Canoe was our destination for dinner one early-evening during a recent stay in Victoria. We had missed getting there during our February stay, I had it high up on our to do list for this stay, and we were sure not disappointed -- wow, what a lovely spot, with good food and beverages to match!
The day was bright and sunny, the setting shined, and looked very welcoming upon arrival. And luckily, we managed to catch a spot for the car in their small parking lot, when we got there about 5:20 pm, or it would have been back out trying to find parking on one of the nearby streets (note: when you park in their lot, you see the hostess on duty at the time, to catch a parking permit to place on the car's dash). The building, erected in 1894, has been designated as a heritage site on the Inner Harbour. It's lovely inside and out, with all the red brick, wood finishings, and decorations.
We chose a table inside, the weather was sunny, but it was a touch too cool and windy for us to sit outside in the patio areas. Once in and settled, our server was at our table with food and drink menus. We ordered cold beverages, then sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed them and the surroundings for a while before ordering food.
Drink: Mom ordered an ice water w/lemon, and daughter and I a flight of beer, their 'core brands' -- a lager, pale ale, IPA, and a dark ale. The beers were cold, flavourful, and tasty -- much-enjoyed, and got our taste buds off to a great start.
Food: we ordered three of what they call 'smaller plates & sharing' -- w/descriptions from menu - the flash fried Humboldt squid (w/shaved fennel, roasted shishito peppers, parsley), wings (w/chili-shallot glaze, burnt scallions, slaw), and the margherita flatbread (mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, arugula, basil, olive oil, parmesan). When the plates and board were brought to our table, there was a rather loud 'wow' from each of us! it all looked so good - the presentations so bright, colourful, and nicely-arranged. Then the tastings - we thought the preparations were as 'perfect' as they could possibly be - the food fresh, very distinctively spicy (but not overly), so flavourful, and tasty. The squid and wings were almost unbelievably tender, and major taste treats. This was our first taste of flatbread 'pizza', and it turned out to be such great dish to accompany the others. There was nothing was left on the plates to go back to the kitchen, except a few small streaks of sauces, and the like!
We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Canoe. It was such a pretty and welcoming spot, offering such well-prepared and presented food, drink, and fine, friendly service. Canoe will definitely be near the top of my 'must return to' list when we get to Victoria next.
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