EAT Magazine 27-02 March | April 2023

AS I SIT SIPPING my second coffee on a dreary February morning, I’m thinking about the road that has led me here. From bartender at one of Nova Scotia’s first dance clubs to working at Second City in Toronto to catering jobs in Victoria. And an unexpected turn to EAT.

March is EAT’s birthday. Twenty-four years. For the first eighteen years, I was the spouse-consultant; for the last five, I’ve been at the helm. I think of our writers, editors, and photographers, past and present, as family now—they’ve contributed so much to both the magazine and to Victoria. The copious stories they’ve told, the hundreds of restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafes they’ve eaten in, all the talented people they’ve written about. I thank everyone: you, the reader; EAT’s creative staff (including those that make and deliver the publication); and the magazine’s wonderful advertising partners and supporters. Without all of you, EAT would not be possible.

As I look to the future, EAT will continue to tell the stories of our community, where to find the best food and drink, and spread the word of how amazing our island is.

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did putting it together.

C YNTHIA ANNETT-HYNES EDITOR

CITY EATS

Food lovers across the city were heartbroken to hear about the sudden closure of Agrius in early January. The closure was a timely reminder of the ongoing challenges facing independent restaurants and food businesses. We can’t urge you enough to get out there and show some love to the places that go above and beyond and really make our town a culinary gem as Agrius did, highlighting seasonal food, natural wines and supporting Vancouver Island’s local farmers and producers. Fol Epi continues its weekend brunch service in the Agrius space. folepi ca

Superflux Cabana launched a new weekend brunch menu in early February, promising a “classic Cabana-brunchy spin” on all your brunch favourites and a selection of new brunch cocktails to go with it.

@superflux

Vaibhav Patel, the man behind Artemis, the speakeasy, space-themed whiskey bar located in Market Square, is bringing a retro convenience store to the corner of Pandora and Store Street. Stay tuned for more updates about the Pepper Market!

Laughter is brightest in the place where the food is. —Irish proverb

Coming Soon

Parry Bay Sheep Farm

Metchosin, BC

Following a successful pop-up event in January, Benjo’s Tacos has made a permanent move to Fairfield. They are now sharing the space with Empire Donuts at 230 Cook St, open Wednesday–Saturday, 11am–4pm. Serving authentic beef, chicken, pork and black bean birria tacos, trios are served with a side of consommé for dipping and a scoop of slaw. For menus and updates, follow @benjostacos on Instagram.

Around the corner and up the street at 569 Johnson St, signs are up for , offering 100% Halal food.

, an American supermarket chain with a focus on food products from Korea, has acquired the former Toys R Us space at Mayfair Mall. Opening planned for later in the year. hmart.ca

Clive’s Classic Lounge! On February 2, in a ceremony that took place in London, England, Clive’s Classic Lounge was named Whisky Hotel Bar of the Year and its lounge manager, Shawn Soole, earned Highly Commended—Bar Manager of the Icons of Whisky 2023—Rest of the World category. Clive’s has been curating a world class whisky program, with over 250 whiskies from around the world, from your classic scotch to the booming distilling industry here in British Columbia. clivesclassiclounge com

The annual Culinaire event will be held in the main building of the Victoria Conference Centre on March 29 this year. This event provides locals with the opportunity to savour signature menu items and inspired dishes from an abundant selection of restaurants, lounges, pubs, cafes, specialty purveyors, and sip from a fine selection of local and regional wine, cider, and craft beer. Partial proceeds provide scholarship awards to the Camosun College Culinary Arts Program and a donation is made each year to the BC Hospitality Foundation. culinairevictoria com

Karen’s Diner is coming to the Sonora Bar and Grill on Yates Street, from March 31 – Apr 23. “We pride ourselves on our terrible service! This is dining with a twist—the food is great, the service is ungrateful but your experience will be unforgettable.” This is a roaming pop-up at a third-party venue; tickets are sold on a non-refundable basis and include one burger, fries and a soda. $45 at explorehidden com

Victoria Beer Week is a weeklong festival showcasing BC craft breweries in unique event settings across Greater Victoria. With a focus on education and diverse craft beer selection, VBW 2023 will feature more than 50 BC craft breweries. Victoria Beer Week launched back in 2014, it has since become a successful annual festival creating craft beer ambassadors out of regular beer consumers. Returning May 5–13 at various locations across Greater Victoria. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 17. victoriabeerweek com

FOUNDER

Gary Hynes

PUBLISHER

Pacific Island Gourmet EDITOR

Cynthia Annett-Hynes

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR / COPY EDITOR

Carolyn Bateman

SENIOR WINE WRITER

Larry Arnold

ART DIRECTOR

Cynthia Annett-Hynes

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN

Rhonda Ganz

REGIONAL REPORTERS

Victoria, Rebecca Baugniet

CONTRIBUTORS

Isabelle Bulota, Cinda Chavich, Jacqueline Downey Gillie Easdon, Camille Germain, Andrea Mackenzie, Elizabeth Monk, Elizabeth Nyland, Adrian Paradis, Adrien Sala, Shelora Sheldan, Johann Vincent, Rebecca Wellman

REGIONAL/NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Susan Worrall

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER

Ron Metella

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EST. 1999

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instagram: @parrybayfarm contact@parrybaysheepfarm.com facebook.com/parrybaysheepfarm www.parrybaysheepfarm.com facebook.com/ParryBayFarmMarket

On the cover: Lemony Leek Cod Cakes Styling + Photography: Rebecca Wellman

Recipe on page 21

Visit

Parry Bay Sheep Farm along with Stillmeadow Farm sells lamb, pork and roasting chicken to restaurants and butcher shops in Victoria and through our on-farm market in Metchosin. We truly appreciate those who “walk the talk” and support local producers. From picturesque pastures to backyard barbecues Parry Bay lambs make people smile.

Inn at Laurel Point | @duocafebakery

Liquid Assets

OLD WORLD WINES

Larry Arnold compiles an impressive and expressive portfolio of mostly Old World wines.

Carpano Punt E Mes Vermouth Rosso Italy $31.00

Vermouth was invented by either the Germans or the Italians sometime in the late 17th century. The original spirit, known in German as wermutwein, was a favourite tipple of the locals. Infused with the bitter herb wermut or wormwood, a few jugs of vermouth was even reputed to be an effective curative for parasites! The brand Punt E Mes (poont-eh-mess) translates to “point and a half” and was created by Torino bar owner Antonio Carpano in 1870. A blend of one point sweet vermouth with a half point of bitters, it is a rare example of a “vermouth amaro.” Punt E Mes has the body and sweetness of a classic red vermouth melded with the substantial herbal bitterness of a quinine-based amaro. The finish is a revelation, long, juicy, and seemingly never-ending.

Louis Bouillot Cremant De Bourgogne Perle d’Aurore Rose Brut NV

France $28.00

Does anybody ever get tired of drinking bubble? I certainly hope not because over the years I have devoted an awful lot of ink to the many joys of imbibing the fizzy elixir in its many incarnations. Founded in 1877, Bouillot was one of the first to experiment with the creation of sparkling Burgundy wine. This blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Chardonnay employs the “Méthode Traditionelle” and is aged sur lie for at least a year before release. Perle d’Aurore is salmon-coloured with a lovely creamy mousse and delicate strawberry, raspberry, and toast flavours, nicely balanced with a clean fruity finish.

Domaine de la Chaise Touraine Sauvignon 2020 France $22.00

A classic Loire Valley Sauvignon from the little commune of Saint-Georges-surCher, located just to the west of Sancerre. Very aromatic with pink grapefruit, passionfruit, and pineapple on the nose. This elegant Touraine is an exercise in restraint with subtle fruit flavours, a delicate minerality, zippy acidity, and a clean, tight finish.

De Wetshof Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2021 South Africa $26.99

De Wetshof is a Burgundian-style winery about 160 kilometres from Cape Town, in a valley renowned for the quality of its white wines. Limestone Hill Chardonnay has never seen a stick of oak; it is fermented and aged on its lees in stainless steel. Understated, with refreshing peach, pear, and brioche aromas, the palate is impeccable with fresh fruit and mineral flavours, a rich creamy texture, pinpoint acidity, and a long supple finish.

Château De Belcier Côtes De Castillon 2010 France $33.99

Oh boy, this was an exciting find! It’s not often wine aficionados stumble across mature Bordeaux that can be considered affordable. One of the few remaining mysteries of the universe but true nonetheless. The Château de Belcier estate dates back to the 1780s and today consists of 128 acres of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec, averaging 35 years of age. It’s your typical right-bank blend fermented in stainless steel and aged in oak for a year. Mediumbodied with a classic Bordeaux nose showing cassis and cigar box. The palate does not disappoint with concentrated fruit flavours and a clutch of tannins on the finish. Not a bad price given the reputation of this fine vintage. Somebody did their homework!

Fontanafredda Briccotondo Piemonte Barbera 2020 Italy $20.00

Barbera is the most widely planted red grape variety in the Piedmont region of Italy. It grows and thrives where no vine ought to be and in the right hands can produce one of the most fruit-filled, food-friendly wines in the country. In the wrong hands, it will strip the enamel from your teeth, blur your vision, and destroy your digestive tract. With the Briccotondo, however, we have a winner. This is a real quaffer with simple cherry-berry fruit flavours and next to no tannin, but enough clean, refreshing acidity to put it all into perspective.

Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo 2019 Italy $29.00

If you love Barolo and Barbaresco but can’t afford the hefty price tag these classics command, mop up those tears and look no further—we have a winner here! Silky smooth with a bouquet redolent of ripe cherries, licorice, and violets, mediumbodied with simple fruit flavours, plenty of bounce, and a tannic punch that won’t lay you out cold after the second glass.

Chionetti San Luigi Dogliani 2020 Italy $27.99

Dolcetto is the third red grape of the Piemonte region in northwest Italy. It could be considered a hefty Beaujolais knockoff if not for the clenched fist of tannin lurking within the dark inky depths. Sounds daunting, but don’t get your knickers in a knot. The San Luigi is absolutely delicious! Dark purple with an attractive nose of black cherries, plums, blueberries, and violets along with an intriguing whiff of earthy fecundity. Medium-bodied, with a warm round texture and a veritable tsunami of ripe fruit flavours. Sour cherries, sweet blackberries, herbs, spices, minerals; yes, we have them all! And tannins you ask? Yes, there is a gentle farewell kiss of soft, fine-grained tannins prevalent on the long dry finish.

SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME

Classic culinary herbs are delicious in our food and also powerful medicines.

CULINARY HERBS ARE EASY to grow here in coastal BC. And rewarding too. They’re flavourful in our food, beautiful on our plates, and prolific and perfumed in our gardens. But did you know common culinary herbs are also powerful medicines?

Herbalism is the oldest medicine system on the planet. According to the World Health Organization, about 80 per cent of the globe still uses it for primary healthcare, and the ancient practice can trace its roots back to the earliest civilizations. The concentrated nutrients and phytochemicals in herbs make them excellent for digestion, a key factor in good health. Many are anti-inflammatory and antiviral, and others can help balance our immune systems.

These six culinary herbs are ample proof that food is indeed medicine.

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Dried oregano is essential on pizza, but it’s also a powerful medicine for our immune system. Its antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antioxidant properties are due to compounds such as carvacrol,

Ready to start backyard

respiratory infections, but it’s also good for digestion, what herbalists call a “carminative.” I put it in everything from pasta sauce and frittatas to tuna salad and hummus and preserve enough dried herb to fill a half-dozen Mason jars each summer.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) This is THE herb for the holiday turkey, of course, but who knew the leaves also make a soothing tea for migraines and hot flashes? Like oregano, it’s also an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (both are members of the mint family). Whether it’s a headache, sore throat, or poor digestion, help can be found in a cup of sage tea.

Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus) I still remember a memorable mushroom soup I enjoyed in a French restaurant many decades ago. The divine herb scenting that rich and savoury bisque was rosemary. Now, as a herbalist, I appreciate rosemary as a potent antioxidant, decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation in the body and brain. One study conducted by Maryland University of Integrative Health in 2012 found that a 750-mg dose

of dried rosemary had a significantly beneficial effect on cognitive function. Fresh rosemary is lovely infused in vinegar. Put a cup of chopped fresh rosemary, loosely packed, into a Mason jar and pour in 2 cups of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. Infuse for two weeks and taste. If it doesn’t have enough flavour, infuse another week. Strain and use in your favourite vinaigrette.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) A classic bouquet garni herb, thyme is also antiinflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial. Those tiny leaves make a soothing medicine for colds and flu—especially sore throats. Pop some fresh lemon slices and fresh or dried thyme into your tea pot, steep, and then sweeten with raw honey. You can even infuse honey with dried thyme leaves.

Lavender (Lavendula) Yes, it’s one of the classic Provençal herbs, but lavender’s heavenly essential oils make it profoundly sedating and relaxing for the central nervous system, actually changing our brainwave patterns. It makes a deliciously mood-shifting tea with a couple of sometimes overlooked garden plants—peppermint and lemon balm, both good for digestion. In Germany, lavender has been approved as a supplement to treat sleep disruptions, restlessness, and stomach irritation.

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) Don’t underestimate peppermint. Rich in calcium, potassium, and magnesium, its volatile oils contain anti-bacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. It can help ease an upset stomach or a headache. Add it to smoothies or salads for a zing of flavour, or drink as a hot or cold tea for an energy boost that won’t deplete you (unlike coffee). Containers are the best home for mint in a small garden. It will quickly spread.

If you already grow herbs, you know how abundant they can be. It’s easy to harvest that bounty with the age-old technique of air-drying. Pick your herbs before they flower (in the case of lavender, pick before the buds open), in the morning, after the dew is off but before the heat of the day. If harvesting from a chemical-free garden, don’t wash them, just give them a good shake. Separate them into small bundles and tie with garden string, removing lower leaves so you get a tight knot. Hang them upside down to dry where they won’t be in direct sunlight or subject to humidity. Different herbs have different drying times, but it’s usually only a matter of several weeks before they’re crisp and crumbly but not so brittle they shatter.

If you have a gas oven with a pilot light, you can dry herbs on trays lined with parchment paper, but don’t use any actual heat from the appliance. Most electric ovens will go only as low as 170ºF—that’s too hot. You’ll singe them (been there, done that), destroying their volatile oils and medicinal properties.

Want to add some of these plants to your garden? Instead of heading to the big-box stores, try nurseries that propagate their own plants—like Mason Street Farm in Victoria, Russell’s in North Saanich, the spring plant sale at Victoria’s Compost Education Centre, or the 103-acre Horticulture Centre of the Pacific in Saanich—26 different gardens, one of which is a fragrant herb garden.

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CAROLYN

Side Dish

MAKING A MEAL COMPLETE

Our Side Dish columnist dishes on the enduring art of the side dish.

I LOVE A SIDE dish. That little bit extra you need to round out lunch or dinner, or—if you’re not that hungry—something to tide you over till later. Sometimes a side of fries just hits the spot. And that side salad offers just enough greens to counterbalance a guilty pleasure—like fries! At home, I often cook a series of vegetable dishes, three or four for the dinner table. The varieties of vegetables, their colours, textures and flavours, particularly at the height of summer, are hard to resist. I also look at their presence as a way to offset the urge to otherwise load up on carbs or extra protein.

Breakfast and brunch menus everywhere serve up the classic sides: sausage, bacon, hash browns, or a single egg with toast, all on offer to help you create your own morning meal or tempt you to take your eggs Benny over the top.

Tony steak houses do side dishes proud. Creamed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, baked potato, asparagus with béarnaise, and, in many cases, deluxe mac ’n’ cheese, are just some of the greatest hits to accompany a hefty slab of beef.

In the culinary world as a whole, side dishes are integral to making a meal complete. Some are humble, others more elaborate. The combination of rice and beans, for example, is a modest but revered side dish in many countries, including Costa Rica and El Salvador, where it’s known as gallo pinto and casamiento respectively.

In Korea, a diverse series of small side dishes, known as banchan, round out the main feature, whether it’s a soup or a platter of braised or barbecued meats. Their flavour underpinnings include soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, salt, and spicy gochujang, which drive little bites such as iconic kimchi or other fermented vegetables, kimchi pancakes, mung bean jelly, soy-braised bean sprouts, braised daikon, cucumber salad, and stir-fried dishes. For a wonderful banchan experience, I look to Sura Korean Royal Cuisine Restaurant in Vancouver’s West End. This delicious array is offered with their lunchtime set menus.

In the Indo-Dutch rijsttafel (rice table), rice is the central focus and includes an elaborate selection of sides—40 isn’t an unusual number—to accompany the grain event. The goal is to feature different textures and colours as well as the flavours of spicy and sweet. A few examples are egg rolls, vegetable gado gado in peanut sauce, rendang (an aromatic coconut-braised beef dish), satays, braised pork belly, banana fritters, a curry-like beef soup, and roasted duck in banana leaves. Sambal provides a spicy component, and sweet-and-salty pickles serve to cool the tongue and cleanse the palate.

In Brazil, the national dish of feijoada completa, usually served on Sundays, consists of black beans cooked with fresh and smoked meats. Besides sides of more meat, it’s accompanied by regional sides such as toasted farofa (manioc meal), sliced oranges, cooked cabbage, rice, and a piquant peri-peri sauce, and is usually accompanied by glasses of fiery cachaça, a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane.

Indian curries wouldn’t be the same without sides of chutneys, cooling raita, fragrant basmati or jasmine rice, pappadams, and hot chapati or roti straight from the tandoor oven.

Coast victoria hotel & marina by APA, 146 Kingston St., Victoria, BC Call today to reserve your table: 250.480.1999 | bluecrab.ca

The Italians dish up contorni, a mix of cooked vegetable side dishes that, at their best, reflect the seasonal bounty. Served following the pasta course, they sit alongside the main and could be anything from stuffed artichokes, roasted squash, rapini with gremolata, marinated zucchini with mint, or cannellini beans with lemon and olive oil.

Side dishes abound throughout the Middle East where flavours of harissa meet sumac, mint meets lemon and dill, urfa biber pepper meets Aleppo pepper, and the spice blends of za’atar, dukkah, ras el hanout, and zhug work their aromatic magic into our hearts via our palates. Author and chef Yotam Ottolenghi offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration in this regard.

In the Okanagan, Penticton’s Elma restaurant serves a Turkish menu of shared side plates that provides a luscious and creative deep-dive into the Middle Eastern culinary playbook. Their wood-fired lavash bread works as a scoop for their amazing meze flights, accompanied by kebabs of charcoal-grilled lamb with classic sumac onions, grilled peppers, and garlic yogurt, or Turkish coffeebraised beef cheek with pomegranate jus, quince, and caramelized celeriac.

In France, gratins and braises à la Provençal define many side dishes. Braised fennel or Belgian endive with whole garlic and white wine is sometimes made with the addition of salt pork. Other examples are stuffed onions, cauliflower gratin, panisses, and a ratatouille or tian of layered potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes topped with a bit of grated cheese. All that’s missing is a long table set in a vineyard, with soul-restoring dappled sunlight, to make the meal complet!

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So you can feel as good about how you’re investing your money as you do about the food choices you make.

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CIBC Private Wealth consists of services provided by CIBC and certain of its subsidiaries, including CIBC Wood Gundy, a division of CIBC World Markets Inc. The CIBC logo and “CIBC Private Wealth” are trademarks of CIBC, used under license. “Wood Gundy” is a registered trademark of CIBC World Markets Inc. This information, including any opinion, is based on various sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed and is subject to change. CIBC and CIBC World Markets Inc., their affiliates, directors, officers and employees may buy, sell, or hold a position in securities of a company mentioned herein, its affiliates or subsidiaries, and may also perform financial advisory services, investment banking or other services for, or have lending or other credit relationships with the same. CIBC World Markets Inc. and its representatives will receive sales commissions and/or a spread between bid and ask prices if you purchase, sell or hold the securities referred to above. © CIBC World Markets Inc. 2022. Graham Isenegger and Neil Chappell are Investment Advisors with CIBC Wood Gundy in Victoria, BC. The views of Graham Isenegger and Neil Chappell do not necessarily reflect those of CIBC World Markets Inc. If you are currently a CIBC Wood Gundy client, please contact your Investment Advisor.

Eating Well For Less SMALL RESTAURANTS, BIG FLAVOURS

Japanese, Korean, South Asian, and Mediterranean tastes elevate deceptively simple fare.

Yukatsu & Uburger

1008 BLANSHARD ST. BETWEEN FORT AND BROUGHTON, YUKATSUUBURGER.LOVE, 250-853-2100

OPEN ONLY SINCE NOVEMBER of 2022, Yukatsu & Uburger is a fun, playful space popping with Japanese cartoon characters and bubble-gum pink accents. The menu is simple and to the point: you can order a variety of katsus, which are breaded meat cutlets, or you can order a bulgogi beef burger or chicken burger.

The key word for the katsus is “crispy.” My pre-sliced large and tender pork cutlet was covered in panko bread crumbs and thoughtfully served on a small, shallow rack to maintain that crispiness all around. With it came a large mound of cabbage lightly dressed in mayonnaise and topped with a sesame dressing. For dipping, there were sides of pink salt, wasabi, and sweet-tart tonkatsu sauce, a mix of ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and Japanese sweet wine. A mound of rice finished off the platter. I got the full meal deal for $19.90, which came with a soft drink and soup. This fish soup was powered up with fish sauce and soy sauce, and topped with cute little rice pearls.

The bulgogi burger is a fantastic deal for $11.50. Bulgogi is a Korean barbecue sauce made with soy sauce, Korean red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and lots of garlic. The moist, juicy burger is infused with these flavours and served on a crushable bun with cheese and the perfect smear of mayonnaise. This restaurant keeps things simple with joyous décor and a small menu of dishes executed well.

Pork Loin Katsus and Bulgogi Burger with fries

2032 OAK BAY AVE

Maham & Pop’s Donair and Poutine

2639 QUADRA ST. NEAR HILLSIDE, MAHAMANDPOPS.COM, 778-265-6889

MAHAM & POP’S EPITOMIZES “cheap and cheerful.” It opened in June and strives to bring the popularity of donairs on the mainland to the island. Yet there’s more to this small restaurant than the modest exterior would indicate.

Simply put, a beef donair is sliced beef and vegetables served rolled up in a pita. And yet, it is so much more. This beef is slow-cooked on a vertical rotisserie and seasoned with paprika, oregano, garlic, onion powder, and cayenne and is super tender. You can choose the vegetables and sauces you put inside the pita. Of especial interest on the vegetable list is the Arabian pickle sourced from local Damascus Food Market. The sweet sauce is the classic accompaniment. It is made with garlic, vinegar, sugar, and condensed milk. A regular size donair is $12.95, and a large is $15.95.

I chose to try out the chicken shawarma by having it over poutine. The shawarma meat, which is also cooked on a slowly turning vertical rotisserie, bursts with flavour, having been marinated for 48 hours in a sauce of lemons, oranges, crushed tomatoes, garlic, and yogurt, and seasoned with cardamom, cayenne, paprika, nutmeg, and cumin. The fries for the poutine are made in-house from Kennebec potatoes. Chef Edwin Pillay worked at Pig and learned his potato craft there. The poutine comes with sweet spicy dill sauce, a dollop of garlic sauce, and garnished with green onions and diced, pickled red turnips. Somehow this mad medley of flavours blends well. A regular size is $13.95, a large is $18.95.

Vegan options include a falafel plate and a vegan shawarma, with a filling of fried portabella mushrooms, red peppers, and onions.

The cheerful atmosphere is enhanced sometimes by the presence of E.J., Edwin’s nine-year-old son, who delights in fetching napkins for visitors and informing them of his favourite menu items.

Chicken Shawarma Poutine

Reporter

GoodSide Pastry

Ox King Noodles

MeeT

Ugly Duckling

WORDS

Cinda Chavich

Gillie

Adrian

Elizabeth

Johann

Highlights of wood, brick, and tall exposed ceilings make for a warm elegant space at Ugly Duckling

JACQUELINE DOWNEY

Easdon

Paradis

PHOTOGRAPHY

Nyland

Vincent

Jacqueline Downey

GoodSide Pastry House

They call it GoodSide Pastry House, but for me, it might be more aptly called the dark side.

NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING nefarious or dark about it—save the dark chocolate peeking out of my perfectly laminated pain au chocolate, or the mirror glaze (yes, you can see yourself) in the exquisite little hazelnut mousse cake topped with a shard of chocolate and a drop of gold. I just know, the minute I step in the door, that this lovely little pastry shop is destined to be my undoing, or at least the undoing of my promise to cut back on buttery pastries and sweets, dragging me away from my best intentions, and back to the dark side of decadence.

But this is my kind of candy store and, like a kid, I’m in it. It’s impossible to resist the beautiful bites that pastry chefs Haley Landa and Curtis Helm have on offer at GoodSide, a new bricks-and-mortar version of the pop-up baking business they’ve been running in Victoria for nearly two years, with beautiful baking and terrific technique not often seen in the city.

The power pastry couple arrived in 2020 from Vancouver, both with several years of experience working in high-intensity kitchens alongside some of that city’s top bakers and chocolatiers, including the famed Thomas Haas, who both count as an important mentor.

Since landing in Victoria, they’ve been working their magic from commissary kitchens and building a loyal following among food lovers via an Instagram account that’s dripping with moreish photos of their sweet art—like the crunchy, almond-crusted, double-baked croissants, big cream puffs filled with vanilla diplomat cream and salted caramel jam, or gorgeous citrus tarts sporting asymmetrical swirls of torched meringue.

GoodSide specializes in croissants, laminated pastries, and an array of artful, individual, filled mousse cakes—think hazelnut and dark chocolate mousse

domes atop rounds of chocolate jaconde, or little strawberry bombs with strawberry gelée on olive oil sponge. It’s a patisserie where you’ll find cakes to impress someone special and new daily addictions.

It’s all taking traditional French pastry in a new and modern direction, making it accessible and fun.

“We like to say, ‘We make simple things complicated,’” quips Helm of his obsession with cream puffs, in all of their inventive iterations, and Landa’s devotion to exquisitely layered mousse cakes.

“We both chose pastry as an artistic expression,” adds Landa. “We’re constantly pushing modern trends, perusing our craftsmanship, and expanding our skill set.” Double-bakes are an old-school solution to use day-old croissants, says Helm, but they’re so popular at GoodSide that the two now must bake off extra croissants in order to fill them with an array of creamy fillings and rebake them encrusted with nuts. Those buttery croissants are a treat in themselves, created in a 48-hour process with milk poolish dough, extra layers of lamination, organic dairy products, and premium butter with 84 per cent milk fat imported from Quebec.

After meeting in the baking program at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver, and working in the city for a decade, the baking couple came to Victoria to realize the dream of their own bakery. Now, with help from Landa’s brother Charles, who moved here from Saskatoon, they’ve opened a little storefront in a strip of historic retail shops on Fort Street at Richmond Road.. Why GoodSide? Like their cheeky Mr. Croissant-head logo, it’s the laminated pastry profile they want to show the world, a skill that’s at the core of this new trend-setting baking business. But it also reflects their baking and community-focused philosophy.

“GoodSide, it’s multi-pronged,” says Helm, “one being the ethically sourced ‘good side’ of ingredients, but also that having a pastry puts you on the good side, on the happy side of life. It’s a slice of enjoyment you can have in your day.”

There are already lineups of fans down the block for their croissants, creative cream puffs, and big, glutenfree, roasted hazelnut and chocolate chip cookies. But do note that hours are restricted (Thursday through Sunday), and they sell out quickly.

Which may be the only way for me to limit my intake of their creative cream puffs and double-bakes. Welcome to the GoodSide!

CINDA CHAVICH

Clockwise from top: Brûlée Spiral, Pain Au Chocolat, Almond Double Bake, Roasted Hazelnut Choco Chunk Cookie (GF), Butter Croissant, Cowboy Twist, CheeseyThyme Twist, Black Sesame & Sundried Tomato Danish

Clockwise from top: Whiskey-Dulcey Mousse, Dark Chocolate, Candied Pecan & Salted Caramel Puff, CaramelApple Almond Tart, Aged Earl Grey & Grapefruit Puff, Tequila-Lime Tart, Hazelnut-Kalamansi Mousse Dome

Ox King Noodles

Park your concepts about westernized Chinese food at the door.

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU bite into something new, and it sideswipes you with wonder? The kind of wonder that asks, How could I have gone so long not experiencing this? Soup dumplings had that effect on me a decade ago. I was baffled and elated that there was broth IN the dumpling, broth I could suck out before consuming the rest of the tender steamed pork dumpling.

Well, this morning, it happened again at Ox King Noodles on View Street. This time it was a Crispy Bun, stuffed with braised pulled beef. My son and I feasted on an extensive and delicious lunch unlike any Chinese food I’ve tasted in town— and that tracks. Co-owner Jack Jian shared that, “Ninety-nine per cent of Chinese food in Canada is eastern Chinese—chow mein, beef and broccoli. The dishes from northwestern Xi’an, where my ancestors lived, feature a lot of beef, lamb, and noodle soups. Sometimes traditional and sometimes with a twist.” This ancient imperial capital and eastern Silk Road departure point has been a vital hub for people from China, Central Asia, and the Middle East for 2,000-plus years. The flavours are heavier. Spices include cumin, chili, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon.

Spouses Jack Jian and Jenny Liang moved to Victoria from Montreal in 2013. Jack was posted here with the Navy for a decade. As a youth and young adult, he had worked in several kitchens so the two decided to open a restaurant, starting with a smaller, unlicensed venue by the Hudson for five years. Three years ago they moved to View Street, a larger and licensed venue.

The Ox King is a famous fictional character from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West and is also known as “the king of the cows.” The name can also be translated as Bull Demon King, which, says Jack, is “his self-proclaimed title, the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven.”

On my first visit to Ox King, I was accompanied by chef and baker Lou Vacca from Fry’s. The standout dish was thinly sliced beef with chili, and I was over the moon to find good soup dumplings in Victoria (there are only a few places it can be found). The meat is spiced with more than 30 spices, which the restaurant imports from Xi’an every six months.

My next foray was with my friend Kurt, a pescatarian. We enjoyed mushroom broth hot pot with seafood, the broth

created from a changing mix of fresh and dried mushrooms. It had a nice hit of heat, wheat and egg noodles, and lots of seafood. We didn’t place the solid ingredients into the broth ourselves, which means it wasn’t a traditional hot pot, but each table has built-in hot pot burners, so that’s next on my list. I loved the fried crab sticks with sesame as well.

A few weeks later, BFF Caitlin and I dove into the Dandan noodles with fresh vegetables, sauerkraut, pork sauce, and the restaurant’s homemade chili sauce. It reminded me of some of the mind-boggling night-market food I’ve experienced on my travels. I’m not sure if I would rank the chili chicken above or the same, but it was perfectly cooked and spicy, with a fresh cluster of fragrant cilantro.

Although traditional Xi’an cuisine is beef, lamb, and noodle-centric, Ox King has vegetarian and gluten-free options. Their noodles are shipped fresh from Vancouver daily. But back to today’s trip with my son, Felix, and the feast we had of Crispy Buns and other delights. I was curious to see what Jack and Jenny would showcase, as their menu is comprehensive. First? A take on ramen, with braised pork and baby bok choy and a hard-boiled egg that was later braised with the meat. The pork was succulent, fatty, and gorgeous, the broth slightly tart and lush. The pork, beef, and lamb skewers were appy-sized and fantastic. I’ve never associated lamb with Chinese food, but these Xi’an skewers, spiced with cumin, chili, and sesame, were tender, savoury, and delicious.

I’ve already confessed my love of soup dumplings, or Xiaolongbao, and these were perfect. If you’ve never had these, please be mindful that the broth inside them is freaking hot. Then Jack brought over a dish they had been workshopping, a mix of dry and soft ingredients: pork sauce with bean paste and wheat noodles with Szechuan pepper, star anise, and cinnamon. Honestly, once it was all mixed

together (thanks, Jack), it was nourishing, comforting, and deeply tasty, and as I experienced the flavours and textures, my muscles relaxed. It was beautiful.

But then came that Crispy Bun, a house-made, four-inchround, flat white bun stuffed with braised pulled beef. It’s a perfect breakfast. Or snack. Or appetizer. It’s intensely moreish. Felix ordered a second. I could eat that every morning forever. Or afternoon. Today, for me, the bean paste and pork sauce noodles, lamb skewers, and Crispy Bun won, for Felix the bun and the soup dumplings. Check out Ox King Noodles, but park your concept of westernized Chinese at the door. Opening up the senses to new tastes, textures, and flavours, with a really lovely couple as your chefs, hosts, and guides, will not disappoint. So happy I found you. Thanks for that, Lou.

GILLIE EASDON

Ox King Special Noodles Soup with braised beef brisket

Ugly Duckling

The market’s fresh fish fuels an array of inspiring fare made by a kitchen team who clearly enjoys each other and their work.

CHEF-OWNER CORBIN MATHANY FOCUSES on ambitious, technically driven food while uncovering the beauty in humble ingredients.

Everyone knows the story of the ugly duckling. This classic folktale reminds us that given proper time and effort, something beautiful can come from anything. This is the philosophy that chef and owner Corbin Mathany has taken in his approach to food in his new restaurant, Ugly Duckling Dining & Provisions. For Mathany, his calling was always clear. “I’ve wanted to be a chef since high school, for as long as I can remember,” he says. “My parents kind of made me go to university.” While in his undergrad at Brock University, Mathany says he went out to eat as often as he could afford. In his third year, he began working part-time at a fine dining restaurant. “I was just peeling potatoes and chopping onions, but I immediately fell in love with it. I finished university just to keep my parents happy.”

After he completed his degree in English Literature, Mathany went looking for a different kind of study at Stratford Chefs School in Stratford, Ontario. Then in 2012, he moved to BC and began working at Stage Wine Bar. “I was looking for an excuse to get out of Ontario, and I always had this idea in my head of what the West Coast was like,” he says. In addition to Stage, Mathany worked his way through a laundry list of renowned and quality restaurants in Victoria, including what was formerly Ulla and Relish. After working as the chef for a time at Hudson’s on First in Duncan, he worked as the sous chef at Wind Cries Mary for more than three years.

The team at Ugly Duckling: Arthur “Tito” Helip, Shane Jeffery, Christian Loewenstein, Corbin Mathany

During the pandemic shutdown, Mathany found the opportunity to plan the restaurant he had always dreamed about. “In culinary school, I would write business plans just as a fantasy,” he says. Ugly Duckling is designed as a love letter to Vancouver Island and the bounty it has to offer. Having a focus on tasting menus and terroir-driven food, much of their efforts go towards showcasing what the Saanich Peninsula has to offer through a blend of western and Chinese-influenced cooking styles. As a nod to the historic Chinatown they find themselves in, the first course of the tasting menu will feature a flight of snacks inspired by dim sum. “We want to serve ambitious, technically driven, and from-scratch food,” says Mathany.

The warm brick and dim lights give the space an intimate and cozy feel, but the highlights of wood and tall exposed ceilings make for an elegant seating area. The design process was done by Edda Creative who has also produced familiar spaces such as Small Gods Brewing, Friends of Dorothy, and each iteration of Ulla and OLO.

Mathany says the name of his restaurant preceded the location, but the philosophy is clear. The Ugly Duckling embodies the rejection of traditional luxury ingredients in fine dining and instead focuses on putting in effort and love to uncover the beauty in more humble ingredients. At the time of writing, Ugly Duckling is not yet open, but it seems certain that this location will, like its namesake, grow and blossom.

ADRIAN PARADIS

Petits Fours: yuzu posset with freeze-dried raspberry; Earl Grey macaron; and white peach + jasmine tea pate de fruit

“Snacks & Dumplings Inspired by Chinatown”: braised lamb bao, dungeness crab and sweet corn steamed custard, and Muddy Feet Farm heritage pork xiao long bao soup dumpling

Butter-Poached Halibut with white miso beurre blanc, kabocha squash, and puffed kimchi cracker

MeeT

This popular vegan restaurant from Vancouver has finally found its perfect place in Victoria.

Lingcod

Papillote with Spring Vegetables

en

WHETHER FOR HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL, or ethical reasons, reducing the consumption of animal-based products is top of mind for many. Fortunately, today it’s easier than ever to find tasty, plant-based food options. In late December, MeeT— a vegan restaurant with three locations in Vancouver— opened up its latest location, and the first on the island: MeeT on Blanchard.

INGREDIENTS: Serves 2

300g lingcod, cut into 2 portions

5 cups of spring vegetables sliced no more than ½" thick. (Some of my favourites are patty pan squash, leeks, spring onions, fava beans, peas, morel mushrooms.)

1 Tbsp grainy mustard

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 Tbsp kosher salt

1/2 lemon cut into 4 thin slices

2x 8"x12" sheets of parchment paper

2x 18" lengths of twine

METHOD: preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, parsley and salt to make a dressing. Set aside 1 Tbsp of the dressing and toss the rest of it with your sliced veggies. Divide the dressed veg in two and lay in the centre of each sheet of parchment. Top veg with 2 lemon slices each and place the fish on top of that. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the 2 pieces of fish. Wrap the bundles securely and tie closed with twine. Bake bundles on a sheet pan for 18–20 minutes.

SERVE: lifted out of the bundle and placed on a plate or enjoy straight from the parchment.

MeeT’s first eatery opened on Main Street in 2014 when long-time friends Jason Antony, Ivo Staiano, and Linda Antony came together to start their business. Each having had their own restaurant ventures previously, it wasn’t long before they opened additional locations in Yaletown and Gastown. “We have actually been looking to come to Victoria for years,” says Jason. “We were on the edge of several different locations in Victoria, to the point of almost signing a lease, when something would come up.” The most recent delay was, of course, the pandemic.

MeeT’s new location, in the former Boston Pizza at Hillside and Blanchard, has been reworked with a quirky and colourful style. Exposed air ducts have been painted bright pink and mature monstera plants

are housed in reclaimed car tires. Sitting at the bar you are faced with a retro TV playing a selection of VHS tapes and an ever-turning disco light.

Following suit from their other locations, MeeT’s menu is expansive and playful but packs some serious flavour and generous portions. Except for optional cheese on several dishes, everything on the menu is vegan and much of it gluten-free. But if you were to walk into MeeT blindly, you might not know it. “I used to think that when you’re getting something vegan there has been a compromise and that something has been taken out,” says Jason. When trying dishes like the whipped feta gnocchi tossed in a rich pesto and buttery sauce (yet without butter or dairy), it feels as though some kind of witchcraft has occurred. “We wanted to focus on having food first and food that can stand on its own. We don’t promote ourselves as a vegan restaurant.”

250.383.7760 27 ERIE STREET

While still only a devoted few adhere to eating completely vegan, Jason says he has noticed a cultural shift in the past few years. “People are open to having a vegetarian meal where previously they might have made fun of that,” he says. So regardless of your dietary needs, everyone can rejoice in the knowledge that there’s a new option for good food in Victoria.

ADRIAN PARADIS

JOHANN VINCENT

Buffalo Cauliflower Mac N’ Cheez plus other goodies available at MeeT

WILD • SUSTAINABLE • WEST COAST

Imagine Fathom

Afathom is a unit of measurement for the depth of the sea but in the case of the new restaurant bearing the name Fathom, in the Hotel Grand Pacific, the depths being measured go beyond the aquatic. Fathom allows us to explore the visual language of life below the waves. Through unique fresh ingredients and food inspired by the shimmer and shadow of the kelp forest close to shore, diners can plumb the mysterious depths from which seafood is harvested for the menu. But it can also serve as a measure of our own personal tastes. How deep do you want to go with your dining experience in this new restaurant nestled on Victoria’s Inner Harbour?

With an upscale West Coast vibe, the room is elegant but approachable. Chef Peter Kim is passionate about this, and it means that diners can easily make it their own, whether for an intimate meal, a casual happy hour, brunch with friends, or even to just relax with a cocktail at the end of the day.

The menu continues this sensibility, with visionary dishes reflecting chef Kim’s Korean heritage while being imbued with a decidedly West Coast flavour. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts in Ottawa, Kim travelled worldwide to enrich his philosophy and skills for different foods and cultures—from Michelinstar restaurants, luxury hotels and high-end dining to more casual venues.

“If we truly enjoy and believe in what we do, it shows on the plate,” says Kim. I like to focus on relentless research, passion for the products we use, and looking after the people we work with.” He adds that there is no such thing as perfection but that he strives to be better than yesterday every day.

While Fathom is focused on fare from the ocean, it isn’t limited to that alone. Kim has also created a delicious Wagyu Beef burger, steak frites, and other favourites like mac and cheese sticks. This is accented by a rich whisky, wine, and drink program. Driven by sommelier Brad Royale and head bartender Patrick Woo, the team believes supporting local breweries and wineries is just as important as supporting local farmers and fishers, creating a truly local experience. And when everything comes together like this, the unfathomable, too, comes to life. J.

ABRAM PHOTOGRAPHY

Fathom’s Spaghetti Vongole

An array of brunch items at Fathom

RECIPE + STYLING + PHOTOGRAPHY

Rebecca Wellman

With the selection of beautiful fish and seafood we have available to us on this island, it makes sense to make the most of it, and sometimes, a simple fillet just won’t cut it. Making cakes out of freshly cooked or leftover fish, different aromatics, and leftover potatoes is a delicious way to do just that. This recipe leaves the fish in nice big pieces so the cakes feel substantial, which is my preference, but feel free to use finely flaked crab, tuna, or salmon in place of the cod. I love the creaminess of sautéed leeks, but green onions, shallots, or finely minced onions work, too.

Lemony Leek Cod Cakes

Makes 8 cakes

1 lb fresh skinless cod

2 Tbsp Hellman’s mayonnaise

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 leek, trimmed and finely diced (about ½ cup)

1–2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2½ tsp Old Bay seasoning (see note)

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Seasoned panko breadcrumbs (see note)

2 eggs, whisked

All-purpose flour

Neutral oil for frying (such as canola)

Heat oven to 350°F. Set the fish on a sheet pan lined in parchment paper.

Spread the mayonnaise evenly over the fish, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12–18 minutes (depending on thickness), or until just cooked through. The fish should flake when pulled apart with a fork and still be very tender. Set aside to cool.

While the fish is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes well, and place in a large bowl. Roughly mash the potatoes with a fork, ensuring no pieces are any larger than a pea.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small sauté pan. Add the leeks and cook slowly, without browning, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Season lightly with salt and pepper and add mixture to the potatoes in the bowl.

Stir in the mustard, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon juice and zest. Taste the mixture and adjust with more seasoning, lemon zest, or salt and pepper if needed.

These cakes freeze well, so while you’re at it, double the batch and freeze them, well wrapped, for up to 2 months. You can freeze them on a sheet pan before you coat them in panko, popping them into a large freezer bag once they’re solid. When you are ready to eat them, thaw in the fridge overnight, then coat in the panko, and fry. Or you can cook them fully and freeze them. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake at 350°F for 20–30 minutes or until warmed through.

Once you are happy with the taste, gently flake the fish into large pieces, remove any bones, and gently fold into the potato mixture.

Form the mixture into 8 patties (about 100 grams ((or ½ cup)) each). Set on a tray lined in parchment paper, cover tightly, and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight. (If freezing some cakes, this is the point to freeze them uncooked, as in introduction.)

Line up 3 shallow bowls. To one, add about ½ cup of flour. In the next, add the whisked eggs. In the third, place about 1 cup panko. Set an empty plate lined with a paper towel beside the bowls.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add about half an inch of oil.

Coat one fish cake with flour. Run it through the egg so it is well coated, then dip it into the panko so it is completely covered. Set on the empty plate. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

Working in batches of 3 or 4, place the cakes in the hot oil. They should sizzle when you put them in the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until nicely browned, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust the temperature of the oil, making sure it doesn’t get too hot. Set each cooked cake on another plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat with all the cakes, then serve immediately.

Note: Old Bay seasoning is a mixture of celery salt, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne, sometimes with cinnamon, ginger, mustard, bay leaves, garlic, or onion powder. It is available at most grocery stores and

specialty shops, but if you don’t have any on hand, there are many recipes online to make it yourself. You can purchase seasoned panko or you can season plain panko with a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley, or oregano if desired. Keep the seasonings light; you don’t want to overpower the flavours in the fish cake.

Serving suggestion: Fish cakes go great with so many things, but I love a fresh spring salad whose dressing also acts as a nice sauce for the fish.

Throw together some sliced cucumbers and radishes and toss with avocado, feta cheese, sliced green Castelvetrano olives, and lots of fresh soft herbs such as basil, cilantro, mint, chives, dill, and parsley. Thinly sliced pickled red onions make a tangy addition. Add a dressing by blending together ¾ cup plain yogurt, ¼ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp olive oil, a handful fresh soft herbs, minced garlic, and lemon or lime juice. Season well with salt and pepper. Let the salad sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

The unpretentious and delicious fish cake gets an upgrade with chunks of fresh cod, tangy lemon zest, and creamy, sautéed leeks.

Adrien Sala

On this particular day at Finest at Sea, things are a little chaotic. Entering through the customer-facing deli counter—where every square inch has been put to use to showcase fresh seafood, canned products, photos, books, tools, or any number of fishy accoutrements—one has to squeeze by the counter to slip into the operations office. This little room, the antechamber leading toward the brains of the business, feels a bit like a galley aboard a fishing vessel. Cramped but well-provisioned, three points of contact, elbows in.

Inside the office at 27 Erie St., a much larger room in this converted old home across a grass field from Fisherman’s Wharf, the feeling of being at sea carries over. Waves of conversation are abruptly halted, interrupted by phone calls from frantic delivery drivers with annual herring catches arriving early, discussions about who is doing what and when, doughnuts for someone’s birthday. Or anniversary. It’s hard to tell.

When we finally get down to talking about the business, this too is busy. Operations manager Jennifer Gidora and plant manager and fisherman Rich McBride seem excited, eager to share what makes Finest At Sea such a unique operation. They banter like siblings who’ve been in too small a space for a touch too long. “We’re really like a family here,” says Jennifer, laughing.

What was meant to be a standard interview in a work setting is quickly railroaded by the appearance of Bob Fraumeni, owner and founder of the business. Bob—a crown of white wispy hair, wiry and strong—seems like a man who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Seasoned in the way that only decades on a cold water sea will do, he moves through the room lightly barking at everyone to hustle. But it’s not aggressive. Rather, there’s a level of reverence for Bob that is clearly evident, and the entire staff quickly falls into place to comply, tidying up and clearing

room for guests. Why? Because there are a little over 30 UVic students arriving with their professor any minute to hear Bob talk about sustainability—how and why it matters—and the journey that he’s been on since the 1970s to bring better sustainable practices into the industry.

As the students gather around him, he begins to recount his entry into the fishing industry: “When I first started commercial fishing, I was very young,” he tells the group. “And at the time, the fishing industry was like a buffalo hunt” What he means is, during that early part of his career, most fishing was done with trawl nets, giant sweeping rigs that would scoop up everything in their path without concern for bycatch or other unnecessary impacts. It was an industry driven by greed, without an eye toward the future. In other words, it wasn’t sustainable at all.

Bob’s is a meandering tale, but the highlight is that he recognized very early that if fishing practices didn’t change, there’d be no fish left in the sea. And so, he leant in the other direction, looking for ways to ensure the resource remained viable. In just one example of his work on sustainability, he was part of a group that led the charge to help ensure the spot prawn harvest didn’t collapse. Using science and common sense, the group advocated for harvesting only female spot prawns— and only after they’d spawned. Spot prawns are hermaphrodites, transitioning from male to female, after which they spawn then die. By catching only the postspawn females (which

The busy, popular, boutique-style seafood supplier and market has been setting the example of sustainable fishing on Vancouver Island since 1977.

are the plumpest prawns), they weren’t removing anything from the cycle that wasn’t going to perish anyway, allowing for generations of sustainable spot prawn fishing.

“Once that management system came into place in the early 1990s, the catch of spot prawns went from about 400,000 pounds a year to now like six million,” he says with a chuckle that suggests this should be an obvious point, “because we’re not impacting the building of the resource at all”

Bob Fraumeni’s story is not just relevant, it’s important. With more and more humans pulling on limited resources, sustainable practices are critical if we want a future with fresh wild seafood in it. To that end, Finest At Sea continues to harvest using all the same gumption Bob had as a younger fisherman. They only use pots or hooks, no trawling at all. This means a limited catch and more work, of course, but it also limits bycatch, the unintended sea creatures that wind up aboard a fishing vessel inadvertently. It’s more precise, more intentional fishing. For those occasions when there is some bycatch brought aboard (it’s impossible to avoid completely), FAS continues its sustainable approach, ensuring it is handled properly and never wasted.

Today, FAS operates somewhere between nine and 13 vessels in the waters between here and Alaska at any given time (Gidora and McBride can’t agree on the exact number). In yet another sensible practice, they flash-freeze everything that comes aboard immediately, rather than letting it slosh about in holds like many other fishing vessels do in order to retain the “fresh” label (which isn’t fresh at all if the boat has been out for days prior to returning to shore, obviously).

For the most part, FAS continues to supply consumers outside of the Victoria or Vancouver Island market, but of those that do carry its products, they are typically higher quality restaurants, like Brasserie L’Ecole or Zambri’s. They also sell direct to consumer from the same, let’s call it cozy, market mentioned at the beginning of this article. The display case is filled with easily some of the freshest seafood available in town and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

What’s more, in response to customers constantly walking into the main office looking for something fresh to eat, FAS opened a food truck directly in front of their office and processing plant in James Bay. Famous for its chowder, seafood burgers, and fish and chips, the truck’s popularity has quickly grown. Managed by Chef (with a capital C), Anna Hunt, it’s a more tranquil option for fresh seafood, away from the touristy madness at Fisherman’s Wharf. It is adjacent to a coffee shop, and there is a nice shared patio between the two buildings so you can get cozy with your meal.

The impact that Finest At Sea has on commercial fishing practices regionally is hard to measure precisely. It’s inarguably positive and large—and for those UVic sustainability students who’ve gathered around Bob to hear his story, there are surely some takeaways. Chief among them being that whether you’re a student, a customer, a fisherperson, or the owner of a slightly frantic seafood business, the choices you make on how you harvest and consume a natural resource have a genuine impact.

JOHANN

VINCENT

JOHANN VINCENT

Isabelle Bulota

tratas are a classic, usually served at brunch, and traditionally made up of layers of ingredients placed on a base of day-old bread and fresh cheese, topped with an egg and milk mixture, and baked. However, there are many types of strata served as main dishes, side dishes, and desserts.

In our house, variations of this casserole have become a tradition at brunch time, as much for parties as for a brunch with friends and family.

If you love smoked salmon and bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, you’ll love this bagel and lox strata. Prepare it the day before, then just pop it in the oven. It’s idea for a family and/or friends’ brunch. Zero worries!

Strata

4 bagels cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)

3 Tbsp butter, melted

½ large red onion, thinly sliced

200 grams asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups)

190 grams smoked salmon lox

5 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Toppings

Whipped Lemon Dill Cream Cheese (recipe below)

Everything Bagel Seasoning (store-bought or use recipe below)

Fresh dill, chopped, to taste

Capers, to taste

Lemon, quartered

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Spread the bagel pieces on a baking sheet. Bake for about five to seven minutes or until toasted. Remove and set aside.

Brush butter on a 23-by-33 cm (9-by-13 inch) baking dish or a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Place half the bagel pieces in the pan; spread with half the onions, asparagus, and lox; cover with the remaining bagel pieces; and top with the remaining onions, asparagus, and lox.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into the baking dish. Push down on the ingredients lightly with a spatula to make sure they are submerged in the egg mixture.

You may cook it right away or let it stand for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. If refrigerating, remove from the fridge about an hour before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the tip of a knife inserted in the centre of the pan comes out clean. If the top starts to get too golden during cooking, cover with aluminum foil.

Serve with Whipped Lemon Dill Cream Cheese, garnish with capers and dill, and sprinkle with Everything Bagel Seasoning and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Whipped Lemon Dill Cream Cheese

160 grams cream cheese, at room temperature

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp water

Mix all the ingredients together in a mini food processor or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about two to three minutes.

Everything Bagel Seasoning

4 tsp white sesame seeds

2 tsp black sesame seeds

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp dried minced garlic

2 tsp dried minced onion

1 tsp flaky sea salt

Mix all ingredients together and use as a seasoning.

This bagel and smoked salmon strata is fun to make, delicious to eat, and a perfect make-ahead meal when you want to feed the gang.

Sweet Endings

There’s a sweet nostalgia to this old-school treat that is known by many names.

My mom used to whip these up when she wanted a quick dessert for us. The ingredients were always at hand, it took no time, and there was little cleanup involved. And you could switch up the ingredients to suit what you had in the pantry.

They are a sweet and old-school treat and go by many names—Hello Dolly Squares, Magic Bars, Wonder Squares, Seven Layer Bars.

Reminiscing with my sister in Nova Scotia brought them to mind recently. My neighbours and I enjoyed the baked goodies resulting from that conversation.

HELLO DOLLY SQUARES

Makes 24 squares

½ cup melted butter

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips (optional)

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup flaked coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk (396 grams)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking oil, then line with parchment paper, making sure the paper comes up the sides of the pan and extends higher than its depth.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl.

Add butter to a mixing bowl with the graham cracker crumbs. Mix with a fork until crumbs are moist with butter. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of prepared baking pan and press into an even base layer.

Sprinkle the toppings over the base, distributing the ingredients evenly. Start with the semi-sweet chocolate chips, then add the butterscotch chips, the pecans, and end with the coconut.

Slowly pour the condensed milk over top, not in the centre but in a steady stream, moving the can back and forth to cover the surface (it will spread out).

Bake 30–35 minutes, until edges start to brown and pull away from sides of the pan.

Let the squares cool completely before lifting out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares. (You can place squares in the fridge to firm up more before cutting, if desired.)

Store in an airtight container. If storing at room temperature, the squares will be softer and are best eaten within 3 to 5 days. For a firmer, chewier square, store in the fridge for up to a week.

Note: The condensed milk can be added at the beginning, as a layer over the graham cracker base, before adding the toppings. I have found it doesn’t matter when you add it; my mom always added it last.

Switch out butterscotch chips for toffee chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or mini marshmallows. Switch out the graham cracker crumbs for a cookie crumb base.

CYNTHIA ANNETT-HYNES

RO CKY CREEK

rockycreekwinery.ca

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