Pig revisited for pulled pork poutine

Well, it's definitely not our first time to Pig restaurant for their pulled pork, nor will it be our last. The pulled pork at Pig sets the bar of competition for all pulled porks in Victoria... so why not pulled pork poutine while we're at it! Pulled pork -- good; poutine -- good; pulled pork + poutine must = good x 2?

So what did we think of it?

Well, the pulled pork as always is incredibly moist and full of homemade flavour. The pork itself falls apart on itself and is easy to shred. Soaked in its own gravy and lathered on top of mozzarella cheese curds and freshly fried fries (say that 3 times fast) and you've got yourselves a decadent pulled pork poutine! The juices flow from the pork and completely cover the french fries, however, not to the point where they are overly soggy unless you happen to leave it untouched for too long. However, as one might expect, putting a salty topping on top of salty fries will lead to extra saltiness. In our case, it did come out a bit much on the salty side hence why we decided to counter-balance our taste buds with a cold refrigerated old-fashioned cream soda. Ahhh, that hit the spot. Anyhow, even though the filling snack was a bit saltier as expected, we finished it all in rapid order and were fully warmed up on a brisk, cold evening. We'd do it again, but make sure you're ready for the sodium chloride.

-- Mr. Blue

-- Ms. Violet

The Office - dine around Victoria because that's what she said

The Office Lounge site

For our final destination of our Dine Around Chronicles, Mr. Blue, Ms. Violet and I got together to check out The Office. This has been an eagerly anticipated visit as our hopes to go last year for Dine Around were thwarted for some forgotten reason. Stepping into the restaurant, the ambience did not disappoint.

Greeted at the front by the hostess and a gentlemen reminiscent of Gordon Gekko, we were led to a large round table with high back chairs. The chairs are perfect to sit back in and lounge around in over a few drinks, but also suitable for dinner, not forcing diners to sit on the edge of the chairs just to reach the table.

Looking at the menu, we all decided on the $20 Dine Around options (listed below) and on a few drinks. Beer and cocktail prices were quite reasonable, featuring local and imported beers on tap ($4.75-$7.25) per sleeve, and cocktails around $8.50. Between the three of us, we had: the Wild Mushroom Risotto, the Grilled Chicken Mediterranean Penne, the Office Mac and Cheese, the Grilled NY Strip Sandwich, and the Warm Chocolate Chunk Brownie.

Dine Around Chronicles cont'd... Pizzeria Prima Strada (Bridge Street location)

Pizzeria Prima Strada website

Continuing on with our Dine Around Chronicles, we set out for Pizzeria Prima Strada on Bridge St. to check out their $20 three-course menu. At first, I didn’t even realize where the restaurant was in the plaza, as there are two garage doors on the side of the building; however, once entering, you are faced with the cashier countertop and a direct view into their open kitchen. I couldn’t help but be impressed with their wood-burning pizza oven, with actual piles of wood stocked along the walls at the ready. The feel of the restaurant was sort of a blend between garage and classy family restaurant – strange, but it works!

Once seated in our rickety, wicker chairs we all decided on the Dine Around menu. I decided on the Melanzane & Tonno (local tuna served on cubed roasted eggplant and other veggies), Salsiccia Piccante pizza (housemade fennel sausage, tomato, mozzarella, and roasted red peppers) and for dessert, a scoop of hazelnut ice cream with a vanilla ice cream centre, rolled in coco powder.

Aura - Taking Advantage of Dine Around

Aura website

Double Smoked Pork Belly Risotto

Taking advantage of Dine Around & Stay in Town, some friends and I decided to check out Aura restaurant located at the Laurel Point Inn. Arriving there, parking was a bit of an issue; we ended up parking a few hundred meters away on Montreal St. The atmosphere was elegant and refined - not something a BC Connoisseur would typically go for to hang out with friends, but it was something different. Greeted by the hostess, I was soon seated at a large round table, with comfortable chairs and a harbour-side view.
The restaurants Dine Around menu only had the $30 option which is as follows: