Sunday Brunch at Wildfire Organic Bakery & Cafe

Going for brunch on Sunday in Victoria is the happening thing to do. It’s like the end of the weekend (or start of a new week) reward. Brunchers convene at a variety of the city’s hot spots for late morning mimosas, bacon, and eggs bennies.

A great brunch spots draw in regulars because the food is excellent, often local and always consistent in quality; the service is friendly and accommodating; and the space is comfortable, warm, and inviting.

Luckily for us, we can add one more location to the list. Wildfire Organic Bakery has been running their Sunday brunch menu for the last few months and the reviews are looking good.

Chef Marty Lopez

New to the team, Chef Marty Lopez met with me to discuss some of the unique and tasty dishes Wildfire is plating for their brunch. The menu shifts weekly and includes three to five items. Lopez says he focuses on having something sweet and something savoury and to include some kind of protein such as eggs, or meat, or vegan-based.

“I enjoy it when I get to narrow that divide between sweet and savoury,” says Lopez. “My training as a chef has brought me to both ends of the [sweet and savoury] spectrum. I like to surprise people a little bit with the unexpected.”

That surprise element was demonstrated in the plates I sampled when I went for Wildfire’s brunch. The first dish consisted of torched eggs (soft cooked organic eggs seasoned and torched like a brûlée) on mixed Mason Street greens with Wildfire three seed bread. The eggs were definitely sweet and salty, nicely contrasted by the cayenne-spiced walnuts in the salad and the tangy vinaigrette dressing.

“Hey, if you have a soft cooked egg, you’re half way to custard,” jokes Lopez. Though not a sweet tooth myself, I can appreciate the sentiment and the plate had well balanced flavours and was aesthetically pleasing.

Fruit and biscuits

The second dish I tried was the fresh fruit plate with warm buttermilk biscuits. The biscuits were light, flaky and tender. They have been so popular with guests that requests have been made to include them as a regular menu item. Lopez served three condiments with the fruit plate: maple spiced butter; yogurt cheese flavoured with avocado, orange, and hazelnuts; and a rosemary balsamic cherry jam on a frozen apricot (the apricot when frozen eats very much like a sorbet). The latter was so unique and refreshing I didn’t even think to spread it on the biscuits, just scooped it right up and ate it!

There are a few elements at play with Wildfire’s brunch that I’m certain will make it popular with Victoria’s brunch-goers. First off, the majority of Wildfire’s menu is predominantly organic, frequently local, and always made in-house.

You’ll find many local products being used, like Choux Choux capicollo and chorizo, Little Qualicum cheese, Kildara Farm greens, and unique dishes like Shakshuka: eggs in a Tunisian spiced pepper and tomato stew or a warm slice of quiche and salad.

“The brunch we serve here at Wildfire is simple, but playful,” says Lopez. “And colourful.”

Wildfire owner Erika Heyrman says the new brunch menu “is healthy and good for you. There is a degree of decadence but [it’s] balanced with fundamental nourishment with organic fruit or a big beautiful salad. Of course, you can still get a nice fluffy omelet or roast potatoes, but you’ve got options.”

Wildfire Organic Bakery

1517 Quadra Street

(250) 381-3473

Brunch: Sundays 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dishes range from $9.00 to $12.00

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