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Not what we expected.
We expected a fairly mediocre dining experience, as any local would
given the location of the Harbour House deeply imbedded in Victoria's densest
tourist hotel district.
Certainly not a hoppin' stop for twenty or thirty year olds, the
Harbour House does what it does in an acceptable way. Geared towards an older
dining crowd, the menu and atmosphere are a combination of classic
French and nostalgic 1960s. Clearly, not a combination to suit
everyone's taste, but nothing to balk at either.
We thought the music was terrible, easy listening in my opinion
should never accompany food. Later in the evening, some jazz came on and
I wondered why they weren't playing more of that.
The decor is reminiscent of what your restaurant would look like if
your grandma was the designer. That said, it's not poorly done, just
extremely dated. A few superficial changes and the Harbour House could
look like a moderately sophisticated French restaurant.
The service was impeccable. Our server, an experienced gentleman,
attended to us with the utmost professionalism. Absolutely, no
complaints there. It was strange however, how many staff they had on, on
a Monday night in January; three tables = two servers and a hostess.
The food was another surprise. While overpriced, it was good.
Patty started with the escargot ($10.50), served in the shell and was
delighted by the classic presentation and quality. I had the lobster
bisque ($7.50), a smidgen rich for my taste it was the classic version
of the dish. On a side note, their bread was flavourless and really needs
improvement.
Patty had the Steak Neptune ($24.95), steak topped with asparagus,
crab meat and Béarnaise sauce. He remarked on the authenticity of the
Béarnaise (no fat spared) and perfect doneness of his meat. I had the
rack of lamb ($28.95), which similarly was cooked perfectly and served
with a well flavoured sauce. The sauce would have been a bit more
elegant had it been thinner and less gravy like, but again considering
the clientele I shant complain. I also really liked the finger
bowl that accompanied my chops, as a shameless bone gnawer myself, I
enjoyed being encouraged to pick up my food with my hands.
What was weird about the food, was the presentation. Served on
dishware more familiar to a diner than a fine dinning restaurant, there
was near zero attention to presentation. The vegetables, while perfectly
cooked, were simply piled next to one another, very much how grandma's
serve dinner.
It also needs to be added that in addition to the French items on the
menu, there are a selection of what I consider comfort food, but I
suppose might have been more elegant selections in the 1960s. Dishes
such as Salisbury Steak (they call it ground sirloin).
The wine list was expensive and the mark-ups extreme. However, the
selection was good, even better than it needs to be. Featuring a good
selection of higher-end BC wines (we had the Sumac Ridge Black Sage Cab) and
imports, mainly new world.
Value is an issue, we found the prices high. While the quality was
high, in order to get away with main courses in the $25-$30 range, we
think you need to have creativity too. For those of us who walk by the
Harbour House regularly, you'll also be familiar with the on-going Steak
and Lobster for $19.95 special. We thought that kind of advertising and
pricing of that dish was blatant consumer baiting, as it didn't really
reflect the general pricing of the menu.
We determined through careful deliberation that the Harbour House
deserves a recommendation, despite that fact that it's not our cup of
tea. A nice restaurant that caters to an older clientele makes sense in
Victoria and if I had living grandparents, or elderly guests in town,
the Harbour House would be on my list for a meal and service that would
please a multi-generational crowd.
Reviewed:
January 30, 2005
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