The Little Piggy

The wave of Spanish influenced menus and restaurants that has flooded the culinary world over the past few years has for the most part left Victoria dry. For all that Spanish cuisine seems like an easy sell, Victorians have been slow to jump aboard. With the familiarity of European cuisine, but with a bit of heat and a smattering of North African flavours, there tends to be an earthiness to Spanish dishes that put some people off (not to mention some very pronounced seafood flavours). It’s nothing that a holiday to Bilbao or Barcelona wouldn't take care of, but if you haven’t had the opportunity to eat mysterious fishy things in a sketchy bar in the middle of the night, your romance with Spanish cuisine may not yet have begun.

Chorizo and Co is a good starting point for Victorians who lack experience with Spanish food. The menu is basic and  approachable, but with a sincere attempt at authenticity. The sandwiches are a little more tarted up than you might find in Spain, but the extra garnishes are well within the confines of the theme. The bread from Frye’s bakery is well above average and is reminiscent of something you might receive in Spain. The proteins, from chorizo, to squid, to Serrano ham and cheeses, are lovely, fresh and genuinely Spanish. The tortillas are exactly what you would be served in Spain and will make you nostalgic if you've ever wolfed these satisfying eggy wedges down while recovering from a late night.  Other items such as soups, salads and empanadillas (filled pastries), round out the menu. Desserts are simple and again, refreshingly Spanish.   

The deli counter provides several meat and cheese options and there is a very small retail area, with some unique Spanish imports, like tinned cockles. It would be interesting to expand this area a bit more. Spanish food imports are hard to come by in Victoria.

Prices are reasonable, the ambiance comfortable and the service was excellent.

807 Fort St 250 590 6393

The Tartan Toque is Victoria's first winghouse. The absence of a local winghouse had never affected me directly, but hey, why not. 

Located in the Old British Fish and Chip space in Stadacona Centre, the Tartan Toque features a selection of 20 housemade wings sauces, burgers, hot dogs, wraps, salads and fries.  Operated by the proprietors of the Shine Cafe, the Tartan Toque is the epitome of casual dining (busy, loud and counter service). Family friendly with cheap beer ($5/pint); I know a lot of people who will like that combination. The basic menu is well composed and very price conscious. The interior is as dark as it always has been and the seating is not especially comfortable for the buttocks, but new paint and artwork has improved the space considerably. The service was incredibly friendly, cleaner than I thought possible in this antiquated space and there were three quality checks performed during our visit. They're not slouching on the front of house side of things.

We split a beef burger with cheese and slow cooked onions ($7), fries ($2.75) and one pound of wings with BBQ sauce ($9). The burger was appropriately greasy and there was plenty of cheese and onions. I liked it. The fries were crispy and fresh. Our baby Maeve ate most of them, so she was happy. The wings were indeed served with housemade sauce. If you're used to regular BBQ sauce, you might think the scratch made type is a little light in flavour and doesn't stick to wings as well as the commercially produced variety. Yes, that's true. I liked the flavour, but they might want to work on the recipe a bit for use in the wing context. Longer cooking time and maybe a dash of cornstarch might improve the wing adhesion. To be perfectly honest, I'm a bit of a wing purest. I like hot wings, and when I'm mixing it up BBQ is as far as I go, so some of the wilder wing sauces on the Tartan Toque menu are lost on me. That said, if maple, candied bacon, coconut, pesto etc... are up your alley, this would be fun for you. All in all, I liked the wings. They were plump and juicy - that's the important part. While they do have vegetable crudités and dip on the menu, I would have liked to see some wing dips. Buffalo wings at the very least are well served with a creamy dip. I would also have liked to see a 'very hot' option for the buffalo wings. I'm not talking suicide wings, I know it's not 1989, but hot hot wings are delicious for those of us with a taste for the spicy side of things and it is a winghouse after all.

I will return for a hot dog. I didn't have room in my belly on this visit, but the bacon cheese dog is calling my name. I'm similarly interested in the onion nest...

1507 Pandora St, tel: 778 265 9464 http://www.thetartantoque.ca/

Burger, how much do I love thee? Well apparently, Victoria really loves a burger judging from the selection of burger restaurants we’re currently enjoying. One might think we’ve reached the saturation point, but hey, only time will tell.

I can only imagine that there’s a little teeth gritting over at Pink Bicycle, who were the first out the door four years ago. That said, their restaurant is small and given the consistent queue out the front door, there was room for competition.  The Pink Bicycle menu has grown over the years to include not only a variety of burgers, but also a selection of salads and side dishes, and an extensive list of garnishes and condiments. The theme is very local, with special attention paid to local proteins. Pink Bike has a comfortable atmosphere, particularly in the cooler months, as it’s fairly cozy inside. Prices are moderate and consistent with industry standard.

The new Bin 4 Burger Lounge is a lot like Pink Bike, but with a more modern ambiance, more booze and a longer menu. Their burger selection is extensive, seriously, they have a burger for everyone.  If you’re a Pink Bike devotee Bin 4 might bug you, as there are many similarities. That said, it’s burgers, you can’t deviate from the formula much without compromising the theme. Bin 4 is a lot slicker than Pink Bike, so if you fancy a little more selection and more sophisticated atmosphere, this is going to be the pick for you. The quality of the food is very good, with similar attention paid to local products and attention to detail. In contrast, Bin 4 local includes more BC products while Pink Bike is truer to the Island interpretation of local. To be fair, it’s hard to have an extensive menu selection and reasonable prices if you don’t include BC in your local purchasing.  Prices are comparable to Pink Bike.

If you’re not looking for a formal table service restaurant, but you want the premium burger experience Big Wheel Burger is your newest option. The brainchild of Peter Zambri, Jeff Heatherington and associates, Big Wheel is the no-chain option for fast food burgers. The menu appears to be modeled after the American In and Out Burger, with simplicity at the forefront (i.e. limited selection of carefully chosen items). They have burgers (beef with one veggie option for non-beef eaters), hot dogs, fries (including chili and poutine), shakes and cookies.  Unlike most fast food restaurants they have beer and wine. That’s a bonus.  Like Pink Bike and Bin 4, they use BC raised beef and further distinguish themselves from fast food restaurants with scratch preparation methods. Less expensive than a sit down restaurant, Big Wheel is pricey for takeaway, but the ambiance is swankier, the service a bit more thoughtful and the food tastier.

If you just want a greasy old burger and have had a enough of the froufrou, Victoria has recently gained a downtown Burger King and Fat Burger. To be perfectly honest, I’m a huge sucker for a Whopper and am especially fond of the Angry Whopper -  but only on special occasions.

UPDATE: I missed one! Check out Jackalope Bistro for the 'quirky' burger options in Odeon Alley. 

The Black Hat by Bistro 28 has opened at Langley and Broughton St in downtown Victoria and in the process transformed the appearance of the entire block. Holly financial investment! They've converted the old Tony's Trick and Joke Shop into a flashy 85 seat restaurant. It looks great. This kind development is exciting and I always find the cohones required to execute these visions awe-inspring.  Owner, Sam Chalmers, however is cool as a cucumber - which made me feel better.  

Open for dinner - late, Wednesday to Sunday, it certainly is nice to have another option for us folks who work in the evenings. The menu is dominated by small plates, with a very reasonable selection of main course items. We had the Baccala Fritters with lamb ragout ($16), the Pan Seared Halibut ($28), the Pork Belly with Kim Chi Salad and Fried Egg ($22) and the S'more ($8). Everything was tasty, creative and well executed. Portion wise, I'd call the servings 'modern,' so if you're visiting with a big eater, I'd order heavy. The value is in the labour of preperation and quality of product, so penny pinchers beware - you'll have to be open minded. And, yes, that is a $130 steak on the menu. It's not a type-o. Not my style, I would rather spend that kind of money on a labour intensive presentation of less expensive products, but if nobody wants it, I'm sure they'll take it off the menu.

Also, worthy of note is a lengthy list of wines by the glass, available in 1, 3 & 5 oz pours. The selection is BC dominated, but is generally well balanced. Wine prices are quite approachable.

The service was a little spotty, but they're only a week in, so I would recommend having a little patience until they've had a chance to break in the new staff and get their procedures in order.