Sooke Harbour House (Sooke, BC)

1528 Whiffen Spit Road
Sooke , British Columbia
250.642.3421
website

While researching restaurants near Victoria, I read up on Sooke Harbour House, which offers a 3-course local seasonal menu for $49 on Friday and Sunday evenings. So I made reservations a few days after I booked my flight to Victoria for myself and Trapezista. Like Red Fish Blue Fish (our earlier meal in the day), Sooke Harbour House has a Top Chef Canada connection. This season's winner, Carl Heinrich, is from Sooke and worked at this restaurant! (A propos, just because Trapezista and I loved TCC.)

View of the back where the dining room is.

Sooke is a little town by the water in the south of Vancouver Island. It has its own garden and uses a lot of its own produce for its menu. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was raining so we did not get to spend a lot of time outside. Sooke Harbour House also offers a great view of the water, that would make a perfect romantic night out.

View from the dining room.

The menu changes daily. To start, Trapezista picked the smoked beet, leek & potato soup. I had a taste of the soup. The smokiness of the beets added another layer to the soup while not overpowering it, which is always a risk with smoke. I ordered the stellar bay Kusshi oysters, a small size West Coast oyster. I enjoyed the small oysters and the toasted dill seed mignonette. Trapezista tried her first oyster and was not too impressed by the texture.

Starter: Beet soup and oysters.

For the main course, Trapezista ordered the grilled Berkshire pork tenderloin, that looked perfectly cooked. Trapezista thoroughly enjoyed the locally sourced pork, on a bed of spaetzle and accompanied by cauliflower. She also ordered a glass of the 2009 Meritage, Lake Breeze that was the recommended wine to the pork dish.

Grilled Berkshire pork tenderloin.

I ordered the panfried silver grey rockfish, which our server informed us was quite ugly but delicious. The server also recommended the 2010 Noble Blend, Joie, for a fruity white wine that I thoroughly enjoyed – I even bought a couple of bottles to bring back home. He described it as a perfect summer wine, that tasted similarly to Gewrustamminer. While I did enjoy the fish, my favourite part of the dish was the smoked tuna, potato and quinoa fritters. The smoked tuna really added a nice smokey touch to the fritters and quinoa makes for an interesting filler for fritters. I also really liked the asparagus and bok choy as accompanying vegetables.

Panfried silver grey rockfish.

For dessert, Trapezista ordered the crème brulée that was infused with mable grey geranium with a strawberry square. When I tasted the crème brulée, I thought it tasted like lemongrass and we remembered the geranium infusion; I didn't realize geranium had such flavour. (On a side note, I think lemongrass could be an interesting touch to crème brulée, just like the pandan flavoured one at Nonya).

 

 Crème brulée and strawberry square.

I debated between the dark chocolate butter sponge cake and the cheese plate since the desserts didn’t interest me much. The dark chocolate cake and bittersweet chocolate ice cream was good but didn’t wow me. Complimentary sweets were a nice end note.

 

 Dessert.

I really liked that Sooke Harbour House focuses on serving local food and sources from their own garden. All the dishes looked very nice and were well executed. The restaurant is quaint and the views cannot be beat and is a great place for a special dinner. The four course menu is offered daily I believe for $74.

Red Fish Blue Fish (Victoria, BC)

1006 Wharf Street
Victoria, British Columbia
250.298.6877
website

During my first full day in Victoria, my old roommate, aka Trapezista, showed me around downtown Victoria. Before heading out to the wharf area, we saw a (relatively) short line before opening hour at Red Fish Blue Fish and decided to give it a try (and wait). Red Fish Blue Fish is an outdoor eatery in an up-cycled cargo container that has been featured on Eat St and its owner was also a competitor on the latest Top Chef Canada.

Red Fish Blue Fish.
 

The wait still ended up being 50 minutes, and we were unfortunately followed by two very loud-speaking obnoxious people. It was slightly amusing at the beginning, as listening in to strangers’ conversations can be, but quickly grew annoying. Snippets of conversations included gems such as “girls who date online are 90% princesses of everything” and “you could totally date a younger girl and it would not be creepy”. Sometimes I really wonder about people…

View from the pier.

Onto the food… I had my heart set on ordering the BBQ Qualicum scallop tacones but was very disappointed to find out it was not available on that day. After pondering it for 50 minutes, I made up my mind to order the chipotle shrimp tacones. When we got to the ordering counter, I asked how the shrimp was cooked and was told it was served cold. This did not appeal to me so I ordered my third choice of tempura cod tacones ($5). I was very happy with my choice; you can never go wrong with ordering deep fried fish and I liked the combination of the slaw, pea shoots and chili adobo sauce.

Tempura Cod Tacones.

Trapezista ordered the BBQ salmon tacones ($5) as British Columbia is well known for salmon. She didn’t love her choice of fish.

BBQ Salmon Tacones.

We decided to share a serving of sweet red-curry slathered chips ($6.00). The chips were very good and we wished we had ordered them on their own. I had imagined a spicy Thai red curry but the sauce was an overly sweet tomato sauce that caused our chips to become soggy. We were sorely disappointed by our chips choice.

Red Curry Chips.

I love that Red Fish Blue Fish prides itself on only serving local fish. It also set up a station so organic waste could be composted and plastic trays reused. It is very popular so expect a long wait, at least an hour on a beautiful sunny day!

La Dépense (Montréal, QC)

7070 avenue Henri-Julien
Montréal, QC
514.273.1118
website

Elle has been raving about the accras and bahji at La Dépense in the Jean Talon market. Unfortunately, they only offer the fried treats during the warmer months and so I was only able to try them in May. La Dépense is a specialty spice store in the market. Elle gifted me with six different spice blends one year. The package also came with a little recipe booklet and I made very good corn and shrimp fritters.

La Dépense.

A sign on a table outside right outside the store announces that hot bahjis and accras are back. You have to head into the store, and your order is taken at the cash. One portion is $3.

After you pay, the cashier gives you a token and you head to the back where all the magic happens.

Bahji token.

We decided to order the bahjis, which are made with carrots, leeks and lentil flour.

Bhaji.

You can then head back outside where there is a variety of sauces to eat your bhajis with.

 

Bhaji close up. 

They're a perfect treat after doing your shopping at the market. Next time you visit Jean Talon market, make sure to leave some room for some fried treats!

Tasso Bar à Mezze (Montréal, QC)

3829 Rue St-Denis
Montréal, Québec
514.842.0867
website

My sister Elle has been crazy about online group coupons: Groupon, Living Social, etc. This time it was a $69 tasting menu at Tasso on Tuango. Elle purchased the coupon for her and her hubby, but a few days before the coupon was to expire, and her hubby still in Iceland, I got to taste the 7 services menu instead. I neglectfully brought my camera without a memory card, so all pics were taken with Elle's i-phone.

Tasso Bar à Mezze, located in the Plateau Mont Royal neighbourhood, specialises in seafood and small plate mezzes. The restaurant has a Mediterranean by the sea vibe. We were served complimentary grilled bread with olive oil to dip, bonus points for the nice char on the slices. Then came out the amuse bouche; the first was smoked mackerel and rémoulade and the second one was sea urchin and beets. Nice start to our seafood meal.

Complementary bread and amuse bouche.

The server explained to us that there were going to be five courses, mainly focused on seafood and meat at the end. The mezzes came out in pairs. Somehow, Elle understood that there were 5 dishes in total and convinced me of this. It was only halfway through our meal when we thought we were near the end that we realized there were still more dishes to come, for a total of 10 mezzes to share.

The first course consisted of a tartar of plaice and a shrimp salad over a chilled cucumber soup. Elle loves all fish or seafood tartars and this one with shaved fennel served on a cracker was no exception. We both thought the perfectly cooked shrimp salad was well seasoned, and a good combination with the fresh cucumber soup.

First course: tartar and shrimp salad.

The second courses were two similar fish dishes. One was a grilled porgy served with beans. I really liked the combination of creamy beans with fish. The second was a pan seared fish with cauliflower.

Second course: grilled and pan seared fish.

The third course included grilled sardines with a mackerel potato salad. Our absolutely favourite dish of the meal was a fried red-skinned fish on top of a polenta cake. It was one of the best polenta I ever had because it was creamy and smooth. When I asked the server what was in the polenta, he laughed and said polenta. I specified that it tasted like there was cream and eggs possibly, to which he replied he would check in the kitchen. He came back and said my guesses were spot on. This is good to know for the next time I attempt polenta.

Third course: grilled sardines and fish on polenta cake.

The fourth course consisted of cedar plank roasted black cod on a risotto croquette with eggplant caviar. The black cod was good but the dish was too similar to the previous fish on polenta cake. The accompanying mezze was clam chowder originally combined with braised pork, which added a smokey dimension to the chowder, and fingerling potatoes. I appreciated the fresh clams used.

Fourth course: black cod with risotto cake and clam chowder.

The final course focused on meat. Unfortunately, we were so focused on the challenge of finishing our meal like champs that we forgot to take pictures. The meat mezzes were braised duck and date purée in a phyllo pastry, and a smoked quail served with cabbage and squash.

Finally, the dessert course were a squash cake with caramelized apple purée toopped with cream cheese frosting and a flourless chocolate cake with orange marmalade and white chocolate frosting. Both desserts were a solid end to our meal.

Dessert.

Elle and I really enjoyed our meal at Tasso. The service was a bit funny with the server laughing at my polenta question, and having too ask multiple times for a spoon, and then a second spoon, even though we were clearly sharing our mezzes; but the food made up for it. Although the coupon was a good deal ($69 for a $152 value), it was still an expensive meal after the drinks, taxes and tip (on the whole value). So I would save this for a special occasion outing.

Le Valois (Montréal, QC)

25 Simon Valois Place
Montréal, Québec
514.524.2292
website 

After my tennis match with MC on a Sunday morning, we grabbed breakfast at Le Valois in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood. The HoMa neighbourhood had sparked my interest when I read about ArHoMa on Lake Jane. Le Valois also happened to be in Place Valois. We were nicely surprised that it offered a beautiful terrace so we could enjoy breakfast outside.

 Terrasse at Le Valois.

After our workout, we both enthusiastically ordered a fresh juice to hydrate ourselves. The Elixir ($4.95), a blend of mango, orange juice and strawberry juice was quite refreshing. We also noticed other patrons ordering sangria, maybe an idea for next time.

 The refreshing Elixir juice.

MC was intrigued by the croquette de chèvre, served with a beet sauce ($9.50). While she enjoyed the fried croquette of goat cheese, she was disappointed by the small portion. It would have been nice if it had come with a more filling salad, or a piece of bread.

 Croquette de chèvre.

I ordered the Spécial du Valois ($8.95), which consisted of 2 eggs, sausage, bacon, a baguette and potatoes. I had assumed correctly that “oeufs miroir” meant sunny side up. Good to know for next time as I don’t like my eggs that runny. The special was quite enough to fill me up, having both bacon and sausage on the dish. My favourite part was the pommes de terre rissolées; they were well cooked, well seasoned with a good amount of onion.

  Spécial du Valois.

Le Valois is a good place for breakfast, especially if you’re looking to sit on a terrace on a sunny morning. They also offer a late dinner special that would be nice to check out one day. Place Valois seems to have a lot offer when it comes to food. I’ll just have to come back to check out ArHoma another time (and fine sausages at William J. Walter).

P.S. this post is my first post using my i-phone and Instagram for pictures. This might be my preferred means of taking pics as it is much more convenient than carrying a camera all the time!

Sain Bol (Montréal, QC)

5095 rue Fabre
Montréal, Québec
514.524.2292

As mentioned previously, brunch seems like the quintessential weekend activity here in Montréal. The blog Montreal Breakfast Review even focuses on brunch and breakfast only in Montréal! This time, our friend E picked Sain Bol, in the east end of town, to meet up for brunch with Elle, Em and J.

Upon coming in, we were served complementary chai tea with almond milk. Not only was it a nice way to warm up to the rather still chilly spring air, the almond milk was a great compliment to the chai – I did not miss coffee at all. It was also nice that they refilled our mugs for free. We all thought the little crushed mugs too cute.

 

Sain Bol offers a small menu, that offers both savoury and sweet items. I ordered the combo ($14.95) that allowed me to taste nearly the whole menu (except for the grilled cheese) in small portions. While I appreciated that the gravlax was homemade, everyone who ordered the salmon thought it was too strong; it might have helped if the gravlax had been sliced a bit more thinly. I did really like the accompanying olive focaccia. I loved the yogurt parfait; it had pieces of honeycomb that added a nice sweetness against the tart yogurt. Finally, the goat cheese omelette with Portobello mushrooms was topped with fresh sprouts.

Combo: gravlax with olive focaccia, yogurt and omelette.

The French toast came in a perfectly sized small portion to end the brunch on a sweet note. It was topped with pineapple and plums.

French toast.

Everyone else got an item from the menu as individual portions: gravlax on focaccia ($12.95) and the French toast ($10.95).

Individual size gravlax with a side salad.

If you’re looking for a small local place for brunch, that is vegetarian and vegan friendly, Sain Bol is a great place to check out. Sain Bol is a small place, so call for a reservation if you want a table and note that they only accept cash.

Tuck Shop (Montréal, QC)

4662 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Montréal, Québec
514.439.7432
website

My sweet agent and friend MJ invited me out for dinner to celebrate the purchase of my new condo in Montréal. MJ suggested Tuck Shop and snagged us last minute seats at the bar for dinner. Tuck Shop is a bistro style restaurant located in the Sud Ouest neighbourhood.

Our bartender/server enticed us with a fish taco as the starter of the day. Unfortunately, when we ordered, they ran out of fish, so the fish was replaced with deep fried buffalo mozzarella. The outside was fried to a golden crisp, while the cheese was still oozing and exhibited stringy mozzarella properties. The taco was also filled with guacamole, beans and fresh lettuce which helped balance out the fried cheese, and made for a great starter.

For a main, MJ ordered the Boston Cod ($32), served with new potatoes, asparagus and fiddleheads. She really enjoyed her dish. When she accidentally knocked her wine glass into her dish, the server was sweet enough to quickly take the dish back into the kitchen and clean it up.

I ordered the fresh crab from Gaspésie ($35), served with asparagus, fiddleheads and sautéed mushrooms. The crab mixture was served into the crab shell, which made it easy to eat, although I did struggle with the crab claw that was served. The crab mixture was very good and I quite enjoyed the mushrooms. My small complaint is that the portion of vegetables seemed small. This seemed like the perfect "girly" dish, with no carbs in sight. I longingly looked at the steak dishes served with a massive amount of frites.

Tuck Shop is a gem in the Sud Ouest neighbourhood. I loved the bistro ambiance. The menu seems to change regularly to accommodate seasonal ingredients, so this would guarantee variety whenever you visit.