We had dinner with dear friends last weekend. They live in a rural setting and are amazing farmers and chefs. They recently purchased an incredible range. Just wanted to share a pic and a couple pics of their surroundings:
Dream range!
An elegant pond.
Wild and wonderful right outside the backdoor.
This garden feels secretive and magical!
Here in Victoria, we are blessed with so many exceptional dining options. We would happily eat out every day and never tire of the diverse offerings. We certainly have our regular breakfast favourites. And for lunch and dinner one can experience everything from Vegetarian Chinese to Indian to French and everything in between. I love that many of our local restaurants take pride in our region and source many of their ingredients from local sustainable farmers and fishers.
Last Saturday my beautiful sister was visiting and treated us to an amazing dinner at Camille’s. It was the second time in two months we’d been treated to this amazing experience; we are very spoiled. It was my intention to photograph all the items we ordered, but after the appetizers had been consumed, I was in such a deliciousness-induced daze that I forgot all about the camera! Here are the three shots I did get. I’m afraid I don’t remember all the ingredients for each dish, but they were all amazing as were the mains and desserts. The food is rich and intensely flavourful and the chef is happy to accommodate special food concerns. The servers are all friendly and helpful, yet remain relaxed. I would recommend Camille’s to all visitors an locals who want a very special food experience.
GJ had the seared tuna atop lightly dressed baby potatoes and duck egg with halibut ceviche.
Leek and onion tart with field greens, candied pecans and pear. This delicate tart just melted in your mouth.
Roasted local asparagus with pastry triangle and field greens. I think this was the appetizer with the rhubarb sabayon.
Nothing too exciting, just our usual waterfront walk on friday afternoon. Thought we’d have a nice walk before the long weekend began and everyone else had the same idea. Well, there were two cruise ships in port, so lots of people out enjoying the beautiful day! Met a lovely and adorable English couple in matching fleece; so cute they were! Anyway, saw some new things blooming and ended the walk with the most delicious chocolate cake at our usual stop Tre Fantastico at the Parkside.
The angelica is all opening now along the waterfront. So majestic.
The papery bud just about to burst.
Beautiful, delicate wisteria frames this shot of one of the small lakes in Beacon Hill Park. Soon the lake will be full of mamma ducks and their babies.
The beautiful purple camas is everywhere in the park and along the waterfront. Found this one white one among the sea of purple.
Mmmmmmm cake.
Found a few minutes to bake this week. We’ve been so busy that I wanted something around for a treat. mythineats posted this really good muffin recipe last week that seemed simple so I tried it: Yogurt Muffins with Lemon Zest and Almond Topping. I altered it slightly by adding a handful of frozen blueberries to the dry mixture just before adding it to the wet mixture. Oh and I didn’t have sliced almonds so I roughly chopped some whole raw ones which was OK, but I suspect that sliced would have been crispier. The texture of these muffins was so divine; cake like, delicate, so moist. Thanks mythineats for the recipe!
So lemony delicious!
What a day it was! Perfect weather, lovely route, delicious nosh, wonderful folk to share it with. Another incredibly well organized Tweed Ride for a great cause. Thanks to the organizers, the sponsors and all who participated. Also a special thanks to Tula Teas who provided the delicious beverages and Maggie French for her passion for tweed.
Our gracious hosts for the day, Simon and Libby. We can’t thank them enough!
GJ and Jim ham it up for the camera.
Here I am with GJ at the start of the ride. Thanks to The Empress Hotel for letting us gather on their lovely lawn.
This well kitted classic bicycle pulls a secret delight: The large basket trailer holds a sound system which gave us lovely tweedy tunes!
Adorable riders.
All the gents pose for a photo on the steps of the Empress Hotel.
A quick stop at The Fairfield Market on Oscar Street who provided the riders with some delicious scones. Our bicycles were judged for superbness by Fairfield Bicycle Shop, and we had a bit of time for a quick look around the Moss Street Market and the Vintage Fair.
Our mid-ride break included delicious tea from Tula Teas and cucumber sandwiches from Red Fish Blue Fish.
Milling about on the lawn at Craigdarroch Castle Historical House Museum.
There were a couple little pooch riders as well. This little darling had a great view from a basket on the front of his human’s bicycle.
Tweedy accouterment for the day: my Maggie French bobby pins and tweed bow which I attached to my vintage Willoughby hat, and a brooch I made from the scraps of hemming my riding shorts.
The oh-so-sweet sounds of La Vie En Rouge; our post-ride entertainment at the Bard and Banker Pub on Government Street.
The gifts we received from friends upon our arrival at the ride – a beautiful felted lily and some home-made mustache wax – thanks Marion and Riley!
GJ won Best Socks for his Virgin of Guadeloupe socks we bought in the Haight district of San Francisco last autumn.
Walking around the downtown on a lovely spring day completing errands. Hey! Let’s stop for coffee! So we went to the new location of Macchiato Caffe and Paninoteca at The Juliet on the corner of Johnson and Blanshard streets. GJ’s americano was very good and I tried their Callebaut Spiced Chocolate Chai which was amazing! It looks like they have nice sandwiches and treats too.
This part of town is becoming a bit of a food hub with this new place, Pig, Shine Cafe, Habit, Jackalope, Zambris and a block further Clay Pigeon, devour, Delicato’s, Special Teas and a large array of Vietamese, Thai and Indian places to name a few. Macchiato’s other location is on the corner of Broad and Broughton.
Yum! My Callebaut Spiced Chocolate Chai was a rich yet mild hot chocolate with spiced chai and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
We’ve been watching a space very near our front door transform for the last couple months. They opened yesterday and today we went. Jam Cafe on Herald Street serves breakfast all day; we were not disappointed! The menu had nice variety and some interesting dishes. I had their Huevos Rancheros, which was very good; bright fresh flavours. It consisted of a fried corn tortilla piled with black beans and sour cream or cream fraiche, then another tortilla, two perfect basted eggs with a very lovely fresh cut guacamole and delicious green salsa. It was served with chorizo sausage (which I gave to GJ) and corn cakes, which was two slice of a yummy corn bread that had been grilled. GJ tried the Charlie Bowl, I think it was called, which was a big bowl full of yumminess: crumbled biscuit, hash browned potatoes, gravy and eggs and some other perfectly placed ingredients. The decor was lovely and inviting. We will definitely be back to sample more.
Jam Cafe, breakfast all day. open 8 am to 4 pm in the 500 block of Herald Street, Old Town, Victoria BC.
Sweet decor: very inviting; not overdone; nice attention to detail.
More decor.
As usual, I excitedly dove into my meal before I remembered to take a pic! The presentation was very nice.
Charlie Bowl, with addition of my sausage.
Another gorgeous spring weekend. Our friend Brad Pasutti was having an opening of his new work at Winchester Gallery in Oak Bay, so we hopped on the bus. Amazing paintings and a well-attended opening with red dots! After a while, it was time for coffee, but the delicious bakery (Ottavio) next door to the gallery was packed. So off we trundled into the depths of Oak Bay searching for sustenance. Luckily, not too far along, we found Demitasse Bakery Store on McNeill Avenue. Great little bakery-shop-deli-garden centre where we had a yummy snack. Then we wound our way through the side streets until we reached Beach Drive. Crossing into Fairfield we walked through the beautiful and peaceful Ross Bay Cemetery and then along the water, through the park and home. Wonderful delightful day!
Winchester Galleries Oak Bay location showing the work of Brad Pasutti until April 28; 2260 Oak Bay Avenue.
The Demitasse Bakery Store at 2164 McNeill Avenue, Oak Bay.
Plants to purchase at Demitasse.
Sweet little gate plaque in Oak Bay.
Hard to see in the pic, but the pink snow has begun. Delicate pink petals dance in the air and gather along the curbs. Another good wind will bring them all down.
Kite surfers and others enjoying the beach just west of Clover Point.
The camas are just beginning to bloom at Beacon Hill Park.
Rhododendron season! These are at Beacon Hill Park.
Gorgeous spring day (!) so we walked over to Fairfield and the first Moss Street Market of the new season. They are holding only half markets for April, so it was just the farmers today, but still very abundant: produce, seeds, plants and preserves. What a treat to have this market on Saturdays, the Downtown Public Market on wednesdays and a new health food store, Ingredients, just a block from our home! Food bliss.
Our friend Rebecca grows wonderful organic vegetables...
...and makes delicious jams, chutneys, pickles, salsas and sauces!
We love to eat out, especially breakfast. We have our local favourites, but today we sampled a new place, Clay Pigeon, which just opened yesterday, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food was delicious and the atmosphere inviting in this small bistro on Blanshard at Broughten, kitty-corner to the Royal Theatre, in downtown Victoria. The menu was well stocked, and with not-the-usual breakfast fare. GJ had a Ratatouille with poached eggs and I had the Kale Florentine with caramelized onions and crispy potatoes also topped with eggs. I was torn between several dishes and almost went for the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which will likely be what I order the next time we are there. Thanks to our hosts for a delightful meal!
A new Victoria eatery, Clay Pigeon
A nice job transforming the space.
Ratatouille
Kale Florentine
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