The Driftwood Inn - Sechelt

We were very pleasantly surprised at the Chinese food we had here. Actually it was amazing to find this quality in Sechelt which is sorely lacking good Asian food except for a few spots. Food that warms the heart!

My wife and I had dinner here after some of my wife 's friends recommended it. It was recently remodeled--and as far as I know, opened under new ownership, along with the hotel it 's in, the Driftwood Inn. You 're sure they liked this place? I asked her. Because it looks to me like a restaurant in a mid-range hotel. You know, where they think, 'People will eat here for convenience, because they 're staying here and it 's easier than wandering around looking for something else. Our server was quite friendly, and the beachfront view was pleasant--though oddly generic, like the decor, which looked like someone had said, How little can we spend, and still make everything seem shiny and new? Once we 'd ordered, our food arrived quickly. But it was as though everything had been premade in a factory somewhere, and rather than employing a chef, someone in back was opening everything from plastic bags and microwaving it. This would also explain why we didn 't have to wait long. The exception was the garlic toast, which was charred, and looked like it 'd been cut from a baguette. It was so small, it didn 't seem worth reordering; instead, we scraped off the black parts. My pasta was decidedly undercooked al dente . It wasn 't uneatable, but I spent considerably more time chewing than I could 've planned for. By the time I 'd gnawed my way through it, my wife was sending text messages something we 've agreed we 'd never do at the table unless everyone else was preoccupied . So, should you eat here? Well, if you 've been dazzling yourself with too much excellent cuisine, and you 'd like a sort of palate cleanser to reset your tastebuds so everything seems delicious and interesting again, this would be a good place to go. But I suggest you wait till you can bring along something to do where you want no distractions, because this is about as generic and undistracting a meal as you 're likely to have. I suppose they named it Bubbles because there are bubbles in the surf a short distance away. But a better name would 've been HOTEL RESTAURANT--preferably in a generic font, like the one they use for highway signs.

The good: pretty view despite the haze, clean and comfy beds, spacious, great location. The not so good: the plants in the lobby are in desperate need of being watered, it’s a pretty accurate sign of how they take care of the rest of the building. Each bulb in the room were all different colours, not one set of matching glasses, there was garbage in our recycling bin, plus the photos attached. For $250 a night it was disappointing. It doesn’t cost a lot to manage wires or go to the dollar store and get matching cups, but it certainly makes a difference to the guests.

We were very pleased with our dinner. The stir fried vegetables were beautifully crisp and in a delightfully delicate sauce. The Caesar salad was seasoned well, though the Japanese style Karaage, while delicious, was sometimes a little over seasoned. Julie waited on us and clearly could both multi-task and be many places at once. Figuratively the icing on the cake: the view is gorgeous and very relaxing. Just a top-notch dining experience.

Had an amazing experience here when I visited with the family. The staff were wonderful and the view was amazing. Thank you, will come again! Rooms: 5 Service: 5 Location: 5 Hotel highlights: Great view, Kid-friendly, Great value