City Eats March|April 2022

More vegan options are coming to our fair city!  Frickin Delights Donuts is a vegan donut shop opening at 632 Yates St in March. They will also be offering classic craft coffee and tea creations, with dairy available upon request. frickindelights.com

Odd Burger is a vegan fast-food chain that started in Ontario in 2014. Its mission is to disrupt the fast-food industry by offering delicious food made from scratch using plant-based, minimally processed, and sustainable ingredients that are good for people and the planet. Opening in 2022. oddburger.com

Boomtown Beer Garden and Burritos is now open for dine-in and take-out at 950 Yates St. Serving burritos, bowls, beers and snacks, they have some unique options available, such as Fried Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower, or Black Garlic Humboldt Squid. Their Street Corn Salad, made with charred corn, pickled onion & cabbage, boom sauce, cilantro, scallion, cheese and lime makes for a tasty side!  boomtownyyj.ca

Upgrade Café has opened at 516 Fisgard St. Part of Upgrade Labs, which is the world’s first Human Upgrade™ Center and brainchild of Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof® Coffee and Father of Biohacking. On offer is a selection of upgraded coffees and espresso-based drinks (upgrades include grass-fed collagen protein, grass-fed ghee, clean MCT oil, and prebiotic inner fuel). Breakfast is served all day. Open 7am-5pm Monday-Sunday. upgradelabs.com

Colwood’s Jasmine Restaurant will be closing its doors permanently this March. The family restaurant run by Judy Wong first opened in Mayfair Mall before moving to its current location on Island Highway, where it has been for the past 23 years. We wish Judy Wong all the best in her next chapter!

Wild Mountain Food and Drink in Sooke has launched a new line of organic vinaigrettes featuring their own honey. Available in Fig Leaf and Honey, and Malted Apple and Honey, you can find these available in Victoria at Pepper’s Foods. peppers-foods.com

Junction, Orchard & Cidery is a fairly recent addition to the Victoria cider scene. Located at Prospect Lake, close to downtown Victoria, this 8-acre farm is a welcoming west coast rustic venue creating delicious ciders. They have just started to partner with some local suppliers to offer snacks in their tasting room. Enjoy a locally sourced picnic box to go with your tasting flight created by The Local Picnic.  junctionvictoria.com

The Bread & Butter Collective is a Vancouver Island-based peer-driven collective aimed at providing resources and tools to hospitality-based business owners in B.C. for improved levels of performance, peer accountability, learning and growth, political advocacy along with guidelines for operating businesses and managing lifestyles that are meaningful and lasting. Earlier this year they launched a reusable container program. This environmental initiative will help reduce the amount of take-out containers entering our landfills. breadandbuttercollective.com/reusable-takeout-containers

Victoria Beer Week is a nine-day festival showcasing BC craft breweries in unique event settings across Greater Victoria. With a focus on education and diverse craft beer selection, VBW 2022 will feature more than 50 BC craft breweries. Victoria Beer Week launched back in 2014, it has since become a successful annual festival creating craft beer ambassadors out of regular beer consumers. This year’s event was postponed to April 1st – 9th 2022. victoriabeersociety.com/victoriabeerweek/

Culinaire will be returning to the main building of the Victoria Conference Centre on May 4^th this year. This event provides locals with the opportunity to savour signature menu items and inspired dishes from an abundant selection of restaurants, lounges, pubs, cafes, specialty purveyors, and sip from a fine selection of local and regional wine, cider, and craft beer. Partial proceeds provide scholarship awards to the Camosun College Culinary Arts Program and a donation is made each year to the BC Hospitality Foundation. culinairevictoria.com