GRIFTER’S TALES
ENGLISH BAY · OCTOBER 2026
By Colin Lee MacLeod
Not every meal on the road earns a recommendation. This one did not.
What happened on my visit
My October 19 breakfast near English Bay was country-fried steak and eggs. The steak was cold in the centre, and the beer I ordered was forgotten. Those are the details I wrote down, and they explain my reaction.
I would not go back based on that experience. That is a personal verdict about one visit, not a claim about every meal the restaurant has ever served.
Keep the disappointing meals too
If I only record the winners, the trip starts looking tidier than it was. Honest travel notes include the meal that did not deliver, alongside the pie, sushi, and small pho that did.
There is no need to turn disappointment into a dramatic confrontation. Say what happened, explain why it mattered, and move on. Breakfast mattered because I wanted a properly enjoyable meal. On that visit, I did not get one.
Grifter’s Takeaway
Be specific about a disappointing experience. Honest detail is more useful than exaggeration.
