After a lovely breakfast in the hotel dining room, we returned to find our room key was not working. There was a concierge desk on our floor that was really for “premier” guests, but they were happy to help us. We were able to wait in the “premier” lounge and caught some great views of the harbor.
Around 10 am we left to walk to the Victoria Public Market to catch an 11 am “Taste of Victoria” food tour. We arrived early and looked around the market, which had been refurbished into a trendy environment with interesting food and gift stalls, small eateries and seating for a number of people. We hope the new market in Louisville resembles this.
Our guide was delightful and our first stop was in the market at “Roast Meat and Sandwich Shop.” Our treat was a large meat ball made of beef, pork, ricotta cheese and bread crumbs covered in arrabbiata sauce, a touch of pesto and Parmesan cheese. All the food on the tour was delicious but I would return for this.
Next we walked along Douglas St., which is Rte. 1 in Canada, stretching 5,000 miles all the way to St. John’s.
We walked to the beginning of Chinatown to the Gates of Harmonious Interest.
Our guide told us that the Chinese came to town during the gold rush of 1858. However, many moved to Vancouver to work on the railroad. The Chinese were not allowed to go to school with the whites so they built their own school in 1905. Today it is a cultural center in what is now an ethnically diverse neighborhood.
Our next stop was LaRoux Patisserie where we were given our choice of two macaroons. A woman started it 3 years ago after studying in France and has made about 800,000 macaroons in that time.
Our guide walked us through Fan Tan Alley where many nefarious activities occurred in past years, but now it is a high priced residential area.
Then we stopped at Just Matcha, which was a great experience. I had heard of Matcha but had no idea what it is. It is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves. The plants are shade grown for 3-4 weeks before harvest and the stems are removed. The proprietor told us that it had great health benefits - is an anti-inflammatory and is good for joint pain.
To make matcha, he used 1/2 teaspoon of powder to 1 cup of water and then used a little tool to whisk it. He then mixed it with soy milk and strawberry syrup for a delicious drink.
Next was Shanzee Biscuit — biscuits being the new food rage. We had a quarter of a biscuit with gravy, bacon, onion and cheese and another quarter with Nutella and whipped cream. Both were delectable.
On to Market Square where we saw the Institute for Chinese Medicine which offers a 5-year course. This area had 1600 hanging baskets which are watered by city workers every night.
Our next food stop was Sult Pierogie Bar where we had two of the traditional Polish delicacies stuffed with 3 cheeses and mashed Yukon potatoes and covered with sauerkraut or bacon.
By now we had worked our way back toward the heart of Victoria and were on Government Street. We went to The Churchill, a bar specializing in beers — specifically 50 different craft beers all made in Canada. We were invited to pick our own from an extensive list and I had one flavored with chocolate. Very tasty.
Our final stop was the iconic Rogers Candy store, founded in 1885 but moved to its present location in an old jewelry store in 1917. This is the Royal Chocolatier of QE2. We were given a cream filled chocolate to take on the road. What a great tour!
We were done by 1 pm and decided to take the 1:30 city bus to Butchart Gardens. Must make this a separate entry to get everything in.
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