Foodie Paradise: Victoria, B.C.

Kristie Hang|May 25, 2018 1:55 am EST

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Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, sits on the southern end of Vancouver Island. Nicknamed "The Garden City", Victoria, has gone through a food revolution in the last few years due to its thriving technology sector. Technology has become Victoria's largest revenue generating industry and in turn, attracted chefs and food entrepreneurs from all over the world making it a foodie's paradise. And at a mere 27-minute flight from Seattle, Washington, Victoria makes for a perfect mini vacation for food lovers.

Victoria is an island destination surrounded by fertile farming regions like the Cowichan Valley. Victoria's restaurants and cafés use locally foraged and fresh ingredients. Seafood is caught fresh in the nearby Pacific waters. There's also a surprising amount of vegan and vegetarian dining options as well. Drinkers will be treated to locally made wines, ciders, craft beer and spirits. There's also Canada's oldest Chinatown where the historic streets are lined with restaurants and shops filled with tea, dessert, and other fine dining options in town. Here's what foodies can look forward to in Victoria!

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The Courtney Room

The Courtney Room is one of Victoria's newest dining hot spots. It opened its doors in April of 2018 in the famed Magnolia Hotel & Spa. Helmed by Chef Sam Harris, The Courtney Room utilizes local and seasonal ingredients with a French twist. The bar section has fresh-shucked oysters and fun bar snacks like mini chicken kiev bites, adult square tater tots coated in duck fat, Dungeness crab croquettes, tuna deviled egg, rabbit and pork terrine, beef tartare, etc. The upstairs section is reserved for fine dining where local seafood, steak, and wine are on the menu. Chef Harris also offers a rotating Chef's Tasting Menu with the option to add wine pairings. Menu Highlights include their In-house cured meats, scallop, halibut, duck breast, caviar potato chips, Earl Grey Opera cake, among others.

The Courtney Room, 619 Courtney Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1B8, (250) 940-4090, https://thecourtneyroom.com

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OLO is a small farm-to-table fine dining restaurant located in Victoria's Chinatown neighborhood. With only a dozen or so tables in total, the restaurant churns out elevated dishes and cocktails. Executive Chef Brad Holmes uses quality B.C. ingredients like island-raised beef, fish from nearby waters, and produce foraged or grown by local farmers.The menu constantly changes based on what ingredients are available locally and in season. The word "Olo" translates to "hungry" in Chinook Jargon, a language based on English, French, Chinese, and Chinook. OLO's menu pays homage to its namesake and features dishes from a melting pot of cultures. There are a number of gluten free and vegetarian options as well. Standouts include: Elderberry and apple kombucha, shrimp toast with smelt roe, puffed beef tendon, Potato Gnocchi, Sablefish Collar, Alder Smoked Salmon, lamb tartare. The vibe is upscale, yet modern, making it the perfect date night location.

OLO Restaurant, 509 Fisgard St, Victoria, BC V8W 2P3, Canada, (250) 590-8795, https://www.olorestaurant.com/

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DoboSala Cantina Ride-Thru

DoboSala Cantina Ride-Thru is a recent addition to Victoria. Chef Kunal Ghose, formerly of Fishhook, opened his own fast-casual Indo-Pacific cuisine. DoboSala is a mix of Southeast Asian, Pacific, Polynesia, and even Indigenous dishes.

Chef Ghose taps into his Indian cooking background to create a laid back, relaxed modern cantina filled with a melting pot of shareable plates and bowls and Indo-Pacific inspired cocktails.They have a great Happy Hour as well as various vegetarian choices plus a dedicated gluten-free fryer for those patrons who have dietary restrictions. There's also a very unique "ride-thru" window for the cyclists can ride up with their bikes and get their food quickly to go. The food is extremely flavourful. Favorites included: fry bread, local shrimp and squid onigiri, adobo chicken bowls topped with Korean Gochujang sauce, among others.

DoboSala Cantina Ride-Thru, 760 Pandora Ave, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8W 1N9, (250) 590-6068, https://dobosala.com

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Victoria Public Market

The Victoria Public Market opened in 2013 and has since become a food hall, local hangout, and one-stop shop destination. Open seven days a week, the venue not only plays host to live music, unique artisan arts and crafts, but there are a number of stalls that showcase Victoria's thriving locally-sourced, farm-to-table, gourmet cuisines. Two particular standouts located in the Victoria Public Market include The Very Good Butchers and the newly-opened La Pasta.

The Very Good Butchers sells delicious organic meat alternatives that not only are good for you, but taste delicious. It's hard to believe that their bacon wasn't real bacon. Try their burgers, ribs, or Philly Cheeze Steaks, are all made without an ounce of meat. The Very Good Butchers is perfect for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone that just wants to reduce their meat consumption while having tasty food.

Chef Aaron Lawrence makes all his pasta fresh daily at La Pasta using water and durum wheat semolina. Patrons can see their pasta being made from scratch. Choose from an array of fettuccine, rigatoni, and other pastas. There's also tasty non-pasta dishes like fried artichoke and tiramisu cake.

Victoria Public Market, 1701 Douglas St #6, Victoria, BC V8W 0C1, Canada, (778) 433-2787, https://victoriapublicmarket.com

[[{"fid":"4968046","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"9":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"9"}}]]Little Jumbo

Little Jumbo is one of Victoria's most well-known venues for dinner and drinks. Nestled downtown in a cozy space with about 20 tables, Little Jumbo is a local and tourist favorite with lines that frequently extend out the door. Little Jumbo is reminiscent of a hidden speakeasy. It's tucked at the end of a hall and down a flight of stairs. But unlike your typical speakeasy that only focuses on drinks, Little Jumbo wows with their local farm to table style dishes, and cocktails.

The design is modern and sleek. Very Instagrammable. Nate Caudle handles Little Jumbo's cocktails. His team and him create a new set of original cocktails every 6 weeks to keep guests returning for more. The centerpiece of the restaurant is the long wooden bar where you can watch the mixologists at work. In fact, they won best commercial design on Vancouver Island in 2014.

In addition to the drink menu constantly changing, the food menu also changes according to what is in season. Past dishes include: steamed Manila clams with chorizo, confit duck carbonara, chickpea fritters, among others.

Little Jumbo, 506 Fort Street Victoria BC V8W 1E6 Canada, (778) 433-5535, http://littlejumbo.ca[[{"fid":"4968049","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"12":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"12"}}]]The Cowichan Valley

The Cowichan Valley is the ultimate must-visit for food and wine enthusiasts with its warm Mediterranean-like climate that makes it ideal for growing grapes and other bounty. The Valley produces some of the freshest food in the Pacific Northwest. Tour and sample award-winning wineries in the area while eating like a the local. For those that want to take the stress out of planning, Magnolia Hotel and Spa offers a new Curated Journeys tour where a local guide from Island Time Tours takes guests out of the city to explore the scenic hiking and the Cowichan Valley wine country and beyond.

[[{"fid":"4968048","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"11":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"11"}}]]Venturi-Schulze Vineyards

All the wines at Venturi-Schulze Vineyards are grown from start to finish on the family's 18-acre vineyard in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. They use sustainable and natural farming techniques without any insecticides or herbicides in their wines.The wines are unique and made in small batches. Wine varieties include: including Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Auxerrois, Madeleine Sylvaner, Siegerrebe, Schönburger, Ortega and Kerne. The winery not only grows their grapes for the wines, but also for their organic balsamic vinegar. At the end of the wine tasting, guests can taste Venturi-Schulze's balsamic vinegars and to learn how to properly use them.Their balsamic vinegar is made the traditional way, aged in over 100 barrels in custom made French oak barrels from near Modena, Italy. The vinegars are also used in fresh fruit jams and make for good souvenirs.

Venturi-Schulze Vineyards, 4235 Vineyard Rd, Cobble Hill, BC V0R 1L5, Canada, (250) 743-5630, http://www.venturischulze.com

[[{"fid":"4968047","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"10":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"10"}}]]Blue Grouse Estate Winery

Blue Grouse Estate serves as a fun juxtaposition to the aforementioned Venturi-Schulze Vineyards. Comprised of 65 acres in the Cowichan Valley, the estate is modern and luxurious. Similar to the smaller Venturi-Schulze Vineyards, Blue Grouse Estate is also family-owned and focuses on sustainability. Blue Grouse is still considered a smaller winery, with about 25,000 cases per year.

Guests can order cheeses and charcuterie plates and have a picnic on the estate's scenic patio to go with their wine. The view from inside and outside the Tasting Room are Instagram worthy. Varieties include: Bacchus, Black Muscat, Gamay Noir, Muller Thurgau, Ortega, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Siegerrebe. Book a wine tour and check out the cellar, learn about the vineyard, winemaking process, and history. Guests can also go behind the scenes with a tasting of barrel samples and library selections.

Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Vineyard, 2182 Lakeside Road

Duncan, BC V9L 6M3, (250) 743-3834. https://www.bluegrouse.ca/

[[{"fid":"4968050","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"13":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_image_alt[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_title[und][0][value]":false,"field_image_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_has_syndication_rights[und]":"1","field_licensor[und]":"","field_license_id[und][0][value]":""}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"13"}}]]Unsworth Vineyards Restaurant

Located in Cowichan Valley's wine country, Unsworth Restaurant is located in a restored early 1900s farmhouse. The charming dining room and patio has panoramic views of 12 acres of vineyards. The menu is seasonally inspired and constantly changing. The menu consists of locally grown, fresh, and foraged sustainable ingredients for their farm-to-table cuisine dishes. Chef Maartyn Hoogeveen works with neighbouring farmers and producers to use local ingredients for his dishes. Sit on the patio for the ultimate Cowichan Valley view and enjoy your meal with some wine from Unsworth Vineyards, as well as a selection of British Columbia wines. Their menu and wine list change with the seasons.

Unsworth Vineyards Restaurant, 2915 Cameron Taggart Rd #1

Mill Bay, BC V0R 2P2, 250-929-2292, https://www.unsworthvineyards.com/unsworth-restaurant/