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My husband and I continue to try other restaurants in Victoria. There are many great ones, but we just keep going back to Brasserie. The food is incredible and the atmosphere great.
Where else can you try any wine on the list by ordering a minimum two glasses from the bottle? It's a very unique opportunity for those who love to try new wines. Often I will just ask the server or Marc if they have anything interesting open already that pairs well with my food choices and I have yet to be disappointed.
I only wish they still took reservations:( At least for a few tables. It can be a challenge to juggle kids and babysitters for special nights out when you don't know what time you'll be eating...Well worth the effort though!
The previous guy's crappy one star review prompted me to finally get off my lazy ass and show my love for one of Victoria's most exquisite restaurants.
There are reasons why such a nondescript restaurant, hidden next to a little Asian grocery store has been successful for so long.
The food.
Sometimes I wish everyone on Yelp cared about food the way I care about food. Not about whether the server's tone was to their liking or they had to wait longer than they wanted. It would be a much better community if everyone had a good and proper palate.
But I digress.
The food.
The food is divine. The mussels are divine. The steak is divine.
I actually prefer that places like Stage, Zambri's and Brasserie don't mess around with the reservations BS. PS those are our top three restaurants for anyone taking notes.
Go for the food. The ambiance is pretty killer too.
Comme c'est magnifique! No reservations! Had to wait a good 45 to 60 minutes for a table but being one of the top 2 restaurants in Victoria (according to Yelp) I figured it was worth the wait. And it was.
The scallop appetizer was delicious. The sauce that came with it made a great dip for the everlasting supply of bread coming to our table.
8 oz. steak with frites which can be made fancy with garlic, parmesan, herbs and truffle oil for an extra $2. Great value. Do it! So delicious! The steak was a bit overcooked for medium rare around the edges but the centre was done right. The flavour was amazing and the steak was very enjoyable. The flavour made up for the steak not being cooked to a perfect medium rare.
Overall, the food was amazing and done right. It was very rich and could easily stop a weak heart, so be warned! Comfort food with gourmet flavour. The atmosphere was nice, service was friendly and fast. If you'll be going out for dinner while in Victoria, I definitely recommend it!
Steak Frittes....is there really a better meal out there. Well there is, and it is in Brasserie L'ecole. Not only is the name french, but inside you'll find a gorgeous wine list and l'ardoise menus that will transport you to another country. And back to that steak, it was simply divine. Rather than slathered in some fancy marinade or BBQ sauce it rests, perfectly cooked, in a large plate with a slice of Roquefort butter. On the side are the Frittes and I certainly recommend the version with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese. It really doesn't get any better than this!
Just got back from anniversary dinner at Brasserie... I must add this update... omg gnudi! amazing.
Listed in: Cant Miss Victoria Restaurants
I'm not a well traveled foodie with a 3 star Michelin fed palette, but I can appreciate an amazing… Read more »
This place is consistently amazing. I'm been to Brasserie half dozen times now and every single time I have been the food has been great and the staff friendly and helpful.
The only downside is that to get a table you have to physically show up and put your name on a list and it can sometimes take a while to get a table. They will give you a call though so we usually just head over someplace close for a few drinks while we wait.
If you like food you will like Brasserie L'ecole.
This was part one of three nights of four course French dinners while I was in Victoria. My buddy and I had read on Yelp and heard from talking to people in the city that it could be hard to get into. But we stopped by on a Friday night and only had to wait about 45 minutes.
Once seated service was a bit slow. Our server seemed quite busy and probably had one or two tables too many. It was also kind of annoying that the cheese and dessert menus were on boards that they had to bring to you. It was a cute touch initially but when it takes them a while to bring it over you get tired of the novelty and wish they just had it on the menu.
I started the meal with a stuffed medjool date with an almond and Roquefort. Now I can't say I'm normally a big blue cheese fan, but biting into the date it was quite sweet and the Roquefort perfectly tempered that.
After the date I had two whale town bay oysters on a half shell. The sauce used on the oysters made them a bit spicy when you first put them in your mouth but once you bit into the oyster the spiciness faded away and revealed a great tasting oyster that wasn't too salty.
For the main course our server recommended the braised veal shank they had on special that night. It came with bacon, morels, red wine sauce, cream orzo, cobble hill asparagus, and basil. Our server said that everyone that had tried it couldn't even describe how good it was. Not being a huge veal or shank person I figured if I liked it they had done something right. And boy was it right; it had just the right amount of fat. And I found that the meat held up well on each bite without being chewy. That was great for me since I can't stand something I have to chew for 20 minutes before swallowing.
Even though I thought the veal was good my buddy's sole a la meuinere, capers, lemon, and parsley was incredible. I just got a small bite but it was a perfect combination of sweet and sour. It was a bit oily but it wasn't off putting. As much as I appreciated enjoying something I don't normally love that sole tasted great and I probably would have been a bit happier ordering it.
I finished off my meal with a three cheese course. To be honest none of them really blew me away. The pecorino bigio (Italian/sheep) had a very mild taste. I had the same issue with the pierre robert (French/cow), despite it being extremely creamy is was very mild with a slight bitter taste. Finally the mucia al vino (Spanish/goat) was advertised as being tangy but it was again mild. I felt the cheeses we had were good but didn't really push boundaries or surprise me in any way.
Overall I probably liked Brasserie L'ecole the least of the three places we tried, but the other two were amazing so that doesn't take away from Brasserie much. If you like French restaurants that are more accessible than I would definitely suggest a trip to Brasserie. I'll probably be back but Brio and Matisse are my favorites.
Listed in: Victoria May 2010
This is NOT for the food. I put one star only because it's required to post a rating.
L'ecole NO LONGER TAKES reservations. First come, first served; and there are only 13 tables in the bistro. If you don't drink - no one in my party does - you're stuck with nothing to do for an hour.
It's easy to agree with the five star rating, everything... EVERYTHING was amazing. The service was genuine, the staff was attentive and witty. The food, all of it, was wonderful. And I dig how it's in a kind of unassuming location on the edge of Chinatown.
Nice decor, not cheesy, feels french. Front of the house was nice, smiling and inviting. Waitress wasn't as warm. She showed us the dessert menu at the end of dinner, brought out a chalk board and held it in front of us without saying a word. Little awkward for the entire 2 minutes.
Loved the bread and butter. Fresh and perfectly chewy.
Appetizer - veal tongue with beets, watercrest, gruyer cheese on top of toasted slice of baguette. Fantastic. Highlight of the meal. Perfectly cooked tongue, great texture contrast, adequate acid from vinagrette. LOVED IT!.
Dinner - 8oz steak, perfect portion especially, because we shared an app, cooked perfectly, love the char. Its not that tender. Sauce was good. Would have liked the steak and sauce to be hotter when served. I think it sat a few min. too long. Not the best steak, but good. If it was more tender and hotter I'd say it would've been a great steak. Asked for medium rare and it came out that way. Good marks for that. You'd be surprised how hard that is to get that at any restaurant.
Mussels in garlic and parsely - could use more acid, good portion, sauce a little bitter, fresh mussels, went well with the fries. It was okay overall.
Fries in truffle oil, garlic and parmesean - addicting and hard to pull away. Very good overall and went well with my steak. Mayo dip was perfect for dipping.
My all time #1 restaurant. Marc and his staff treat everyone like they are gold. The food here is always, and I do mean always perfect. I try to change it up from the last time I went, ordering the steak frites only every other time I am there.
The wine list is great, and the cocktails are awesome. I highly suggest the French 75.
We took my father in law here a couple of years ago and now we have to go to "the Brasserie" every time (fine by me). He spent time in both Brussels and Paris and says that he feels totally at home here.
They no longer take reservations, a policy that I have yet to put to a test. However, they do say that if you come on by that they will call you on your cell when your table is ready.
This is a lovely little restaurant with absolutely delicious food! I love the Brasserie.
Really, really good food, really, really good service.
I loved it here. Our servers were friendly and really genuinely seemed to be happy to be there.
The decor was lovely. I was happy to see the photos that they chose to put up-- they didn't seem as haphazardly picked as at other places.
The food was fantastic. I had this crazy tuna dish with chickpea fries and green beans and some other stuff. it was so, so good. My girl had a steak and it was the greatest thing ever. I was envious. Also, we killed this massive serving of fries which ALSO kicked ass.
Finally, the desert was amazing. Almondy, chocolatey goodness.
Overall I had a great, great evening thanks to this lovely restaurant.
After my second visit to Brasserie L'Ecole, I'm updating my review to five stars. It's just that good.
My boyfriend and I went on Friday night, as I had been given a gift certificate.
We stuck with water, because it had been a really hot day and neither of us felt like drinking, though my memory of how good the wine was almost changed my mind. Again, our server was Sterling, who just like last time was friendly, helpful and overall awesome.
We shared the endive salad with hazelnuts and bacon and apple. This time there was a slight overdousing of dressing for both my taste and his, but it wasn't drowned or anything - I just found the salad flavours so unique and strong on their own I wanted a milder dressing, or less of it. Still, it was absolutely delicious and we ate every bit. Also, we opted to share, and rather than bringing us one plate and two forks, they split the salad for us in kitchen, which was a thoughtful touch.
Oh - also, in my last review I mentioned decent bread and butter "nothing to write home about" - either they've switched, or I wasn't paying attention, because the baguette we had was excellent. Dense, thinly sliced, chewy, a bit sour, and perfect. Yum.
For dinner, I had the 8 oz. sirloin with frites again (last time it was SO GOOD) with the roquefort cheese pat and reduction. My boyfriend had the albracore tuna with french beans, chickpea fries and aioli. Both were amazing, and we traded bites a lot. I want to learn how to make chickpea fries.
The truffled-garlic frites were, as last time, crazy delicious, and I'm not usually someone who cares much about fries.
For dessert we shared a piece of almond-chocolate torte, which was so well done, nutty, with the nuts ground enough to be mealy and hold together but not enough to lose their definition. It wasn't as good as the creme brulee, but it was still better than most desserts you'll find anywhere else.
And it's not a bank breaker, at all. Our bill was $70.00, which for a really lovely dinner out, with skillful, excellent, fresh food, isn't too bad at all.
One word of warning to the wise - it's a very small, very popular place. I (naively) called on Wednesday for a Friday reservation, and got the very last one - for 10 p.m.! Fortunately, the late dinner suited us fine - we just went to our movie first.
I'm amazed how many people seem to not know about this place, myself included, until recently. It's… Read more »
Fine, fine... whatever. I've done too much yelping today... but this place just came to mind, and I either write about it on yelp, or I get in my car and start driving to victoria BC (I'm guessing it's probably about an 80 hour drive, and that damn ferry).
It's taking a while to collect my thoughts about this restaurant. Went there a few months ago... ate just about everything on the menu, drank several (no seriously, I mean several... several) belgian beers, absinthe and who knows what else. Maybe it was the absinthe... maybe. Or maybe it was just the most amazing meal ever. The lucky thing was we had two women with us who didn't eat a ton, which just left more for me... and I did work my way all around the table.. actually I almost made it to the table next to us.
The place is tiny.. I mean really small. I don't think there were more than 10 tables in the whole place... but it wasn't claustrophobic. They have the most amazing belgian beer selection I've come across in a restaurant. The food was beyond belief... everything was fresh, local.
Okay, I just had second thoughts about the drive, but I remembered my car doesn't have much gas in it... no victoria trip tonight.
Back to the review... the waiter was extremely nice, quick witted, and he tried to pick up on all 4 girls at the table sitting next to us... I put him up there with spongebob or buddha.
I just can't say anymore... I'm starting to get a little emotional, and I just want someone to hold me. If you are ever in victoria... PLEASE go to l'ecole. If you don't love it... you need help, I can get you a number of someone.
Easily the best restaurant in Victoria. I've eaten at some incredible French restaurants in New York, London and Paris, and Brasserie holds its own. To this day, I have never had a better steak and frites.
It's also vegetarian friendly. Don't be put off by the carnivorous menu - they prepare really great vegetarian dishes, you just have to ask.
I was very impressed by the food quality and service. Since coming in here I've heard every foodie I know in the area regale about their favorite meal here.
I remember it being a very meat heavy menu with very limited vegetable sides. I'm totally in support of small and set menus to keep food quality at its very best but If you don't eat red meats you might want to call ahead just to make sure there are some options you're into.
Listed in: Dining out in Victoria, BC
really really good food, yes. Endive salad was so so but everything else we ordered was great - the sirloin steak...frites with truffle oil...roasted lamb special was soooo good, the beet side was one of the best beet sides i've had & the chocolate truffles for dessert were absolutely sinful! Amazing wines by the glass & great selection of Belgian beers as well...
Phenomenal - ambiance, taste, service. The most enjoyable restaurant experience in Victoria in over a year. Surprised how long it took us to find it, but it's at the top of the list now.
Went late after the theatre and they were very accommodating.
Downsides: went during the month of Movember, and the plethora of mo's (including yours truly) was distracting.
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
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