Victoria, BC – Lure Restaurant & Lounge at The Delta Hotel – Breakfast/Brunch

I know! So cute right?! It’s my apron turned into a cookie!

Follow Me Foodie to Victoria!

Dining at Lure Restaurant & Lounge at the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa.

Follow Me Foodie to Victoria! And there it was! That was to be my home for the next two days. Well not the whole thing, but I actually ended up staying here for the entire time I was in Victoria. Meaning that I didn’t leave this hotel. Willingly too! It’s in the last phase of a 14 million dollar construction, hence the white covering, but very soon this will be the newly renovated Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa.

I don’t even remember the last time I made a trip out to Victoria. It must have been when I was still in high school for the traditional field trip visit to The British Columbia Parliament Buildings. Not really the best memory to have of Victoria, especially when it’s your only one. So when I was invited to check out the new hotel and their restaurant Lure, I was looking forward to refreshing and creating a new memory. And that I did!

Yes I could have done it earlier, but part of the reason I’ve stalled so long is because the ferry ride and process to get there seemed a bit lengthy and exhausting, but that was until I remembered you could fly there. Well actually that’s not the full story…

What happened was that it was Victoria Day long weekend and the ferries filled up faster than I anticipated, so by default I resorted to looking for online flights. Lucky for me, the weekend flight deals ended up being the same as taking the ferry with my car, so boat or plane? Plane please. If I knew it was that convenient to fly to Victoria I would consider doing it a lot more often!

I was supposed to be here for two nights to try the restaurant, but part of me was excited to explore the city and also check out the other restaurants in town on my free time. C’mon, let’s be serious. I’m a foodie and I like to try new food and new restaurants. However the days didn’t stay sky blue and it turned a bit gloomy so I ended up staying at the hotel the whole time. Usually this would drive me insane, but on this occasion I was game and I don’t feel any regret.

Typically on a work trip I’m “go-go-go”, but for once I got to actually relax, and by that I mean sit on the bed and blog away. Blogging is relaxing for me, but it’s nice to do it in a new environment. Also the hotel didn’t suck. It’s true though! I mean if the room, bed and view were crap and the restaurant served boring old hotel food I would have spent as little time here as possible. But go through my finances or check the condition of my new heels and you’ll see that there is no evidence of me ever leaving the hotel except for the day I had to go home! It’s not like it’s the best and nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed at either, but it was just low key, relaxing, comfortable and brand spanking new.

Okay so back to business. The reason I was here was to be lured into Lure. Although this is based on an invite, there are no expectations for the outcome of this post. If you’ve been following this blog you know that my opinions are honest and always my own.

Restaurant: Lure Restaurant & Lounge
Cuisine: West Coast/Seafood/Pacific Northwest/Regional
Last Visited: May 19-21, 2012
Location: Victoria, BC (Victoria/Downtown)
Address: 45 Songhees Road (Inside Delta Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa)
Transit: eastbound Esquimalt NS Johnson St Bridge at Johnson St Bridge (Stop ID: 100061)
Price Range: Breakfast/Brunch: $10-20 ($12-15 mains), Dinner $30-50+ ($25-35 mains)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 4
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• West Coast/Regional cuisine
• Seasonal menus
• Seafood/Meat
• Sea harbour view
• Gluten free friendly
• Vegetarian friendly
• Family friendly
• Wine/beer/cocktails
• Breakfast 7:00 am – 11:00 am
• Lunch 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
• Dinner 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Tasting Menu
• Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

**Recommendations: Breakfast/brunch: Eggs Benedict à La LURE, Cranberry Pecan French Toast Dinner: Paradisi Cocktail, Pan Seared Scallops, Fried Rock Crab Cakes, Halibut, Grilled 7 oz AAA New York Steak, Caramelized Lemon Tart, Goat Cheesecake Brûlée, House Made Sorbet.

My first dining experience at Lure Restaurant & Lounge wasn’t actually breakfast, but I feel it’s appropriate to start with the first meal of the day. I had breakfast here twice and once was at the restaurant and the other time was for room service. Room service is always a treat because it’s not every day you get breakfast in bed… although as a food blogger food is usually within arms reach no matter what room or environment I’m in. The food was prepared out of the same kitchen and it was only a different space. While the restaurant provided a waterfront view, so did many of their rooms, which meant room service was the best of both worlds and I got to eat in pajamas!

On the table:

Smoked Salmon Frittata – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• House-smoked wild salmon, fresh spinach, goat cheese, kennebec potatoes, fresh herbs $15
• It was a lovely plate and the portion was generous with fresh ingredients, but it was a lot of one thing.
• A frittata is almost like an omelette meets a quiche without the pastry crust.
• It was a fresh interpretation for a frittata and the ingredients were placed on top like a pizza rather than incorporated with the egg as a mixture.
• There were some ingredients in the egg, but most of it seemed like it was on top.
• It was a big round skillet sized frittata and the eggs weren’t as fluffy or moist as it would have been smaller and thicker. I would have preferred smaller and thicker.
• The eggs weren’t dried, but it’s just a personal preference for me to have them even more soft and barely cooked all the way through.
• The smoked salmon was cut into cubes and it was a bit sweet so I think they were candied smoked salmon.
• The salmon was on the dry side (even for smoked salmon) and I wish it was either sweeter or saltier or more smoked.
• There was almost the same ratio of salty creamy goat cheese that wasn’t too strong, and then creamy fresh Kennebec potatoes.
• It was topped with a fresh garden salad of Italian parsley, dill and garden herbs which gave the plate a lighter flare.
• It would have been great to have some of the dill and goat cheese incorporated into the frittata part of the dish too.
• I found it a bit more salad and toppings to frittata and I did miss the moist salmon and fluffy egg omelette component of a traditional frittata.
• It kind of looked better than it tasted, but it still tasted good!

**Eggs Benedict à La LURE – 4/6 (Very good)

• Poached eggs, choice of back bacon or smoked salmon, brioche baguette, sauce Béarnaise, herbed kennebec potatoes $15
• Although it looks a bit smaller since it was served on top of sliced baguette instead of a traditional English muffin, it was no doubt rich and substantial due to the sauce.
• The fried potatoes were crispy and seasoned, but they were a bit starchy and didn’t come across as creamy Kennebecs.

You know me and runny egg yolks – see my Egg Yolk Series.

• I asked for the eggs soft poached and they were perfect!
• I didn’t even know it was supposed to be a brioche baguette, but I did notice it wasn’t chewy and just really soft.
• It was barely toasted and I would have loved it more toasted for crispy texture to soak up the egg yolks without being soggy.
• The pan fried back bacon was okay, but the highlight was the poached eggs and the sauce.
• Instead of a traditional hollandaise it was a very well made Béarnaise sauce that was thick yet very fluffy, creamy and rich.
• Béarnaise sauce is the same as hollandaise except there is added vinegar, so it was noticeably sharper and tangier which I liked.
• There was some added tarragon and there was just enough bread to soak up the sauce and enough sauce to eat with every bite.

LURE Steak and Eggs – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• Grilled 5oz AAA Strip loin steak, two eggs, sautéed mushrooms, herbed kennebec potatoes, multi-gain toast and preserves $23
• I found this one quite literal and there wasn’t anything too surprising about it.
• The well seasoned steak was tender and moist, but it was perhaps on the medium-well side for me and I asked for it medium rare. It was still good though and not tough.
• It had a little bit of basic beef jus sautéed with mushrooms and that was quite simple and as is.
• For a restaurant like this wild mushrooms would be great especially for that price too.
• I asked for one egg fried and one egg scrambled which they were happy to do.
• The egg was softly scrambled as requested and not seasoned, so I assume they wanted to leave that up to the diner.
• Again the fried potatoes were crispy and seasoned, but still starchy rather than creamy.
• The roasted tomato was a bit watery in flavour and Victoria has some excellent heirlooms so I was a bit surprised.
• I’m not sure if the tomato was supposed to be the “preserve”, which would be slightly odd, or if they just forgot to add that component.

Multi-grain Toast – This was from a local bakery.

**Cranberry Pecan French Toast – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• Bananas foster sauce with pumped raisins $15
• Oh gosh. I ordered this as the dessert potion of breakfast and when the server said “save the best for last”, she meant it.
• Holy crap! Seriously, if I was a local I would come back often just for this. Delicious!
• It was a substantial breakfast and definitely more appropriate as a dessert though. I could have it for breakfast, but I also have a sweet tooth.
• It was sweeter than most French Toast options, but not too sweet either.
• It was a very generous portion and they were even more generous with the toppings and pecans which surprised me.
• The 3 slices of baguette were from a local bakery in Victoria called Rising Star and the pecans and cranberries were throughout the bread with a hint of cinnamon too.
• There wasn’t a ton of pecans in the bread, but the Chef sure made up for it in toppings. He knew!
• The bread was lightly soaked in an egg batter and it wasn’t soggy, but slightly crisp on the outside and super soft and very moist and spongy on the inside.
• The bread and the crust weren’t hard or chewy and just super tender and fluffy which is what made this so good.
• It was topped with lots of crunchy toasted pecans, plump juicy golden raisins and dried tart cranberries to enhance the cranberry pecan theme in the baguette.
• The bananas foster sauce must have been reduced with banana liqueur because the banana flavour was infused throughout, yet the alcohol taste was cooked out.
• The sauce was likely made with butter, brown sugar and perhaps rum with the warm slices of creamy sweet bananas sauteed right into it.
• This banana-infused like caramel sauce was delicious and not too sweet, not sticky and not too buttery.
• It was honestly perfect and although the French Toast was soaking in the sauce, it was never too much and I could keep dipping the bread into it.
• It was good enough that I would pay even more for it. This is something I would crave and the highlight of breakfast for sure. Days later and I’m still thinking of it.
• The only way it might be better is with a side of vanilla ice cream. The white chocolate mascarpone cream they serve for dessert would also do… or a sprinkle of bacon… although it really didn’t need anything else to be a FMF Must Try! 

My photo was a bit blurry so I have to show the one from my phone… looking at it twice isn’t bad either.

Room Service

Fruit Smoothie – 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• Created fresh daily $7
• It was strawberry and pineapple and I wish it was seasonal fruit, which I understand can be difficult at this time. The strawberries were still tart.
• It was quite tart as well as sweet and it seemed like it was made from real fruit sorbet.
• It was more icy and I don’t think it had any dairy, but it was still thicker from the sorbet texture.
• It seemed more like a slushy than a smoothie and I was just hoping for yogurt or more fruit or just something with more “wow” factor.

Healthy Start – 3/6 (Good)

• Housemade maple granola, fresh fruit salad, honey and vanilla bean yogurt. Choice of juice and coffee or tea $16 ($12 just for granola parfait at Lure)
• I was surprised that the granola was placed under the yogurt and I thought it would get soggy, but it didn’t.
• This was quite literal and the drizzle of strawberry sauce and mango sauce I would have preferred as good quality honey instead.

• The granola was loose and not in clusters so I didn’t even find it that sweet which is good.
• It was toasted and crunchy with sunflower seeds, oats and no obvious nuts.
• The fresh fruit wasn’t seasonal, but there were berries, pineapples, watermelon, red grapes, cantaloupe and honey dew.
• The yogurt was already sweet so it didn’t seem to need the extra honey which was mixed into it. I couldn’t taste the honey as much as I just knew it was sweeter than normal.
• It was also just regular vanilla yogurt so there wasn’t any bean in it, but it was standard and not thick and full fat.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Almond Pancakes – 3/6 (Good)

• Fresh fruit salad, maple syrup. Choice of juice and coffee or tea $18 ($14 just for pancakes at Lure)
• I was imagining something so different after getting the French Toast which was amazing.
• I thought these pancakes would be covered in fresh blueberries and crunchy toasted almonds on top, but it wasn’t.
• The pancakes were fluffy, tender, soft and not sweet, but made from almond flour so there were no actual almonds to bite into. I was kind of sad about that since that was the part I was looking forward to most.
• The pancakes had the flavour of nutmeg and perhaps some cinnamon, but the cinnamon was mild.
• There were a lot of blueberries, but since they’re not seasonal they were quite watery.
• The pancakes needed the maple syrup and the texture was fine and not cardboard like or dense for whole wheat, but I just wanted the almonds to stand out more.
• I would have loved this with Chef’s blueberry thyme sauce that he serves with many of his desserts. The white chocolate marscapone would be delicious with this too.