237 replies to this topic

[merlin]

Shelora mentioned that the Ocean Pointe Hotel in Victoria has opened their new Inner Harbourside restaurant "Lure". Has anyone been?

I am assuming that it took over part of their bar Ricky's, perhaps the space where the Victorian used to be and maybe the Boardwalk but do not know for sure.

We are going to be in the hotel in time...we hope...for the Canada Day fireworks and would be interested in any comments.

Just a quick visit this trip. Just the two nights so were hoping that the night of our arrival we would eat there and then Saturday reacquaint ourselves with Marc, Marnie et. al. at Brasserie l'Ecole.

[Memo]

...and then Saturday reacquaint ourselves with Marc, Marnie et. al. at Brasserie l'Ecole.

Sadly, for Victoria, Marnie is leaving Brasserie "l'ecole". The good news, for Vancouver, is she's moving to Vancouver. I believe she'll be working at one of the "Grills" - either RainCity or HamiltonStreet?

[treve]

i had a drink at lure at the opr last saturday - we were told it was three days after opening. definitely some issues to resolve - it took nearly 10 minutes for someone to come over to us, even though the place was near deserted at 4pm, and my bubbly came nearly 10 minutes after my date's cocktail arrived - but i'll chalk it up to newbie jitterbugs to be worked out. a nice little cup o nibblies arrived - peanuts and the like - and the view is certainly tops. we didn't stay for sup, but i perused the menu - so many typos that i couldn't go on! i'm a writer - these things are pet peeves! beautiful menu covers and presentation - just get thee a proofreader!

prices are reasonable - and on par with like restaurants. chef mike weaver is a gem - order any of the desserts and you won't be disappointed.

i'll certainly make my way back - maybe in a few months tho

and good luck in vancouver marnie! victoria will miss you!

[merlin]

Sadly, for Victoria, Marnie is leaving Brasserie "l'ecole". The good news, for Vancouver, is she's moving to Vancouver. I believe she'll be working at one of the "Grills" - either RainCity or HamiltonStreet?

Memo:

Now that is a real shame! However, as you have pointed out Victoria's loss is Vancouver's gain....another reason not to avoid Vancouver and finally get to try HSG's hangar steak and pudding that you Vancouver eGulleteers have gone on about and revisit a past favourite in the Rain City.

[merlin]

Thanks Treve.

Hopefully most of the "newbie wrinkles" will have been worked out by the time we get there.

I know what you mean about the typos. Some can be so bad that they seem to hit you squarely between the eyes and you wonder how someone could have possibly missed them.

That having been said I have read some documents I have produced that I know I have proofread numerous times and......

[BCinBC]

Victoria remains home for my Mom and my brother’s family. N and I return every once in awhile for special occasions, but I swear the only thing that we end up doing there is either eating or catching up on sleep. This past weekend was no exception.

Saturday dim sum: Don Mee Restaurant. This place is owned by Mom and a few others, so take the disclaimer as you will, but I still think it’s the best dim sum in town. The beef rice noodle rolls were particularly good that day, but the sticky rice was also up there. They do old-school Cantonese style dim sum (carts), rather than the Hong Kong style (cards), but I think the throngs of tourists that go through there find it quainter (is this a word?). One other note about the disclaimer: the flip side is that I have been along for the ride checking out the competition many times in my life, and therefore I feel very comfortable judging dim sum. Besides, I’m an honest guy, I wouldn’t lie.

Saturday dinner: Wild Saffron. Annexed to Swan’s Pub on Store St, the setting of this bistro-style resto is warm with yellows and oranges. We were shown to our table right away, as the place was fairly empty at 6:30. Incidentally, it started to fill around 8-ish, at which point my sister (who currently lives in Tronna) and I both noted the evolution in dining times from when we’d left. Back in 1990 people were just perusing the dessert menu at 6:30 and back in bed watching Masterpiece Theatre at 8.

Anyway, most folks ordered the green salad to start; I got the 3-course set menu which featured a green salad as well, but mine ended up being significantly smaller than the others. At a $24 prix fixe, who could argue? Except that I didn’t think salad, even microgreens, were going to break the bank for the sake of aesthetics. But not a big deal. My salad was fine, fresh and was light, thought I will say that the mango vinagrette needed more, well, mango. My wife and brother ended up sharing the cheese fondue for their appy. This was clearly the thing to get – it had to be almost 2 litres of very tasty gruyere?-based fondue, accompanied by a plate full of goodies such as dried figs, dates and apricots, walnuts, apples and grapes, carrots, celery, the standard bread cubes… Wow. But waaaay more than two people should be sharing this for an appy. In fact, if you each ordered a green salad and shared the fondue for dinner, you’d probably be damned full afterwards. But that was a delicious and XXL fondue, and the figs were very cool additions.

Now I think the time taken to consume the fondue (which wasn’t even successful BTW, despite my help!) threw the kitchen off a bit, because the mains for the most part came out a little dry. The salmon and scallops apparently suffered, as did my rabbit and pork tenderloin and my brother’s ahi tuna and pork. But the lamb sirloin that my uncle got was pretty fabulous. Rare side of MR and juicy. Again, the latter was the pick of the course.

Dessert was limited to my blueberry tart w/ smoked banana ice cream, plus a matching order for my nephew. The ice cream was really tasty – very strong banana flavour, though if there was smoking going on it was wasted on my taste buds. Maybe that’s what produced the intensity of the flavour? I actually would have been happy with two scoops of ice cream and no tart, but then I like strong ice cream flavours. Actually keep the cookie/wafer thing too, that was good.

Through the meal we had a couple bottles of the Estancia pinot noir 2001 which was nice, fruity start and dry finish. Confession: I have a bottle on my rack at home, and thought this was a perfect occasion to test it out. I think I’ll give my bottle another year or so, for the fruit to mellow.

I'd give them another go; next time I'd either stick to the set $24 menu, which IMO is a steal of a deal, or go for 2 salads plus the fondue. Oh which reminds me, they also had a chocolate fondue on the dessert menu. Also "for 2".

Sunday brunch: Fireside Grille in Royal Oak off West Saanich Rd. We’ve been to this place before, moreso for a convenience standpoint – proximity to brother’s house and Mom’s old place, ability to deal with brother’s son fairly efficiently, etc. The food has been okay in the past. This time, while I would not say that I was blown away by anything, I was definitely more impressed. We arrived early so we got the pick of the mussels and clams, roast pork, omlette station, cheese plate and dessert table. All good. Actually it was just the blue cheese that I liked, the camembert was salty as all ****. Plus the usuals of a buffet brunch like bacon, sausages, poached salmon, peel & eat shrimp, various salads, what looked like fresh baked scones and croissants… Again, nothing earth-shattering but a good spread at what was probably a very reasonable price (I didn’t catch the cost but I bet it was less than $20 pp). Plus I filled up real good so as to not require a refuel on the ferry. Also if you're visiting on a summer weekend, try to go earlier because another swarm of tourists came in behind us and ravaged the buffet like a cloud of locusts.

All in all a fairly successful trip. The only regret was that I was really hoping to make it to the Rosemeade because of Memo’s post in the 1 night in Vic thread.

[Hugh]

I do believe both the ownership and the chef have changed at the Fireside Grill fairly recently, which would probably explain the improvement in the food.

[Zucchini Mama]

BCinBC,

I'm impressed by your dim sum heritage! I've taken so many pictures of the Don Mee-I just love that old neon. Now I won't be left wandering around Chinatown wondering where the hell to have dim sum. Thanks for clearing that up for me!
EGullet is so great.

Zuke

[the g-man]

Here is the report on a pilgrimage to Sooke Harbour House last weekend.

We signed up for the multi-course "gastronomic adventure" menu, but never actually saw a "menu" - it apparently changes every day. The kitchen just kept sending out course after course of creative, fresh and interesting food until we stumbled out into the night 3 hours later.

Fresh? The kitchen staff were harvesting greens and herbs for dinner from the garden outside the hotel just as we were arriving.

Almost every course included foods that I have never eaten before, or never seen prepared that way. Gooseneck barnacles in lobster broth with seaweed oil. Hemp-crusted rockfish. A terrine of morel mushrooms, figs and possibly goat cheese.

The creativity takes you back to first principles of eating. What does a sorbet made of beets on top of a white bean salad taste like? It may not work for everyone, but the inspiration and aspirations were always fascinating.

These courses kept coming, one after the other, ending with a plate of Cowichan and Salt Spring Cheeses and a strawberry mousse dessert. Our very suave server even invited us to carry off our half-finished, open bottle of wine back to the room. Stumbling down the hall of a 5-star hotel with an open bottle is class all the way. In a federline-britney kind of way.

We drank Kettle Valley King Merlot back in the room. Wasn't it once the accepted wisdom that B.C. produced nice white wine but mediocre reds? That sentiment has hopefully been filed away in a drawer along with voodoo economics and curing medical problems by swinging dead cats. This was a very good wine.

Slept in and woke up to croissants, fruit and an omelette stuffed with apples and herbs. As if this was not enough, they gave us a picnic lunch to take with us when we checked out. the total price tag, including room and incidentals, may have come close to the cost of my first car ('68 dodge dart), but we were heavily subsidized by gift certificate and the restaurant itself is not any more expensive than some of the tasting menus around Vancouver. And some things are worth more than money.

[tofino]

Just back from a 4 day jaunt to the north part of the island which doesn't get seen very often - haha. First night in Campbell River at Painters Lodge - nice rooms, unfortunately ate in the pub which brought a whole new meaning to pub food - 'chefs signature dish' of chicken pot pie was a glutinous mess of yech, combined with the fried oysters (which I typically adore), which reeked of nastiness. Anyhow I digress - next two nights up north of Port Mcneill, but stopped for lunch at the Cable House Cafe entering Sayward and had a great lunch - probably fueled by the 8km hike up Ripple Rocks Trial just north of Campbell River. Stayed at the Cluxewe Resort north of Port Mcneill - nothing fancy - just a big RV area in a beautiful setting with 7 cabins on the water, which we took #2 at $125 a night high season and had a great time. Hiked up in Cape Scott Provincial park (1 hour plus ride in on logging roads) and did the San Josef Trail which I highly recommend and dined in Port Mcneill that night at Gus' Pub - hard to believe but 100% better than the food we had at Painters Lodge. On the return stayed at the Kingfisher Lodge in Courtenay and had a great time - nice rooms, with outstanding cuisine for dinner that evening in their restaurant. A nice area to visit with food choices needing to be selected carefully!!

[shelora]

Toronto ex-pats Andre Rosenbaum, his wife, Kelly St. John and business partner David Stearn, have opened the second incarnation of the Queen Mother - a veritable institution in Toronto’s Queen St. district.
The Queen Mother Waterside Café, is located in Victoria, on Swift St. (ex- Saltaire space beside the Canoe restaurant) and has been cozied-up despite the ultra-modern steel and concrete interior.
The menu offers classic Queen Mother fare – Laotian with a Thai bent - sticky rice with peanut sauce, Laotian Phad Thai, Thai bbq chicken and will have lots of vegetarian offerings.
Price point a comforting $15 - $16 for entrees and appetizers under $8.00. Beer, wine and a promising sun-filled patio overlooking the Gorge waterway.
Thank God, no high tea. But you can always lift your pinkie while sipping an glass of bubbly.
407 Swift St., 250-598-4712

[merlin]

Toronto ex-pats Andre Rosenbaum, his wife, Kelly St. John and business partner David Stearn,  have opened the second incarnation of the Queen Mother - a veritable institution in Toronto’s Queen St. district.

You just answered my earlier question Shelora.

Queen St? Toronto? I am hoping that the weather is too good to wear "black" [grin] when we visit

[tofino]

BOB,

see you on the 29th!!!

chris

do you need anything arranged prior to arrival?? If so contact me at the Inn.

[shelora]

Checked out the lunch now being served at the Rosemead in - wait for it - Esquimalt. The Rosemeade just started serving lunch a couple of weeks back and yesterday it provided a welcome respite from downtown Victoria in the throws of three festivals with roads blocked off and wall to wall traffic on the roads into town.
The lofty dining room at the Rosemead overlooks garden spaces with giant oak trees surrounding the property. These trees provide complimentary lighting in the dining room - so crucial for a woman my age. No glaring light, never a squint or furrow needed. Ahh.
Lunch at the Rosemeade begins with a few appetizers - black pepper battered calamari with a sour orange and cilantro dip along with a hearty plate of local greens with proscutto crisps, goat cheese and tomato oil. Excellent wine pairing was provided with the Lotusland 2003 Siegrebbe and the La Frenz viognier. The kitchen also does a minestrone with chunks of fresh crabmeat and a salad nicoise with seared rare albacore tuna. These two are on the list for later this week.
The mains go the way of sandwiches, a steak, lamb burger and pink peppercorn halibut. We went with the char-grilled wild salmon sandwich, generously portioned and slathered with a green curry sour cream with a side of fried dill pickles. I dove into a grilled lamb burger, plump and juicy. The roasted garlic goat's cheese, oven dried tomatoes, watercress and tzatziki were perfect compliments. The wines paired were the Kettle Valley 2001 Adra Station Chardonnay- salmon and the lamb with the Sunset Road, 2002 Merlot from the Columbia Valley.
Lunches here are perfect for a business meeting, post-spa treat or getaway from the bursting-at-the-seams vibe of Victoria right now.

[treve]

thanks shelora - i keep meaning to meander over the bridge to check them out.

another great reason to visit is general manager mark wachtin - late of nanaimo's glow restaurant, as well as new arrival stuart brown on the floor - ex manager extraordinaire of the hotel grand pacific's mark restaurant. with those two professionals on board, i have zero doubts that service levels will be top notch.

[Oyster Guy]

Check out the housemade kelp pickles and the chocolate treats made by Jana - who spends her winters pastry chefing in Whistler.

That's not the same Jana who sells pies in Ganges is it?

A.

No Shelora spelled her name wrong. Her name is Jenna and she is not just a pastry chef.
She prefers the title of "Pastry Diva."
And her desserts are worth the trip to The Smoking Tuna alone.

[shelora]

I am adding my vote for the La Pommerie at Merridale Ciderworks. We enjoyed a late lunch last Thursday after a stop in at True Grain organic bakery at Cowichan Bay.
La Pommerie has a vast wrap around deck where you overlook the orchards and rolling hills.
Chef John Waller provided a refreshing take on a Ploughman's lunch with local cheese from Hilary, fresh bread by his wife Tracy, alongside housemade chutney and five different salads - roasted beets with creme fraiche among them, and smoked meats from neighbouring Dutch Deli.
My companion had the smoked ham (also from Dutch Deli) and tomato sandwich. This thing was a monster - sandwich not companion. Simple, fresh, hearty and delicious flavours. Chef Waller shops for daily ingredients from his local purveyors and farms and inspire his ever-changing menu. You can also partake in a tasting flight of Merridale's ciders at the adjoining tasting room or choose from their very smart B.C. only wine list - the Pinot Noir from Winchester Cellars, among them.
Not to be missed during this summer's outings and possible inclusion for the Vancouver egullet challenge.

[merlin]

Well we had an outstanding but too short visit to the "not so Wet" Coast returning looking like a boiled east coast lobster thanks to the great weather Sunday in Victoria.

First stop was the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino. Had a terrific time. Thanks to Chris a.k.a. Tofino everything worked out perfectly. Drinking good wine staring out at the waves crashing into Chesterman Beach is a wonderful way to spend the day.

Enjoyed talking with Yvonne Ouwekerk the Pointe Restaurant Manager and one of their sommeliers, Sogol Jalali. Had many good bottles of wine and was particularly impressed by some from the Small Lots Program at Sandhill.

The food at the Pointe has most certainly improved under the direction of Andrew Springett.

I had a lunch course of butter baked halibut that was without a doubt one of the best pieces of fish I have ever had. There was some lemon confit or garnish of some sort that unexpectedly gave the sauce an extraordinary bite. It was topped by a quenelle like sized mixture of finely chopped beets and horseradish that was equally good.

Our other meals were equally good.

Service was top notch. Professional but not pompous. Polished as befits a resort with its high prices but knowledgeable enough to know how to "read" a table to know who are, "sir, madam" v. "Mr. and Mrs" v. "Bob & Sandy".

After a couple of days that flew by too quickly we headed to Victoria where we had another good meal at Brasserie l'Ecole and some appetizers at LURE in the lobby of the Ocean Pointe. I think that LURE will be a nice addition.

We are looking forward to returning in the Fall when we hope to have more time to visit Choux-Choux, Zambri's, Brio, Rosemeade and also get into Tofino to see what Mathias Konradi [sp?] is doing at his cafe/deli across from the liquor store and behind the Schooner.

[FannyBay]

Didn't know whether to add this to the Farners Market thread or the Vancouver Island thread but as this was the most current...

There is a great article (the 1st of a 2 part series) by Mia Stainsby in todays Vancouver Sun on the Cowichan Valley, Duncan Farmers Market and other great food stops in the area.

I don't have a subscription to the Vancouver Sun on-line so can't link, maybe someone else can.

Edited by FannyBay, 06 July 2005 - 01:23 PM.

[Zucchini Mama]

The Zucchini family is back from a fantastic vacation in and around Sooke. We stayed in a lovely cabin in the woods, and spent our days on the beach, lolling about in the hot tub on the deck, and exploring the area. Highlights include afternoon tea at Point No Point, lunch at the Little Vienna Bakery, and a comparative tasting between Rock crab ($4) and a 2 lb. Dungeness ($11). We bought the crabs right from the fisherman who of course, never touches the stuff!

As I write this, the smell of baked loganberries is winding its way up the stairs, as I cooked them in a fruit pudding (modified from the blueberry pudding cake recipe on this month's Gourmet magazine). After I simmered the berries with sugar, I strained off most of the juice, which tastes like raspberries to the power of ten. Loganberries were described to me by our host as "raspberries on steroids."

On the way back we had lunch at the Brentwood Bay Lodge, which unfortunately was disappointing. We've eaten at their pub before (well, outside the pub because no minors are allowed), and I liked that food better.

So those are the highlights, and I will post some details once I get my photos developed. It will take a while, since I'm off to Saltspring Island to do some navel gazing and discover my real purpose in life, I hope!

[Hugh]

This evening my girlfriend and I made it into Oh-Sho Yakiniku (915 Fort St.) for the Yakiniku they serve on Saturday and Sunday nights. The food was fantastic and and it's a really fun to eat with a little grill on the table (a shichirin) and the ability to eat at your own pace.

The meal.

Starters

-Miso Soup
-Takowasa - a great little octopus and wasabi salad that was very delicious
- Shishamo - whole little fish that are very similar to capelin, they arrived cooked, but we found that if you put them on the shichirin for a bit longer and crisped the skin a bit more the texture was much better.

Meat

-kalbi
-fillet - both the kalbi and the fillet had great marinades, we found the yakiniku sauce was almost unnecessary
-liver - excellent with the misochili paste
-tongue - absolutely fantastic, beautiful mouth filling flavour

A plate of veggies was also included to grill, including slices of squash that were very tasty.

Dessert

We had two different ice creams. One maccha flavoured, which was excellent, and the most surprising and delicious taste of the evening was a maple and kinako (fine soybean flour) ice cream that I thought was totally amazing.


They also offer a number of other things to put on the grill, including marinaded and spiced seafoods and chicken. It's a restaurant that definitely has the potential for repeat visits, and it would be a lot of fun for larger groups of people.

Edited by Hugh, 18 July 2005 - 12:05 AM.

[canucklehead]

I was in Victoria for the first time in 15 years this weekend. I was helping with a 4 and 5 year old - so did not get to eat out at some of the more interesting places. Still it was a fun visit - the local food scene seems very robust.

Got to finally go to a Thrifty's and they reminded me of Stong's. Good quality of stuff, great mixture of organics and conventional products. Giving shoppers a wide range of choices without grandstanding. They have a store in Tsawassen and will be opening a location in PoCo - hopefully expanding towards my hood.

Victoria seems like this crazy mix of Berkely-esque lefty politics and redneck sensibilities. Went to the Luminara and saw what hippies do best - appropriate another culture's ritual (in this case - the Chinese Latern Festival) and make it more shiny, fun, and family oriented. It was great. I got to sample some Shady Creek Ice Cream (a mellow, not too sweet, softly creamy Ginger Ice Cream) and marching behind middle-aged hippies dressed like faeries and medieval fair rejects - it was like a perfect little BC summer moment.

[Andrew Morrison]

At the Rosemeade tonight for a recce, a bite, and a conversation with Mark. You were right, Shelora. What an awesome place!

[Zucchini Mama]

Lunch in Sooke

We had a tough time finding a place to eat lunch in Sooke. I wanted to eat as much local food as possible. The tourist info place was absolutely friggin' clueless. A couple of days later I figured out something important: if you want to know about anything in Sooke, ask at the Sooke Harbour House where they are friendly, knowledgeable and articulate. There were four people working at the tourist place who had absolutely no clue as to where we should eat lunch and sent us to a biker bar that didn't even allow children in the first place! ARRGH! I turn into a rabid zucchini when I'm starving and it's not a pretty sight to behold!

We ended up eating at a cafe in a gift shop, which served local seafood in dishes seemed to be warmed up in a microwave. Their cakes looked really good, but I took one back to the cabin, took one bite before I realized the bottom was covered in mold. (We returned the next day and they swiftly switched it with fresher baking.)

Then we discovered the Little Vienna Bakery. This place is excellent. Their desserts are awesome, fresh, and their sandwiches are stellar. They have a cheese counter as well. We sat down for lunch, and they were immediately slammed, with one waitress to serve the whole place. She did so well. She kept her cool, stayed focussed and made everyone happy. I ate the best tomato and boccancini sandwich I've ever had in my life.

I took a piece of their cake of the day to eat on the deck of the cabin. It was simply layers of genoise, crushed raspberries and whipped cream. It was like being in the Vienna, in the woods. That's how I like to "camp"!


Speaking of which, here's a picture of another way we like to camp: with a glass of unctuous kiwi fruit wine from Marley winery and a piece of Etorki cheese from Little Vienna.

Zuke

[Andrew Morrison]

Checked out Lure today. Some Victoria hotels appear to have caught on to the notion that it's smarter to refer guests to their own restaurant rather than an independent when they ask the concierge "Where's a really good place to eat around here?"

These guys make the Empress look every bit her age!

[merlin]

Checked out Lure today. ..These guys make the Empress look every bit her age!

Andrew, what were your impressions of LURE?

We only had appetizers and glasses of wine [good list] during our stay but will be back out at the Delta come Fall.

Won't keep me away from Brasserie L'Ecole or Brio but when you are staying there and just want to relax and have a bite to eat and some good wine certainly is improved over the Boardwalk and Rickey's that used to be there....the long gone Victorian on the other hand was a terrfic spot to dine.

Edited by merlin, 10 August 2005 - 07:20 AM.

[malarkey]

We are going to be in Victoria for dinner Friday night, and I think I have the choices down to Brasserie L'Ecole or Paprika Bistro... somebody help me before my head explodes!! ..which one ?!?

[Memo]

We are going to be in Victoria for dinner Friday night, and I think I have the choices down to Brasserie L'Ecole or Paprika Bistro... somebody help me before my head explodes!! ..which one ?!?

If your head is still intact - hopefully - my gut-level recommendation is Brasserie L'ecole.
If you're familiar with my favorite Seattle restaurant, Le Pichet, then L'ecole is a loose cousin to Jim Drohman's place - but with chef Sean Brennan's great use of Vancouver Island ingredients.
Alternatively, you could have a couple of plates - and a drink - at both places. If you're not driving, though - you'll need to take a taxi out to Paprika (unless you're staying in Oak Bay).
Have a terrific weekend.
Memo

[malarkey]

If your head is still intact - hopefully - my gut-level recommendation is Brasserie L'ecole.
If you're familiar with my favorite Seattle restaurant, Le Pichet, then L'ecole is a loose cousin to Jim Drohman's place - but with chef Sean Brennan's great use of Vancouver Island ingredients.
Memo

I'm very familiar with Jim Drohman's place. It's high on my list too! Thanks Memo!

[treve]

i vote for brasserie for dinner (make a reservation for 2 for the table in the window = perfect) and pick up george's sausages to go from paprika. delish!

enjoy victoria - the dragon boat festival is this weekend so downtown will be hopping!