After an amazing lunch with a good friend of mine CJ Scott at the Japanese Village on Wednesday I thought I would dedicate my Favourite Things Friday post to my favourite restaurants in Victoria.
So let’s start with the Japanese Village. I am embarrassed to admit that if I was stranded on a deserted island and could only eat one thing that I would die a happy woman if it was the rice and sesame sauce from the Japanese Village. Seriously, it is that good. And if you throw their hibachi shrimp in there it is almost too much goodness to handle. Anyone who has been there before knows what I am talking about!
Now it would be a very very hard decision, but if I had to pick a favourite restaurant in town it would be il Terrazzo. I have raved about it on my blog on more than one occasion. Anyone that loves food as much as I do always has ‘that’ restaurant that they go to for celebrations, for a romantic evening, for a special night out. Il Terrazzo is mine. The fact that I could eat my weight alone just of their olive tapenade and fresh bread means I am off to a good start. I can salivate at the thought of their menu and have dreams where I own a wine cellar just like theirs. They don’t have a wine list, they have a book. A heavy book. That is my kind of restaurant.
Living on the west coast we are spoiled with insanely good seafood. And with fresh seafood comes AMAZING sushi. I am a huge sushi lover. It is a relatively new food favourite of mine, only within the past five years. But now that I am converted there is no stopping me. Darren and I eat sushi almost once a week. And although I have attempted making it, it is a meal I prefer to dine out for. In my humble opinion the best sushi restaurant in Victoria is Ebizo, hands down. I have sampled a LOT of different restaurants but there is something about Ebizo that is just unbeatable. I am also a big fan of Kuma Sushi on Bear Mountain too. Their tempura spicy crunch roll is out of this world !
Darren and I love local beer. He claims that he could personally keep Phillip’s Brewery in business with his business alone. I wouldn’t disagree 😉 Their chocolate porter beer is amazing! So one of our favourite restaurants with great local beer is the Canoe Brewpub. I love this restaurant. The view is incredible. The building has a ton of character – think exposed beams, brick walls and gorgeous chandeliers. They have awesome pub fare as well as fantastic west coast cuisine.
The Tapa Bar has to be one of Victoria’s most popular restaurants. Like Il Terrzzo it is always PACKED. Anytime. It has incredible food for sharing, a crazy energy and is decorated with amazing art by Luis Merino. Any restaurant that can make me crave carrots (even if they are smothered in butter and brown sugar) is in my good books!
I could go on and on. But these are my go-to faves. What are yours ??!!
There are quite a few restaurants on my list that I still really want to try: Cafe Brio, Sooke Harbour House, Camille’s and the Roseameade to name a few. Anyone recommend what I should try first ?? Drop me a comment and let me know what I should try next 🙂
No post is complete without a picture. This stunning arrangement was sent to me by my great friends Amy and Richard. The lovely ladies of Verbena Floral Design really create pieces of art. This bouquet made my jaw drop. Thank you Amy and Richard for making my week. You guys are amazing.
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wow, these places all sound great. personally, I can never do a trip to Victoria without a visit to Pagliachi’s…it’s an all time fave for me!
mmmm such good restaurants, makes me miss victoria! I always have that delicious steak sauce in my fridge for an afternoon snack whether its with rice, veg or meat, (let me know if you want the recipe). You have to try cafe brio its really good. I have 2 that aren’t on your list that you definitely must must try. The superior, great food and fun atmosphere, live music most nights, tons of art on the walls, and on wednesdays they do a classic movie. And my personal fave, Brasserie L’Ecole so so so unbelievably good, every year he gets put as one of the top chef’s and top wine lists in north america so I am sure you will love it as much as I do 🙂
Ok this is awesome !! My ‘must try’ restaurant list is growing thanks to you guys and I love any excuse to add to that list 😉
Japanese Village is mine and Jers faaaavorite place to eat when we come to to Victoria!! SO good!! <3
I haven’t been to Japanese Village, Il Terrazo, or Kuma yet. I guess I need to get out more. I love Fifth Street Bar and Grill. They have consistently great food. If it was downtown, I’m sure it would be impossible to get in without a reservation. I also love Stage Wine Bar lately. The haloumi salad is amazing, plus the bartender has an Irish accent.
next time i’m in yyj, let’s have lunch at the japanese village 🙂
Mmmmm….eating at restaurants….all of your faves are outta this world, but I would love to add a few: Black Olive restaurant is amazing as well is Nar cafe and bistro down by Oak Bay Marina – it is the only Turkish (yep that’s right) restaurant in Victoria and then ishkander kebab is to DIE for! Enjoy!