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Address: 308 Catherine Street Victoria BC V9A 3S8
Tel: 1 250 386-2739
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| "Chocolate and Beer...that's all I need!" |
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by Tiemen (from Victoria, BC)
February 2008 - I heard about Spinnakers when I worked with a guy whose girlfriend is the pastry chef there. He had told me about the truffles she made there with interesting flavor combination like dark chocolate with peppercorns and lavender, or milk chocolate with thyme and caramel, and then surprised me with a couple small bags of these truffles around Christmas. Let me just say, I love chocolate, and was blown away by these interesting flavor combinations when I dug into the truffles. I have heard great things about Spinnakers chocolate and beer pairings, and had been waiting for an excuse to try them. When we had some friends visiting from out of town who wanted to try Spinnakers for dinner this past weekend, I finally had my chance. I think everyone thought it was a little strange when they ordered dinner, and I ordered 5 truffles paired with 5 tasters of Spinnakers own beers…but I’d eaten earlier in preparation.
I was a little skeptical about the chocolate and beer pairings. I love chocolate and I love beer, but I wasn’t sure how much I’d love them together. I was convinced from the first pairing though, and will never doubt the wonders of beer and chocolate, together, again. I had no doubt that Spinnakers had the chocolate part down (I tried the truffles), and from all accounts I’d heard they also had the beer part down, but their pairings were perfect. The milk chocolate with thyme and caramel truffle with a Nut Brown Ale or a complex dark chocolate and barley truffle with Titanic Stout…fantastic. I recommend the chocolate and beer pairings to anyone who, like me, enjoys chocolate and beer.
Well, with my unconventional supper out of the way, what did I choose for desert? A beer float, of course! Yes…if chocolate and beer work, why not beer and ice cream? I chose a scoop of coffee flavored ice cream in a stout, and it was amazing. The perfect mix of sweet and slightly bitter, with hints of coffee and cinnamon(?). I’d heartily recommend Spinnakers based solely on their chocolate and beer pairings and the beer float alone, but the rest of the food is supposed to be fantastic too. In fact, I did try the burger, as my wife couldn’t finish hers, and it was far above standard pub fare. Spinnakers also offers great views from either the restaurant on the main floor, or the lounge upstairs. Walk along the harbor from downtown to work up an appetite and enjoy even more fantastic scenery. As an added bonus, you can stop at the retail store on your way out and pick up chocolate, beer, and a variety of other items to create your own pairings at home.
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| "Excellent View" |
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by Gary (from Calgary)
February 2008 - Spinnakers has a great location on the north side of the inner harbour and houses a restaurant, pub, retail store and guesthouses. We decided to try the pub on a Friday evening and although the place was very busy, we were able to get a table with a great view of the inner harbour. Although dark outside, there are 4 to 5 tables with a fantastic view of the water and are the definitely the place to sit at especially during the day when you can view the boat and floatplane comings and goings. Spinnakers also has it own brewery on site and their beers are very good. I tried the Jameson's Ale while my partner tried the Hefweizen and both were great. I had the calamari starter which was good followed by the halibut fish and chips which I thoroughly enjoyed. On this particular Friday evening, there was a magician walking from table to table and after waiting for us to finish eating, he pounced to show us a few of his tricks and I am still trying to figure them out to this day. Definitely a good pub to visit and make sure you get a table with a view.
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| "Pleasant" |
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by Sally (from Calgary)
February 2007 - Spinnakers seems to do a good job advertising themselves as we saw their name everywhere and so decided to give it a try. The map on their brochure made it seem like it was closer to Victoria's harbourside than it was. Located in Esquimalt, you can reach it by foot by crossing the blue bridge and walking along the foot path. It's a nice walk on a good day with fantastic views. Spinnakers itself has good views but not amazing, situated slightly farther away than the water's edge. There is a restaurant on the ground floor and a pub on the top floor, which has better views. I was surprised at the menu selection, which features pub classics (like fish and chips) but also west coast inspired cuisine such as tempura tempeh burgers. My husband had the fish and chips made with salmon (you could also have it with haddock). I had the moules frites (mussels and fries). The fries were tasty and soggy, but fatty. The mussels were good, but the broth was rather bland. My husband loved his fish and chips. The real highlight here is the beer, brewed on site. At just over five dollars a pint, we found their beer to be cheaper than other Victoria pubs. I can't recall the names of the ales we enjoyed, but both were not bitter and very smooth. The atmosphere was typically pub-like, with lots of shiny brass at the bar. It was nice. The only downside was the disinterested servers. They were pleasant enough, but only just. But service was efficient and competent and that's what counts.
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| Note about Spinnakers Reviews: Please note that the above reviews about Spinnakers reflect the subjective opinion of individual readers and not the opinion of ReviewBlue.com or its affiliates. If you represent the Spinnakers and wish to comment on any of these reviews, we encourage you to use the management response feature. |
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