Victoria is famous for certain edible experiences, such as afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel and sustainable fish and chips at Red Fish, Blue Fish. Both are great experiences worth a go (although the line-ups at Red Fish can be daunting – try a weekday if you can). Getting off the well-trodden tourist path, however, can lead to more intrepid experiences that will both surprise and please the palate.
Ulla
This small, 40-seat restaurant, located in Victoria’s Chinatown, has been run by life and business partners Brad Holmes and Sahara Tamarin for less than a handful of years, but has already won international recognition. Vancouverites might remember Tamarin from her time at Aurora Bistro, Parkside, the original Lumière, and Uva and Cibo at the Moda Hotel.
Serious front-of-house cred, in other words. Holmes is the kitchen guru, and has polished his chops at the likes of West, Aurora Bistro, Feenie’s and Cibo. The room is modern, urban and young at heart, as is the food. Everything is hyper-local and wholly sustainable. Most of it comes from the island, almost all is from BC. Menus change seasonally (or more frequently), depending on what’s available, so expect surprises.
A “snack” of whipped tuna belly licked with sriracha over a squid ink rice crisp and topped with some green garlic relish was a revelatory experience, as was the summer vegetable salad. The latter was a poem on a plate, studded with fresh, housemade cheese and rainbow-coloured produce. Thiessen Farm quail with stuffed and fried morels and a quail raviolo was so hearty and rich it could have been a main instead of a starter, but we didn’t mind.
509 Fisgard St. | 250-590-8795 Ulla.ca
Camille’s
This charming underground restaurant (I mean that literally, as the main dining space is downstairs from the ground floor entry) has been in operation for over 30 years. Just a little over a year ago, however, it was taken over by chef Stephan Drolet and his wife and business partner, Jamie Williams. What was once a tired “family” restaurant has been given new life with Drolet’s inspired culinary imaginings.
The menu changes frequently, depending on what’s available locally, but a recent visit had us trying a lovely seafood bisque brightened with lemon and ginger, and served with a long spiced cracker topper with spot prawns, scallops and trout roe. A dish of house-cured duck ham with fresh peas, parmesan and a 64-degree egg (meaning warm and creamy) was simple and fantastic. Go for the five-course tasting menu for $60 to really get into Drolet’s fantastic groove.
49 Bastion Square | 250-381-3433 | CamillesRestaurant.com
Hank’s Untraditional BBQ
If the name rings a bell, you’ve obviously been to Ucluelet, where the original Hank’s has been serving up barbecue and other smoky goodness to surfers and campers for several years now.
Co-owners Clark Deutscher and François Plion are certainly untraditional business partners. Plion hails from a fine French cookery background in Montreal, while Deutscher was a banker from Winnipeg. The two have obviously made the right career choice, as Hank’s is full of meaty, smoky goodness, and has a steady stream of locals darkening its door.
Corn bread is authentic, moist and delightfully buttery, baked fresh in large cast-iron skillets and sliced to order. Pulled pork is fantastic, but try one of the specials, like the smoked lamb and beef neck sandwich, or go with the combo plate—two meats and three sides for $24. It’s enough for two to share for lunch, unless you’ve just finished an Iron Man. The pork shoulder is smothered in caramelized onions, while the beef brisket, rubbed with coffee and cocoa, and drizzled in a guajillo chili barbecue sauce, is rich, earthy and deeply satisfying.
1001 Douglas St. | 778-433-4770 Twitter @HanksBBQVic
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