Looking for an affordable lunch that will not only tantalize the tastebuds, but also fill the belly?

If so, look no further than the Chubby Hiker Restaurant on Eighth Street in Courtenay. Part of the Mount Washington Hostel, general manager Devin Moldenhauer has been offering a breakfast and lunch menu since opening the restaurant, but now offers dinner, too.

But it’s the hearty breakfasts and lunches which have been attracting customers who frequent the facility run by manager Rose Kantor.

“We have customers here in the hostel, but we’re targetting the locals who are looking for an affordable, yet filling, meal. We’d like to see the older crowd who used to eat here come back,” said Moldenhauer.

Fifty-something Gord Hodge was impressed with his first trip to the restaurant, stopping in for lunch and to take advantage of the $9 lunch menu.

“The special lunch menu will change monthly,” said Moldenhauer. “We’re trying to offer something different for our regulars.”

“My selection was excellently presented and tasted equally wonderful,” said Hodge, who ordered the sweet chili prawn Caesar salad created by chef Chris Booth. “From the lunch menu, the portion was very generous. Even the heartiest appetite would leave here satisfied and energized for the rest of the day.”

In the kitchen, Booth worked his magic on a number of dishes as the lunch crowd started to arrive. Hodge’s meal featured prawns lightly sautéed in a sweet Thai chili sauce, which is served on top of crisp romaine lettuce tossed in the Chubby Hiker’s in-house Caesar dressing.

Hodge also had the daily soup from Booth’s recipe book, a tasty curry seafood chowder.

“This is awesome,” enthused Hodge as he spooned the last drop of soup from his bowl.

The ambience and quick service from Kantor did not go unnoticed by Hodge, who works on the fringe of the downtown.

“We’d like this to be a place where government and city workers come here to eat for lunch,” said Moldenhauer. “We’ve got the parking and easy access for our customers.”

“The atmosphere was comfortable and relaxed yet the service was prompt, professional and very friendly …  a nice combination to find in any restaurant,” offered Hodge.

This pundit settled on the $9 Chubby Burger (with fries and added mushrooms for $1), after deliberating on trying the $12 Aussie. But I’m not used to my burger coming with egg, bacon and beet root. Booth’s six-ounce burgers are made in-house using lean ground beef.

To enjoy the Chubby Hiker’s varied lunch menu, which features everything from kung pao chicken ($15) to yam fries ($6), drop by between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. You and your appetite won’t be disappointed.

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