Aura Restaurant, Victoria, BC.
During a recent trip to Victoria, we had a wonderful stay at The Inn at Laurel Point - which included a lovely dinner and breakfast at Aura Restaurant and Patio located inside the hotel. The menu is described as "an adventure into bold tastes and beautiful platings" . They focus on sourcing local ingredients - like pork from Vancouver Island farms, fish caught off local shores, and even herbs from their very own garden. I was really excited to check out Aura, but even more so once I found out that they recently welcomed a new executive chef, Chef Nakano. For those that don't know, Chef Nakano was previously the executive chef at the Shangri La in Vancouver. I've been lucky enough to enjoy some of Chef Nakano's dishes before, so I knew we were in for a treat at Aura!
The restaurant’s revitalization was part of the Inn’s extensive multimillion dollar renewal project (read more about it here). We were shown to our table by the window, and wow, what a view! Right on the water, overlooking the iconic inner harbour, there wasn't a bad seat in the house.
Their new menu is made up of a bunch of globally-inspired small plates unique to the city's hotel restaurant scene. For dinner, our server recommended 3-4 small plates per person, so we got to try some great food. I love getting a chance to try several different things, so small plates (tapas) are perfect! In total we ordered 9 dishes and these are the ones I highly recommend:
The chef’s cut beef and scallop was easily my favourite dish. The scallops were amazing - perfectly seasoned and cooked. It came with a 3oz bavette steak prepared with yuzu kosho and ssamlang ketchup. The steak was tender and so tasty. The dish comes with only one scallop. I’m so happy we ordered an extra four to go with the dish!
Another fantastic pick was the halibut. Seared and served with a spicy garlic and chilli sauce with a bit of bok choy. The sauce was not at all spicy which was fine with me. It was very flavourful and went well the moist and flaky halibut. Delicious!
The deep fried sushi is a popular choice according to our waiter. Obviously not your typical sushi but it was good. Torched albacore tuna, sambal mayo, shiso leaf and topped with tobiko. I loved the added touch of the soya sauce filled pipette.
A great vegetarian option is the Pea & Ricotta Tortellini in a red thai curry sauce. As much as I love meat, I would order this as an entree if it were available in full dinner size. A must order whether you are a vegetarian or not.
If duck is on the menu, I will usually order it. The Teochew Style Duck Breast with a soy & lavender glaze was cooked to a nice medium rare which even impressed my husband who is usually indifferent to duck. The duck arancini was a nice accompaniment.
Risotto - black quinoa, with local prawns and seafood, coconut and a sambal was a very nice dish.
Oh! and don’t forget to get the grilled focaccia bread. I didn’t think to take a photo because, hey, it’s focaccia bread. I certainly didn’t expect to love it so much. Believe me, this is one of the best focaccia breads I’ve had.
Our dinner was delicious, the service attentive, and the view was stunning. I would definitely love to come back and try the other sharing plates. We had such a great experience we were back for brunch the very next day!
Breakfast:
After looking over the menu, the Seafood Benny is what caught my eye. There was a half and full size order. I went with the full sized and was so glad I did. This is not your traditional eggs benny but one with an Asian spin. This seafood benny is made with a prawn & smoked salmon okonomiyaki, poached free range egg, kimchi hollandaise, seaweed salad, bonito flakes paired with parmesan home fries. This dish was amazing! It’s such a unique take on a classic brunch item. And check out that perfectly soft poached oozy egg.
My son choose the French Toast. The portions were huge with 4 thick half bread slices and it was prepared with a chai spiced cream cheese, apple compote, candied pecans, drizzled with maple syrup. I only took a bite and thought it was good. My son obviously enjoy it as he devoured it leaving only a slice unfinished.
Hubby had the Point Breakfast. Can’t go wrong with a classic breakfast which includes two free range eggs, choice of bacon, ham or pork sausage, baked tomato, parmesan home fries and toast.
Fresh fruit platter with honey dew, cantaloupe, pineapple, watermelon, kiwi, strawberries and grapes was a nice sharing dish that completed our meal.
If you’re in Victoria, be sure to visit Aura Restaurant! My entire family really enjoyed both of our meals here and we would definitely come back. Such a great location and atmosphere - a perfect spot for a nice meal or just to sit for a glass of wine and enjoy the view either inside by the window or outside on their patio.
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Aura Waterfront Restaurant + Patio
680 Montreal Street
Victoria BC
https://www.aurarestaurant.ca/
Hours:
Breakfast: 7am - 11am
Happy Hour: 3:30pm - 5pm (Friday & Saturday)
Dinner: 5pm - 5pm
Disclosure: Our meals were complimentary but the review and opinions are my own.
