Victoria Euphoria

Our latest visit to BC’s capital city uncovered the best new places to,
eat, drink.and shop.

Shop
The neighbourhood of Oak Bay is
home to a brand new womens store Public,
stocked with eye catching jewellery by Giles Brother (modeled after the
designers grandmothers estate collection), fine cashmere sweaters from
Englands John Smedley, and Tibi New York. After, head next door to the
new Vis-à-Vis winebar for a charcuterie plate. Public, 201-2250 Oak Bay
Ave., Victoria, 250-590-6405, www.publicboutique.ca

(Lets Hear it) For the Boys
Publics
sister store, Citizen,
carries-carefully curated menswear and accessories like Filson bags,
handmade shoes, reams of silk ties, Denham jeans and retro bicycles for
the dapper man about town. Citizen Clothing, 2541 Estevan Ave.,
Victoria, 250-590-6716, www.citizenclothing.ca

Do
Renting bikes from Cycle
BC will get you to Oak Bay along the oceanfront in no time. Start at
Beacon Hill Park, do the seaside route, and return via the Empress
Hotel Veranda for a glass of rosé. Cycle BC, 685 Humboldt St.,
Victoria, 250-380-2453, www.cyclebc.ca

Spa
Whats a getaway without a spa stop?
The boutique-size
Spa at the Grand does a top-notch pedicure (while you recline on a
bed) and the RMT massages were both therapeutic and relaxing. Hotel
Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville St., Victoria, 250-386-0450, www.hotelgrandpacific.com

Dim Sum
A surprising discovery was the Ocean-Wise
Dim Sum at The Pacific with locally-sourced ingredients. Order off
the Asian tea menu (we loved The Philosopher Brew) and start with the BC
Seafood Congee ($12) which is light and delicious. Cowichan Valley
Springrolls ($8) and Qualicum Scallop Dumplings ($8) are a modern spin
on locavore fusionand a great idea, we might add. Hotel Grand Pacific,
463 Belleville St., Victoria, 250-386-0450, www.hotelgrandpacific.com

Fly
Helijets
25-minute harbour-to-harbour flights are the preferred mode of island
hopping for those (like me) who hate to wait. The aerial views of
porpoise pods? Bonus. www.helijet.com

Dine
Open daily with no reservations,
the new 200-seat Zambris
is truly an international-level restaurant in the shiny-new downtown
Atrium building. Would saying it was the best meal of our year be too
much? I think not. Dish after sublime dishvegetable-forward and
ultra-progressively Italianwas a delightful surprise. House-cured meats
pushed appies up (bread dumplings with ground salumi wrapped in spec, do
you hear me?) and silky, egg-y pastas roll off the tongue like the
romance languages. Zambris, 820 Yates St., Victoria, 250-360-1171, www.zambris.ca

Dine Again
Ullas
proprietors are a young couple who honed their skills at Vancouvers Cibo
among other fine dining establishments. On the edge of Chinatown, its a
loft-y space with a formidable cookbook collection (try the Momofuku
chicken wings, an ode to New Yorks David Chang). A $7 glass of Cava sets
the tone for a fun evening and pairs perfectly with the octopus salad
($12). Ulla, 509 Fisgard St., Victoria, 250-590-8795, www.ulla.ca
Sarah Bancroft

Read more about our Victoria trip in our Editors’
Diary.