tender and full of smoky flavour. I had a few bites and I enjoyed it as well, although there was too much meat in it for me. I would have liked it with just the pulled pork, and MAYBE the brisket. I have a really sensitive stomach and IBS so I would have a really hard time digesting all that meat protein.

BBQ chicken burger, $11.95: I was in a chicken mood, so I decided to order this. It was also very tasty, although it didn’t have the “WOW” factor like the train wreck burger. I’m glad that I ordered the BBQ one because without the BBQ sauce, it would have been pretty plain.

For our sides, we ordered salads to balance out the unhealthiness. Well, the boyfriend was actually going to get potato salad, but he was glad he chose the salad as the train wreck burger was very rich and filling. He wouldn’t have been able to finish a starchy potato salad too.

If you’re a barbeque lover, check out Lucky’s Smokehouse! It wasn’t too busy when we went, but I suspect that it will be busier as peak summer season approaches.

Planning a getaway to the Sunshine Coast? Here is a post on our weekend itinerary!

Travel Itinerary: A weekend on the Sunshine Coast + tips!

May 26, 2017

To celebrate a special occasion, the boyfriend and I decided to go on a quick trip (much to my persuasion in the beginning) to the Sunshine Coast. We were there for two nights and three days, which was a good amount of time to explore. Despite being a long weekend, the towns we visited weren’t overwhelmingly busy, although the ferry was a different story!

We’ve been to the Sunshine Coast twice before, with my mom and her friends. But for those two times, we didn’t get a chance to fully explore restaurants and parks because we stayed at the house that my mom and her friends rented and went fishing. And those were only day trips as well.

I’ll be writing a few other posts on the Airbnb we stayed at (because I miss that little beach house so much) and also reviews of the restaurants we visited. This post will be about things to do on the Sunshine Coast!

Here was our itinerary:

Day 1

Ferry: Although ferry is the only way to get here, it is definitely a beautiful 30 minute ride and one to be savoured. On a beautiful BC day, there are no better places to be than on the ferry. I recommend going to the top deck of the ferry, to enjoy the magnificent mountains surrounding you and the vast ocean gleaming. I brought a book to read while the boyfriend plugged in his headphones. But it gets pretty windy on the top deck, so I recommend bringing a light cardigan or something to keep yourself warm while enjoying the views.

Lunch: After arriving at the ferry, we drove to Sechelt (approx 30 minutes) for lunch. The boyfriend found a BBQ restaurant named Lucky’s, so we ate there and we were not disappointed at all!

Porpoise Bay Provincial Park: We were a 7 minute drive from this park, so we decided to check it out and drive around as we are planning on going camping here with our friends in a couple of months. Perhaps I will blog about that!

Davis Bay Pier: Before driving back to our Airbnb, we relaxed at Davis Bay Pier. It is a small stretch of land overlooking the ocean, and it is so beautiful! There is a nice pier to walk along, kind of like a mini White Rock. We walked down the pier and enjoyed the views.

When we came here two years ago, there were people swimming in the water but we didn’t see that this time. We did see some families bringing their dog to play in the water though!

Roberts Creek: It was check-in time so we met our Airbnb hosts, and unpacked our bags. We were both a bit tired, so we rested at the Airbnb for a bit.

Dinner: After recharging, we went back to Sechelt for a lovely patio dinner at Lighthouse Pub overlooking Porpoise Bay. The views were great, but my food could have been better.

Day 2

Soames Hill: I found out about this hike back in the fall, and I really wanted to do it because people were saying that it was quick and easy for the view. And I’m a sucker for views. The hike was about 40 minutes going up to the second peak if you stop for pictures along the way, which is what I did. To get to the first peak is about 20 minutes. We didn’t find it too challenging but I was a bit sweaty at the peak. The view was super beautiful and overlooked Gibsons and Keats island. Definitely recommend as it’s a pretty easy hike!

Dessert: After the hike, the boyfriend found a gelato place in Gibsons, Mike’s Place, that supposedly had really good ice cream. So we went there and yes, the ice cream was really good. It was also really cheap compared to Vancouver prices, only $3.75 for a cone with one scoop! He really enjoyed his gelato!

Gibsons Landing: We decided to explore a bit of Gibsons Landing. It was a pretty and quiet seaside town, but also buzzing with people at certain restaurant hot spots. We walked around here for a bit, went to the boardwalk and gazebo. This place is great for taking pictures on a nice, sunny day.

Flume Beach: We went back to our Airbnb area of Roberts Creek, which is halfway between Gibsons and Sechelt (the two biggest towns). Our beach house was literally next to the water so we brought some towels, a book, music, and just relaxed. However, the beach outside our place was really rocky and breezy due to the shade. Our hosts recommended that we drive to Flume Beach which has less trees and more sand. It was a good choice and we relaxed there for a good two hours. At one point, we saw some sea lions playing in the water!

Dinner: We didn’t have a dinner place in mind, so we decided on trying Shift in Sechelt. I didn’t really enjoy it at that much as it wasn’t really the vibe that I was looking for in a small beach town. It reminded me of a smaller Rogue Kitchen & Bar or something that belonged in the city. After we sat down and ordered our food, we went on Yelp and found a hotel restaurant across the street which we probably would have enjoyed more as it had a more slow and relaxed atmosphere with ocean views.

Day 3:

Gibsons Landing: Since we were catching the afternoon ferry, we decided to go back to Gibsons as it is closer to the ferry. The last day was prettier than the second day, as the clouds were gone and the skies were bluer. The pictures I took on the third day were a lot brighter than the second.

Lunch: Lunch was spent at Molly’s Reach, which kind of as a cool back story to it! So in the 70s-90s, Gibsons was the filming location for a show named The Beachcombers. it was one of the longest running TV shows in Canada but I was too young for it. Anyways, Molly’s Reach was a fake restaurant for the show. When The Beachcombers ended, someone decided to buy the property and turn it into a real restaurant. We sat on the patio, which had a nice view of the boats and water. The food was good as well!

Gibsons Landing: After lunch, we walked around a bit again and went back to Mike’s Place for cheap gelato before taking the ferry back.

All in all, it was the perfect quick little getaway. I feel much more refreshed and energized. I made a point to not bring my computer so that I could fully relax. I have a hard time relaxing, which is weird… but I feel like I should always be working on my blog or answering emails or something.

Tips:

-Use Airbnb or VRBO: The hotel options on the Sunshine Coast are pretty limited, and often not as nice as the vacation home rentals. As we drove through the area, we saw that many of the houses there are being rented out by vacation go-ers like us.

-Free ferry: Yup, you heard that right! As the main form of transport out of the Sunshine Coast is by ferry, it is free coming back. Tbh, that is one of the main reasons why we chose the Sunshine Coast as opposed to Victoria or Nanaimo… because spending $150 roundtrip on a ferry is something we prefer not to do.

-Transport: We saw many bus stops along the main road, and read that transit is a good option for those without a car. But after being there for the weekend, I don’t recall seeing a single bus along the road although I saw people waiting at the bus stops. I would recommend renting a car or driving if you’re able to.

-Take it easy: The Sunshine Coast is known for its relaxed, laid back, and easy life. Don’t come here expecting a ton of things to do, it is not New York City or Tokyo. If you’re looking for a quiet retreat and a small town vibe, Sunshine Coast is the place to go.