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Camille's Fine Westcoast Dining
Categories: Restaurants Diners Restaurants Canadian (New) Diners, Canadian (New) [Edit]
45 Bastion SqVictoria, BC V8W 1J1
(250) 381-3433
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
16 reviews for Camille's Fine Westcoast Dining
16 reviews in English
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Review from Michael P.
Burnaby, BC
5/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Camille's Fine Westcoast Dining - A savoury meal in a historic building.
I don't think I can stress how much I enjoyed my dinner at Camille's. I was only in Victoria for the Victoria Day weekend, however, I would've probably given this place a second visit if I ate here on the first day I was in town.
Unfortunately, their menu seems to change daily (an indication to maintaining fresh ingredients) so I can't specifically list what I had ordered. I can, however, dictate that if they offered the halibut ceviche again, it's something worth trying.
As an entrée, any fish or duck dish will be paired with fresh seasonal vegetables and sauces. I was in a rush during my visit and I regrettably gobbled my medium-rare duck (which was perfectly cooked, by the way). Had I more time, I would've savoured every bite.
The venue itself is situated in the basement of a historical building designed by an esteemed architect - Francis Rattenbury, the same architect that designed the Empress and Parliament Building in Victoria.
Service here could've been better and it did take some time for food to arrive, but in spite of this, the plating was excellent and the flavours of each dish was phenomenal. I left the restaurant wanting to return as soon as possible. I just hope that the quality of food will remain the same when I'm back in town. -
Review from Katie F.
1/29/2012
I've been told that Camille's is a classic Victoria restaurant so I was looking forward to my dinner here when in town visiting for the night. Came here with a big group so we had part of the restaurant blocked off for the night. The restaurant was open to working with the host so we were able to have a tapas style menu of their dishes. This was a fun way to do things so I had a nice sampling of their items.
The bread service was great with super fresh pitas and a nice selection of dips and hummus. The dolmades were average, the salad with mushrooms and chicken was excellent, the black cod was melt-in-your-mouth good, and the sausages were interesting (not sure what spices the meat was blended with, but it was a different twist). The weakest dish was the flank steak... it was a bit gristly and had bad texture. We finished with some lovely chocolate mint ganache squares. Mmmm.
It's a bit dated in terms of decor but the service was lovely... someone in the group forgot their extra dessert and the server actually ran after his car in the street! Talk about great service! Food was solid but it's not one of my favorites in town. -
Review from April R.
9/25/2011
This is a small place so I would recommend making a reservation if you want to eat there. The only issue we had with our meal was that the service was REALLY slow. The food gets top marks. We had a hard time trying to decide what we wanted since everything on the menu looked amazing.
I had the goose, which was a wonderful leg, breast, and goose confit and kidney salad. My favorite part was the leg. I had never had kidney before and was pleased with it.
My husband had the lamb and it really was the best lamb we have ever had. The best part was the loin. The plate also had a really nice rack piece and sweetbreads. I have also never had sweetbreads before and was a little worried to try it. It was actually really good!
For dessert we enjoyed the stawberry-basil ice cream. -
Review from Kim A.
1/18/2011
During my recent weekend trip to Victoria, I learned a few things about the quiet little town. 1) It's a beautiful city, 2) It's definitely not a food town, and 3) Camille's is definitely not "fine west coast dining".
Do not let the charming décor fool you, like it sure fooled me. Walking through the front door, you're welcomed not by a person (maybe they were too busy cleaning out their hair brush in the kitchen?), but by a charming reception area, candles dripping with wax, and beautiful crystal chandeliers. During my brief stay in Victoria, I noticed that almost all of the restaurants are adorned with impressive crystal chandeliers (even the McDonald's), which I can only guess is to ploy you into thinking that each place is classier than it really is, and serves better food than it really does.
The first indication that the dinner was going to be a disaster was the stale bread that was served at the beginning of our meal. Who knows if it was yesterday's bread or last week's bread, but it was so old and stale that it couldn't even be sliced. After trying to cut a slice for myself, I realized I would need a chainsaw to make that happen, so I gave up. I wish I had walked out the door then...
We ordered the charcuterie plate and quail for appetizers. I've never had quail before, but I've heard it is quite delicious. Fortunately, my taste buds are brave and resilient, so I'm not going to let this over-cooked, poorly plated dish prevent me from trying it again at another place. The charcuterie plate was also a huge disappointment. The bread served on the plate was also extremely stale, so much so that it couldn't even be bitten into.
Onto the main courses.... Pork tenderloin and duck. Each main dish was served on a large plate, with far too much going on. The cluttered, nonsensical variety made it seem as if they were using my plate to compost the leftovers served to other tables earlier in the evening. My pork "tender"loin was served with "crispy" pork belly. The tenderloin was the opposite of tender, as it was tough and dry, and the crispy pork belly was a gelatinous disaster of a dish I thoroughly enjoy when it's done right.
However, the most unpleasant part of the meal is when my boyfriend found a hair in his dish. I get it, these things can happen, but after a disappointing meal, the hair was the tipping point that made our experience at Camille's go from bad to worse.
Bottom line, very disappointing meal. I wish I would have gone to the fancy McDonald's instead. -
Review from Jens J.
11/10/2010
First impressions indeed are often correct.
Camille's is located in the basement of a Bastion Square building. Entering its inside, the atmosphere felt heavy, dense and dead (no music was playing when we entered, though music did begin to play later). I just about wanted to turn around and walk back out the door.
We had 8:30 reservations on a Saturday evening and were seated in a room with grandma-ish decorations.
This could have been a four-star review because there were a couple of delicious dishes, but the round-robin service to our table from four waitresses was terrible - lazy, indifferent and rude. In fact, this was the worst service I have experienced anywhere in several years.
Never once were our water glasses refilled. Never once were we asked how our food was. Never once were we asked if we'd like another round of drinks.
At the end of our meal, we were the only patrons remaining in the restaurant, with no staff around. For a good fifteen minutes we sat there and wondered if we would ever get our check. Very surreal. Finally, I poked my head into the curtained kitchen to get some attention. I saw the waitresses just standing there in a circle shooting the breeze. I asked them to bring us our check and finally, one of the girls came out with the check and plunked it on our table without a word and walked off. Considering the prices here, service was unacceptable.
The seared scallops appetizer was great (brought to us by the male chef) and so was JP's duck. The risotto in my pheasant breast dish was really delicious, but the overall appearance of the dish (served on a wide and narrow plate) was sort of cuckoo and cluttered. Going from left to right, there was a pile of risotto, then slices of pheasant (I didn't like the seasoning of the pheasant), then more risotto, a beet wedge, a carrot, a few drops of creamed spinach, then more slices of pheasant, then more creamed spinach, and a final spoonful of risotto at the far right of plate.
Overall, the food was decent (and so were our martinis), but the crappy table service was a real buzzkill. We won't be back. -
Review from Matthew L.
Edmonton, AB
5/27/2010
This is one of those reviews that I would prefer not to star, as in many aspects, Camille's delivered above and beyond expectations. But the overall experience did not deliver precisely what we had intended.
My parents and I greatly enjoy fine dining establishments. We have few dietary restraints and enjoy experimenting with food. My wife is a strict vegetarian who is allergic to goat cheese and abhors bitter greens (specifically arugula).
For the one "fine dining" meal during my parents' trip to Victoria, I chose Camille's due to a special note on their website stating:
"For our Vegetarian customers - we always have some vegetarian dishes on both the appetizer and entree menus. What most of our regular vegetarian customers do however is just speak with their server about what they like to eat, and what they would prefer not to eat. Our chefs will be happy to prepare a special plate for you containing what ever is fresh and local that day within the boundaries of your particular diet."
At first, the experience began swimmingly - a semi-private and comfortable table, delicious and relatively inexpensive wines by the glass, hearty, delicious bread, and expertly executed appetizers.
While the appetizer menu contained a delicious salad with rapini, egg, more veggies, and a delicious vinaigrette, the sole vegetarian entree included goat cheese. Because of this, and the note on the website, we made a special request to the chef to create a dish for my wife.
What she received in return was a stack of grilled eggplant and peppers, with an artfully placed smudge of potato puree on the side. All for about $24. Sure it was tasty, but not fulfilling - there was no protein on the plate, which we found to be disappointing.
But there were many other positives as well, such as
*tender, flavourful goat cheese ravioli
*an expertly executed halibut dish with couscous
But my mother found herself wanting more from her Pork Tenderloin.
I admire everything that Camille's does for the local food community and would be willing to give it another shot if I could be assured in advance that my wife could have a satisfying meal. -
Review from Mike L.
12/4/2009
I'm not one of those who comes up with a weak review just to make some sort of point. Also, my wife and I have only eaten at Camille's once time. The good part was that it's a pleasant dining room with good service and the food wasn't bad. My wife enjoyed her duck but complained that the kale was tough and fairly flavorless. I agree. My halibut dish was pedestrian and way oversalted. I woke up twice during the night for water. The fresh greens salad was nice as was the squash soup.
Desert was average. The coffee was good. All in all, for the money ($121.00 + tip) I was quite disappointed. We spent a bit more than this at the Sooke Harbor House and had a wonderful meal. We spent less at a couple of other Victoria restaurants and had better food. -
Review from Matthew B.
7/18/2010
We had an excellent dinner here when visiting Victoria. The food is excellent and the service is nearly perfect.
FYI: It doesn't come cheap, though. -
Review from noell b.
7/8/2011
our trip was slated for new year's day, and so many restaurants were closed. we were so lucky that limited choices led us to one of the salads i will always remember!
i greatly enjoyed the baked camembert and spinach salad: phyllo wrapped natural pastures comox camembert, spinach, toasted pecan and grapefruit vinaigrette. i also ordered the carrot ginger cardamom soup topped with creme fresh and sweet potato frites-which was delicious and rich, but still light and spicy, and finished with a delicious blood-orange tart. though we've tried to re-create the salad at home, we've had little success. and a year later, i still scan restaurant menus to try to find something similar. -
Review from Pimpus M.
10/18/2009
If I am going to drop 100.00 for a meal for two, it better be excellent!
Camille's is the real deal. They are not messing around and your money will not be wasted. They are all about sustainable and local food. We started with a chanterelle mushroom soup which was heaven..I then had the tenderloin of beef which was lovely. My husband has the duck atop a savory tart-delicious! -
Review from Jennifer H.
Victoria, BC
9/10/2010
I may not be the best person to review Camille's as I have nothing to compare the Pheasant to. On a whim I gave it a first try and wow! I don't care if I'm wrong thinking it was perfectly prepared, it truly was great. Since I didn't know where to even start with a wine pairing I left it to the waiter to suggest something and it was right on the money. Normally I just like to browse the dessert menu, but I always stop when I see Creme Brulee. Camile's was an Earl Grey tea and orange zest infused perfection
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Review from Michael H.
Victoria, BC
2/25/2010
Top notch hands down one of the better restaurants in Victoria
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Review from Avivos S.
1/25/2011
in 1 word: FAIL.
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Review from Jeff W.
7/29/2010
Beautifully presented and very flavorful, correctly sized portions. Exceptional handling of vegetarian entree. Romantic, special occasion spot.
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Review from A E.
Victoria, BC
11/11/2009
I did not eat there but instead I took a BC wine course (the first of its kind!) through continuing studies at UVic.
The course was taught by the owner of Camille's. He is very knowledgeable about wine from all over the world and especially BC. This charismatic, funny and well dressed fellow has been collecting wine since he was 15, travels around BC visiting and evaluating vineyards and is very detail oriented when it comes to anything food or wine related. Don't get me wrong, he knows where BC wine stands on the world market, but he also knows which BC wines and wine makers are the better ones.
We were served delicious appetizers with our wine and judging by this, the atmosphere, the owner and the wine we had, it is no surprise it costs $100 to eat there. Well worth it I'm sure! -
Review from Monica C.
5/12/2010
Excellent experience at this restaurant! All local amazingly creative meals. You can't go wrong with menus based on the local ingredtients of the season! The service was friendly and the desert is worth staying for.
