If you are asking for suggestions around Mid Vancouver Island, almost everyone would tell you about this little town named Coombs. According to Wikipedia, the town of Coombs has a population of 1,300+ but they welcome thousands and thousands of visitors every year. So what’s there?
The biggest draw is definitely the Old Country Market, better known as the Goats on the Roof Market. Namely, there are living goats on the roof! We were lucky to see a few of them grazing and chilling on the roof.
Inside, it’s a giant grocery store/market. A lot of local and imported food products, as well as a deli/food counter. I have picked up some candied smoked salmon jerky there and they were very good. And best find at the market? Mr. found a Panama Hat that fits his gigantic head, and I scored a $5 Sun Hat!
While we were there, we had lunch at the Cuckoo Trattoria Italian Restaurant next door. It has a good selection of pasta and pizza dishes.
Food
With the four of us, we ordered 2 pizzas and 1 pasta to share. It may not sound like a lot of food, but you know why?! They gave you a giant basket of bread, with butter and marinara sauce, to start!
For pasta, we went with a classic Spaghetti Carbonara, made with pancetta, fresh cream, Parmesan and egg yolk. The pasta had a good texture, al dente; the sauce was creamy but perhaps a bit too thick, which made the pasta clump together and rather clunky to scoop.
The first pizza was Vesuvio, a spicy, meaty one, with pepperoni, hot Italian sausage, spicy salame, hot capicollo, chili garlic inferno sauce and mozzarella cheese. It had a good amount of heat, but with so many types of deli meat, it was a bit too salty for our liking. It was messy to eat, with hot sauce and meat sauce trickling down our hand, but it was a satisfying pizza for meatatarian.
For the other pizza, we opted for something lighter, the Salmone – fresh spinach, wild BC smoked salmon lox, capers, goat cheese, crushed tomatoes and mozzarella. Lox and capers are a classic combo; the goat cheese was definitely a change from the typical cream cheese. There is a hint of gamey taste in goat milk, and it provided extra richness to the pizza. It does remind me of a lox and bagel.
We also shared a 1L carafe Sangria. It was perfectly split into 4 glasses, and it was boozy! There was a generous amount of red wine in the carafe. I thought was pretty good for $20.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the food at Cuckoo was pretty good. There are a couple restaurants in the area and I think Cuckoo was a good choice. We are not big carbs people so 3 plates were enough for us. However if you are a fan of dough, go for the Paesano Deal, available for parties of 4 or more. For $24.99 or $29.99 per person, you will be served a number of platters to share, family style. It’s a good deal if you enjoy a carbs overload meal!
Cuckoo in Coombs Trattoria & Pizzeria
2310 Alberni Hwy, Coombs
250-248-6280
www.oldcountrymarket.com
VanFoodies.com 
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