restaurant reporter
EAT
Rebecca Wellmam
Gen Laplante
left: Ulla interior middle: Lamb sirloin, pea puree, gnocchi & morels
right: Chocolate cake, macerated cherries, whipped cream
Ulla | 509 Fisgard Street, Victoria | 250.590.8795 | www.ulla.ca At press time Ulla had just opened it doors so we thought it wouldn’t be fair to comment on the quality at this point. However, we wanted to let readers know about Ulla and what they are hoping to achieve. This is from the press release. Who are they? Ulla is owned and operated by Sahara Tamarin and Brad Holmes who moved to Victoria in 2009 after working in Vancouver: Brad with Feenie’s, West, Cibo, Aurora Bistro and Chow; Sahara at Aurora Bistro, Parkside, Lumiere, Chow and Cibo and since moving to Victoria she also worked at Brasserie L’Ecole. What are they? Ulla serves modern west coast food that features local ingredients, modern techniques and tradititonal flavours. Ethically raised products are used whenever possible. Dinner only is served up in a warm, inviting and non-pretentious atmosphere. Call it food for everyone. Where are they? Ulla is located in Victoria’s Chinatown and is in a heritage building that formerly housed a Japanese restaurant. Hand made fir tables, including a beautiful communal table with seating for 8, exposed brick and tall arched windows are balanced with vibrant, large-scale paintings. The 6-seat bar is nestled in its own alcove off to the side of the dining room and is topped with a beautiful piece of Cowichan fir. —EAT staff
Brown’s Social House | 809 Douglas Street, Victoria | 250.388.0200
Maryanne Carmack
Tahitian Albacore Tuna w/Spicy Lemongrass Dip, Asian Vinaigrette
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EAT MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2010
Brown’s Social House at 809 Douglas Street is the 8th in a series of BSH franchises to open in British Columbia and the first for Victoria – all of the others are in the Vancouver area. The restaurant space is industrial softened by an earth tone colour scheme. The menu is self-described as “West Coast cuisine with ethnic twists” and favors “small plates”. They participate in the Ocean Wise program (which means identifying sustainable seafood choices on the menu). Over several weeks my guest and I made three visits - both for lunch and for dinner. One visit, I had the Tahition Tuna Salad ($15) - 4oz. seared-rare, lemongrass encrusted albacore tuna filet served with a wasabi aioli and a simple salad of baby greens dressed with a drizzle of sesame lime. My guest chose from the 6 pizzas on offer and ordered the Spicy Capicola ($13.50) with sopressata salami, banana peppers and mozzarella, which she loved – interestingly, the crust (and oval shape) was reminiscent of langos – a fried Hungarian thin
bread. On another visit, we both had the Carbonara Linguini ($12) with shrimp, smoked bacon and peas which I’d describe as pedestrian. In our last visit we tried the grilled Kobe (blended with regular ground) Beef Burgers that came with a side of a strongly-flavoured, Fire-Roasted Tomato Linguini but all in all was a pretty good burger Brown’s is located in the tourist and business area of Victoria on east Douglas Street. It works for a quick bite and drink with the after-work crowd. Hardly fine dining, but fun. For us it was lively and affordable and we liked the friendly and energetic staff. Two drinks, two entrees and a starter came to $60 with tip and HST. Open from 10AM til late. The wine list features plenty of California but also has a decent smattering of Okanagan Valley wines. Half the list is available in either a 6 or 9 oz. by the glass. Bottle prices average around $40. —Colin Newell
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