2008 was an interesting year, which saw closures of a few places that should have stayed open, including Sushi Rock Café, Wren and Verjus, while other places that prey on tourists and should have been closed years ago remain in business. Go figure. All in all, it was another year of good dining on Vancouver Island, and I am happy to share some of my new discoveries and old favourites with you, and I wish you the best for 2009.
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HUNAN VILLAGE
546 Fisgard St.
250-382-0661
Don't go here if you think a good Chinese restaurant must have carved furniture and fancy lanterns. Do go if you want a change from the usual Cantonese dishes that you can get in most other Chinese restaurants in town. Humble in appearance it might be, but service is always pleasant, and dishes like fragrant gold coin beef, and meat pie with savoury minced pork, crisp lettuce and scallions slathered in a rich brown sauce between layers of crisp flour pastry keep regulars coming back. Lunch and dinner specials for one or more persons are both creative (no sweet and sour pork or fried rice here, thank you) and generous.
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NICHE
225 Quebec St.
250-388-4255
This dining room set in a converted Victorian house offers great food and (usually) skilled service; just don't expect to peruse an interesting list of dishes. Niche persists with its contrived descriptions of food, meaning servers usually have to describe the entire menu after delivering it. (A vegetarian dish is described as "vegetables, raw, cooked???") Three question marks? This is irritating to people like me, who don't think a red line across a white canvas constitutes a painting and is probably the reason it isn't busy here, because the chef certainly has talent. Reasonably priced menus with wine pairings are available, if a little skimpy on the entrée side of things.
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LURE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT AND BAR
Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort,
45 Songhees Rd.
250-360-5873
Besides the best view of the Inner Harbour, Lure offers some spectacular food. Begin with a salad crafted from baby spinach and young potatoes, garnished with radish, grape tomatoes, olives and shaved prosciutto, or Ahi tuna tartare tossed with a soy chili marinade and presented with pickled ginger and sprouted wheat crostinis. Follow with pan-seared wild salmon with Russian diver scallops and orzo risotto, or the sumptuous rack of lamb crusted with herbs and served with potato and wild mushroom pave and red onion compote. Finish with a selection of cheeses or a warm chocolate brownie drizzled with espresso marshmallow cream and butter toffee.
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HERON ROCK BISTRO
4-435 Simcoe St.
250-383-1545
I am delighted to say that the Heron Rock Bistro has emerged from an awkward adolescence. What was once a difficult space is now a comfortable room. The menu offers a good range of well-prepared dishes at affordable prices. It has good brunch dishes on the weekend, but visit early or late to avoid the rush. Lunch dishes include lemon and herb scented chicken and avocado salad with Stilton vinaigrette, free range egg and tomato; or duck confit with mixed organic lettuces, orange and coriander vinaigrette and fried potatoes. Going for dinner? Try the featured three-course dinner (average price $25) or steak frites with aioli.
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AMUSE BISTRO
753 Shawnigan-Mill Bay Rd.,
Shawnigan Lake
250-743-3667
The slow-food movement meets French bistro style in this little spot north of town. Begin with the house salad of garden greens, pickled beets, toasted hazelnuts, Hilary's blue cheese and pickled quails eggs sprinkled with walnut and chive vinaigrette; or try chanterelle mushrooms in brandy cream with thyme on toast. Continue with pan-seared freshwater Sooke trout, paired with butternut squash and sage gnocchi and sorrel velouté; or slow-cooked pork belly, served with warm lentil salad and sauce charcuterie. Special dinners are offered throughout the year, but get in early to avoid disappointment.
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FORT STREET CAFE
742 Fort St.
250-382-3130
Visit this funky little subterranean café for great homemade soups and sandwiches and a truly welcoming atmosphere. Stop in on the weekends for a brunch buffet that has something for everyone and live jazz, or visit Friday evenings for trivia night.
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SAIGON HARBOUR RESTAURANT
1012 Blanshard St.
250-386-3354
This Vietnamese restaurant is a popular spot for lunch among the downtown office crowd, owing to the fast service and consistently good grub. Start with salad rolls stuffed with prawns, vermicelli and crisp vegetables to dunk in the addictive peanut sauce, but save room for a massive bowl of soup. Try traditional pho, wonton or hot and sour soup with seafood or grab a plate of grilled lemongrass-scented pork with noodles.
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TROPICAL ISLAND RESTAURANT
3690 Shelbourne St.
250-477-2358
Craving a menu with Malaysian, Thai, Singaporean and Chinese influences? You'll find all that here, not to mention pleasant service. Take a seat and savour crispy prawn rolls, flat rice noodles with prawns and chunks of peppers in a thick, spicy basil sauce; or battered pork bound in a better than average sweet and sour sauce with pineapple and lychee. Affordable lunch specials include Thai green curry with chicken -- delivering heat and sweetness, plenty of meat, cubes of bamboo shoots and crisp green vegetables and a mound of steaming rice.
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THE OLIVE GROVE
4496 West Saanich Rd.
250-479-9361
A good bet for genuine Hellenic flavours, this large restaurant also offers great specials in the evening. Go hungry so you can indulge in a warm spinach salad with chunks of seared chicken breast, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and olives tossed with house vinaigrette, and follow up with lamb cooked until it falls off the bone or one of the platters such as moussaka, chicken souvlaki, spanakopita, roast potatoes, Greek salad, pita and tzatziki. Kid friendly.
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THE LOCAL KITCHEN
1205 Wharf St.
250-385-1999
Even with its recent installation of public "art," Bastion Square will be a popular spot this summer, and though the Local Kitchen offers expanded seating in the square, it can be tricky to get a spot. The simple solution is to visit now for good food in enormous portions. Starters include crab and spinach dip or blackened tuna tataki, but I wish they would bring back the Vietnamese spring rolls. Entrées include refreshingly different dishes such as halibut curry and classics like grilled lamb chops.
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DEEP COVE CHALET
11190 Chalet Rd.
250-656-6541
The view from the dining room over the water is as spectacular as the grounds here, and a stroll before or after a meal here shouldn't be missed because once the food hits the table, you won't be looking out the window. Classic French dishes include prawn tartlette, duck salad, lobster thermidor and rabbit simmered with white wine and prunes. The set menus are both tempting and a bargain.
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SAUCE BAR AND RESTAURANT
1245 Wharf St.
250-382-8662
This is another spot that has grown out of its awkward phase and is producing some good dishes, though service can still be spotty when it is busy. Fusion works here with dishes like baked naan bread, topped with tapenade, oven-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan or sweet potato fries served with aioli blended with a hint of Creole spices. Try a tuna steak sandwich crafted from seared sesame-seed crusted sashimi-grade ginger toast with ketjap manis or wasabi pea-encrusted wild salmon drizzled with cilantro lime butter.
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UNION PACIFIC COFFEE COMPANY
537 Herald St.
250-380-0005
This comfortable coffee house offers light and lunch menus, but visit here in the evenings to build your own platter from a great selection of charcuterie and cheeses. A fun place to get together with a few friends, or if you need privacy, the tiny patio out back is about as hidden as you can get in this town.
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LE CAFE FRANCAIS
153 Commercial St., Nanaimo
250-716-7866
You don't have to stay on the southern tip of the island to enjoy great French food. The next time you visit Nanaimo, make sure you visit this
family-run gem and indulge in a little escargot or crepe or two. Everything is good, the service is friendly and the prices are astonishingly low for the quality of the food. So you'll have to eat salad for a few days afterward? So what? C'est tout magnifique. Warning: Brush up on your French, lest you be teased mercilessly.
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ZAP THAI
1207A Esquimalt Rd.
250-389-1845
Chef Lek Kitzler shares the skills she honed in her mother's Bangkok restaurant, cranking out home-style Thai dishes in a casual atmosphere. A tiny spot with an open kitchen and seating for about 20 at tables, this is the real deal. Try one of six soups, red curry duck, gently spiced chicken satay to dip in sweetened vinegar dip and peanut sauce, larb salad with chunky pieces of grilled red and green onions, and your choice of pork or chicken, dressed with a mixture of lime juice, fish sauce, chili, mint, cilantro and ground roasted rice. Zap Thai offers plenty of choice for vegetarians, and custom heat levels are not a problem.
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PACIFIC RESTAURANT
Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville St.
250-380-4458
This is a great spot to take out-of-town visitors after the de riguer stroll around the harbour. Try a vegetarian sandwich for lunch, with curried eggplant paste, basil, oven-dried tomato, watercress, fried Vidalia onions and fresh mozzarella; or a rib eye sandwich garnished with oven-dried tomato, fried onions and gooey Havarti cheese. Elegant dinner entrées include halibut dressed with truffled leek and tomato in a pool of carrot and Fino sherry-infused broth, and slow-roasted free-run chicken with fried sage gnocchi and earthy tapenade.
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SEN ZUSHI
940 Fort St.
250-385-4320
Visit here for the best sushi menu in town. Everything from California and dynamite rolls to more interesting choices such as temaki with chopped tuna and salty fermented soy beans; and rolls stuffed with chopped scallops, spicy sauce and cucumber is on offer, along with an abundance of traditional dishes that would hold their own from Tokyo to Osaka. If you have a Japanese friend who is suffering from incurable homesickness, a visit to Sen Zushi might be just what they need.
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CAFE MARRAKECH
2551 Quadra St.
250-412-0774
Start off with refreshing mint tea and relax as you enjoy the extraordinary hospitality and fragrant food you find in a medina -- or in this case, the Quadra village. The menu offers traditional Moroccan fare, including soup, salads, cous cous and tajines. Chicken with olives and lemons is especially good, as are lamb and beef meatballs made with freshly ground meat, baked with tomato and coriander sauce, which I slathered with smoky harissa, made from dried chilies, garlic, caraway seeds and other spices.
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SZECHUAN EXOTIC CHINESE CUISINE
853 Caledonia Ave.
250-384-0224
Give the egg rolls and wonton soup a break and visit here for something different the next time you crave Chinese food. Green-onion pancakes and shredded, chilled breast meat seasoned with sugar, vinegar and chili oil, topped with sliced scallions, served on a bed of crisp noodles makes a good start. Continue with plump noodles and spicy shredded Mongolian beef. I'm glad to see someone here has figured out that Szechuan doesn't mean an overdose of ginger and soy sauce with chili paste.
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CARDEN STREET WEST
1164 Stelly's Cross Rd.,
Brentwood Bay
250-544-1475
Intriguing dishes here include excellent lobster bisque and seared lobster, prawn and scallop cakes, served with thick slices of the most perfect oranges I have ever tasted, and wasabi mayonnaise to begin. The lamb rack alone is worth the drive, but don't miss out on other superb dishes such as seafood fettuccini slathered with cream, wine, herbs and just the right amount of cheese; or pan-seared beef tenderloin topped with goat cheese and tomato, and finished with a Madeira-herb sauce.
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PIZZERIA PRIMA STRADA
105-230 Cook St.
250-590-8595
Finally -- a place that makes real pizza. Forget your deep dish nightmares with fake mozzarella and Cajun chicken, this is the real deal. Begin with a simple salad of shaved fennel, orange and red onion, simply dressed with fennel seeds, wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and mint, or antipasto while you wait for your pie, perhaps topped with mixed olives, sopresatta, fresh basil leaves and mozzarella. A little red wine, a little gelato, and all the stresses you felt walking in will vanish. Do expect a lineup and you won't be disappointed.
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ORALE
1002 Johnson St.
250-590-3370
Pick up some Mexican grocery staples while you're here, chowing down on a bowl of hearty pozole and a tamale steamed in a corn husk and served with mole sauce that will make you think you're in Mexico City. The taco selection includes beef barbacoa and nopal, made with stripped cactus paddles flavoured with chili and tomato; we were warned that the latter were very spicy. We also tried chicken marinated in spicy tomato-based salsa roja, cochinita pibil (a Yucatan specialty of slow-cooked marinated pork) and al pastor (grilled pork and pineapple). For something with a little more heat, try smoky, slightly astringent tinga, made with green tomatoes, onions, pulled beef, pork and chorizo sausage simmered in chipotle sauce. Cheap and delicious.
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BLUE PETER PUB AND RESTAURANT
2270 Harbour Rd., Sidney
250-656-4551
The interior might be a couple of decades out of date, but the food isn't. A three-course menu offered each evening for between $35 and $45 includes smoked salmon ravioli tossed with cream and baby spinach, followed by a mixed grill featuring a lamb chop, pork tenderloin and steak with a warm chocolate brownie and espresso ice cream. Or order a la carte and try the seafood chowder that is almost a meal in itself, perhaps followed by braised lamb shank, truffled mashed potatoes and a spectacular assortment of colourful vegetables.
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HARO'S
Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa
9805 Seaport Place, Sidney
250-655-9700
Service is spectacular, and so is the food. We began with grilled calamari served with cucumber chili salad and superb beef carpaccio, dotted with fried capers and garnished with organic leaves and crostini. I found room for a honey-glazed filet of salmon garnished with candied orange and served with an earthy chestnut and bacon risotto and garnished with candied orange. My friend was ultimately defeated by bouillabaisse packed with root vegetables, clams, mussels, ling cod, salmon and seared scallops in rich tomato broth infused with saffron and a shot of Pernod.
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CHARTER'S RESTAURANT
McMorran's Beach House,
5109 Cordova Bay Rd.
250-658-5527
This Cordova Bay fixture offers a knockout view and a good range of dishes, though we were surprised to see that the appetizer list did not contain any sort of shrimp or prawn dish. That being said, you can comfort yourself with other seafood dishes, including Alaskan King crab legs, smoked salmon filet with compound butter and Calvados, and baked halibut with orange oil.
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O BISTRO
Oswego Hotel, 500 Oswego St.
250-294-7500
A good spot to grab a bite to eat complete with an indoor fireplace for winter and one on the sheltered patio for cooler summer nights. My only real gripe is the overpriced and limited wine selection, but the food is interesting and lives up to expectations. Try chive battered prawns, yellow fin tuna on angel hair pasta tossed with julienne vegetables and blood-orange cream sauce or prosciutto-wrapped chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and served on truffle potato cake and red wine jus.
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PHO VY
772 Fort St.
250-385-5516
You'll find a lineup here at lunch for a reason, but fear not -- for some reason you never have to wait long. If you go, try goi cuon nha trang. These fat rolls stuffed with vermicelli, slices of warm grilled garlic sausage, fresh basil and shredded vegetables served with a dipping sauce are almost a meal in themselves. If you need some warming soup, there are several excellent renditions of pho here, along with bun bo hue, a hearty noodle soup with sliced pork, beef and meatballs, and a heady broth laden with chili and lemongrass.
