Carriage rides and gardens, high tea and castles…the stereotypical image of Victoria as a destination for fuddy-duddies and those looking to explore Ye Olde Britannia is so outdated as to be more myth than matter. Today, the city by the bay is home to some of the most innovative and delicious food and cocktails you will find on the West Coast.
If you’re wondering what attracts such a high ratio of top-notch restaurants and watering holes to such a relatively small demographic, geography definitely plays a part. Vancouver Island is home to more than a few handfuls of artisans, farmers, distillers, wineries and brewers. The temperate climate allows for generally longer and warmer growing seasons, with milder winters.
This translates into chefs who not only source most of their ingredients from within the proverbial stone’s throw of their restaurants, but also grow some or all of those ingredients themselves. This also influences the cocktail scene, resulting in cutting-edge mixology with a hyper-local focus.
Here are a few places to try next time you feel like a quick getaway.
Part and Parcel
Outside of the busy downtown core, this tiny counter-service eatery is located in Quadra Village and is run by husband-and-wife team Grant and Anna Gard. It’s a bright, white room with a homey wooden counter and simple booths and banquets. Open for lunch and early dinner, the oft-rotating menu features hearty sandwiches like the kamut-breaded and fried chicken ($11) on a beautiful organic bun from Fry’s Bakery, and loaded with coleslaw, housemade pickles and bacon. The wings ($8) are prepared the same way and were perfectly brittle and crispy on the outside and supremely juicy within. Or go for something a bit healthier like the stunning roasted beet and quinoa salad ($10) with feta, almonds, poppy seeds and edible flowers and herbs. Middle Eastern flavours abound, as in the “Moroccan” fries ($5) with ras el hanout and a harissa mayo. Everything is remarkably comforting, especially the grits topped with a mushroom ragout and runny egg ($14) we had on one lunch visit. And, don’t forget to save room for the baked goods. It’s licensed, so there is also a small but solid selection of local brews and grapes.
Northern Quarter
Don’t be fooled by the stage at the front of this one-year-new restaurant. Sure, there’s live music most nights after 8pm, but it’s the food – and cocktails – that will have you haunting the doorstep. Chef and co-owner Torin Egan has put together a deceptively simple menu that screams “pub” but delivers on a much higher-level. Poutine ($13) is brightened with a smoky pork gravy that got wiped clean. Chicken liver toasts ($10) deliver a feral and massive punch of flavour, offset by the not-too-sweet bacon jam and excellent bread. That jam is also an option on the house burger ($18), made from house-ground brisket and topped with sharp white cheddar and onion aioli. Pork ribs ($15) are glazed in maple syrup and mustard and dressed with charred scallions and fried shallots. Bar manager Tim Siebert has created some food-friendly cocktails. I loved the Pretty in Pink ($11), made with Ampersand gin, lillet, a housemade rhubarb and fennel syrup, and a squeeze of lemon.
Fishhook
If you’ve ever braved the extraordinarily long line-ups outside of Red Fish Blue Fish, you’re familiar with the food of Kunal Ghose, a former Top Chef Canada contender who’s redefined what fish shacks are all about in Victoria. With the opening of Fishhook, his second venture, this time in partnership with seafood emporium Hook Fine Foods, Ghose has blown me away once again. Fishhook is a counter-service restaurant that delivers haute cuisine quality with a focus that seems so incongruous as to be superbly refreshing. Think Indian fish shack with a focus on French tartines. Yeah, you heard me. The quintessential French open-faced and toasted sandwich meets curry meets seafood, and it’s lovely. The tartines themselves don’t speak so much of sub-continent flavour, but the smoked black cod with herb-and-chive mustard and wilted kale ($7) is heavenly, as is the seared and broiled wild salmon belly “dog” with smoked salmon belly “bacon” ($11.25). Yes, salmon belly bacon and yes, you definitely want to try it. The house chowder (small for $4) is another winner, with more of that bacon, plus halibut confit, thyme-chili roasted potatoes, coconut milk and a base of smoked fish broth. Deeply aromatic and warming, the only thing that makes it better is the fact that you can get it to go. x
Olo
I’ve written about this spot before, back when it was named Ulla and was a tad more formal in nature. Now, in its new and more casual incarnation, chef Brad Holmes is once again working his locavore magic. The food isn’t casual when it comes to care or quality, but it feels a little more fun these days, especially since the lunch and brunch menu was launched. The latter was especially enjoyable. Pork rinds with chili sea salt ($4) might not be your average starter, but it works oh, so well. It was followed by skirt steak and poached eggs with bone marrow hollandaise and roesti cubes that my 10-year-old refused to share. My own shakshuka ($14) was stellar. If you aren’t familiar with shakshuka, this is an Israeli dish of baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce with a little fresh cheese, vegetables and herbs. Olo’s version features charmoula and chickpeas, as well as toast, which comes in handy when you need to mop up the leftover sauce. The menu changes often, but see if you can snag the lamb rack at dinner. The housemade gnocchi are pillowy and perfect for dipping in the lamb-based sauce.
More places to drink and dine
Cocktails
You can’t visit Victoria without visiting the “holy trifecta” of mixology, Little Jumbo, Clive’s Classic Lounge and Veneto Tapa Lounge. Each has a unique focus for their cocktail program, but local ingredients and incredible craft are standard across the board.
Breakfast
The most important meal of the day deserves serious attention, especially if it involves red velvet pancakes from Jam Café. Got a sweet tooth? Try Ruth and Dean for one of the best cinnamon buns in town alongside your breakfast sandwich.
Where to stay in Victoria
The Fairmont Empress
This grand dame was recently given a massive makeover, along with a brand-new bar and restaurant. More than half of the 450-plus guest rooms have already been refreshed and the remaining rooms will be redone starting in October.
The Parkside Hotel & Spa
Victoria’s greenest hotel is also one of its more family-friendly options, with fully-equipped kitchens in each suite, fireplaces, patios, and separated bedroom and living areas.
The Magnolia Hotel & Spa
This boutique hotel only has 60-odd rooms, but each is a small delight in its own way. From the filtered drinking water, welcome fruit plate and tea stations in each room to the dining at Catalano Restaurant, this is a very urbane and grown-up experience.
Anya Levykh is a freelance food, drink and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. In addition to obsessively collecting cookbooks, she is a judge for the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @foodgirlfriday.
