{Travel Diaries} - Victoria, BC the food edition

 I've decided to try and institute "No Tech Tuesdays" this month.  Hopefully it will be successful and will really help us to focus and maximize our time together.  Good thing I'm writing this on a Monday ;)

I can't believe that it has been nearly TWO months since we traveled to Victoria, BC!  It really was a fantastic trip and a great way to celebrate Finnley's first birthday.  I thought I would break up the trip into a few different posts so today I am sharing all about the great places that we ate at in Victoria!

 We did a little bit of research before we left and if you know us then you know that we are obsessed with all things Ireland.  When we learned about Irish Times you know it was on our must eat list ;)  We ate lunch our first day and started with Poutine because when in Canada, Poutine.  It was amazing and really whet our palates for the rest of our meal.  Thomas got the Dublin Dawg which was a local sausage with grainy mustard, and bacon jam on a Pretzel roll.  I went with the Lamb Burger that was local lamb, apple chutney, and aioli on a brioche bun and a side salad that was to die for with goat cheese and candied nuts.  I haven't been much of a drinker in my life but recently I've decided to venture out and try some things.  I got the Pimm's Tea and it was so good, it has encouraged me to try out some drinks every now and again.

 We had a super early morning and were in need of an afternoon pick me up.  We walked past the cutest little coffee shop Pour and popped in.  They are a small family owned coffee shop and just opened their doors in 2016, but seriously they are a staple in the city.  I don't think I have ever had a better cup of coffee.  The barista was super friendly and loved our girls, the coffee was top notch and their espresso machine is the creme de la creme so you know you're bound to have a delicious cup of coffee, not to mention their prices are superb.  Ellie saw a giant pile of frosting on their carrot cake so we ordered that for her and I think that I might have to change my mind about carrot cake because it was so good!!  We loved Pour so much that we actually made a couple of visits there during our stay and I am still (nearly two months later) thinking about it and can't wait to go back and experience all that goodness again!!

For some reason Thomas and I love to try out Japanese restaurants while we travel (especially to Canada).  We love sushi and Ellie can eat a whole bowl of rice to herself (which is good since Japan is her native land) that it just seems like a match made in heaven. We checked out all of the Japanese restaurants in Victoria and Shima Village Japanese Restaurant won.  It was so delicious. We ordered a couple of different kinds of Sushi, I have a love affair with Udon and when I saw it on the menu there was no way it wasn't going to end up on our table, and then a side of rice for Ellie.  The Chicken Udon was everything I dreamed it would be and I'm pretty sure we licked the sushi plates clean.  The food was absolutely delicious and while the service was very slow they were extremely accommodating to our girls and insisted that we not clean up after them.

We stopped in to Frankie's Modern Diner for breakfast, they had a great Early Riser that Thomas ordered that came with eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and pancakes it was perfect for sharing with Ellie. I wanted to try out one of their Eggs Benedict and went with their Don Juan; the eggs were served on a fried polenta cake with chorizo, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and a chipotle hollandaise.  It was not a traditional Eggs Benny but you know what it was still really good.  The eggs were cooked just right, the polenta was delish and the hollandaise had a nice kick to it.  The restaurant itself was very clean, the bathroom was very spacious, and they didn't bat an eye to us bringing in our own coffee.  They were quick to get us seated, our server was very friendly, and they were quite accommodating to our girls as well.

If there is one thing we can all agree on its that Fish and Chips are our life blood.  Thomas read up about The Flying Otter Grill and we were determined to get there.  It's right on the water and you can watch the seaplanes take off and land. Their decor is super cool and our waitress was very friendly.  This restaurant though is super tiny so you have to time it just right so you don't have a long wait.  We shared the Pan Seared Crab Cakes because I always have to try them in they're on the menu...honestly I would pass on these, they were very underwhelming and just not worth it, but I am sure that another of their appetizers would be great.  We then shared the Cod fish and chips, they redeemed themselves with these because they really were quite good.  The fries were salty, soft on the inside and greasy...just the way I like them.  The fish was cooked well and the batter was so good.  We were able to sit outside with the girls and it was just a totally great atmosphere...not as kid friendly as the other restaurants - more like what we experience in the States so it was just fine.

I grew up visiting Murchies in Vancouver with my mom, so it always brings back good memories when I can visit again.  I was so pleased to see that they had such a convenient location in Victoria that I knew we just had to check it out. Y'all their bakery displays were so yummy looking it was so hard to choose what to order.  Ellie went with the macarons while Thomas and I got to indulge in a dense fudgy chocolate brownie, it was so decadent and just what we needed.  We also had a coffee drink that they served in gorgeous mugs and it all totally hit the spot.  Murchies did not disappoint.

We did an excursion to Butchart Gardens, which was the main reason for our whole trip which I will dedicate a whole separate post to, and we actually just ate in their Coffee Shop which was just perfect.  We shared a Chili Dog and Ellie ate our chips and then Thomas and I shared a gingerbread latte. The cashier's were quite slow and not very informative, they had a hard time understanding that we just wanted a cold iced milk for Ellie and they refused to sell us/make it for us.  The gardens were beautiful and I peeked into The Dining Room and decided the next time we visit we will be eating there and I will probably partake of their Afternoon Tea experience.

Our very favorite spot we ate at was 10 Acres Bistro, they have several different dining options in Victoria but the Bistro seemed to have the best offerings for us.  It is a Farm to Table experience and they offer my kind of food...delicious, a little eclectic, and all parts rustic.   Thomas had the Chuck Burger with bacon and cheddar,  the fries were so good and the burger was top notch.  I went with their meat and cheese platter and it really could not have been any more perfect.  I also ordered their French 75 to drink and it was almost as good as my Pimm's Tea but also equally delicious in its own right.  I am so looking forward to a return visit here and trying out more of their seasonal deliciousness. They were super nice to the girls, the booths had adorable pillows on them but they only had one high chair so Finnley spent half of our visit napping in the stroller until she woke up and the high chair became available.







All in all I would say that every spot we ate at was a total winner and I would go back to any of them, but our very favorites were Pour and 10 Acres Bistro. I highly recommend that you hit up those two establishments for sure on your visit to Victoria.


Have you ever been to Victoria?  Where is your favorite place to eat?

♥ Ashley