Grazing Our Way Across Victoria, B.C.

Ahhh!… now we knew we were tucking into an authentic, iconic, traditional English afternoon tea: There were plates of finger sandwiches.

My wife, Merry, and I sat in the white-columned tearoom at The Empress hotel, a stately dowager that has stood facing the Inner Harbor in Victoria, on Canada’s Vancouver Island, for 117 years. A grand hotel in the style of a French chateau, with gables and spires, it was opened by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1908 and is itself an icon of Victoria.

The harbor sparkled in afternoon sunshine beyond the tea room’s windows, while at our table a three-tier tower of plates was filled with goodies. There was a Coronation Sandwich with curried farmhouse chicken on brioche; a Honey and Dulcey Tart (the honey came from the hotel’s beehives); a Truffled Egg Éclair with ancient-grain mustard and chives; and freshly baked Raisin Scones served with clotted cream and strawberry preserve. (The scone recipe is 113 years old; the “Scone Master” has been with the hotel for 45 years. Talk about tradition…) 

Serving more than 250,000 cups of tea a year (!), The Empress has perfected the art of brewing a perfect cup. Our server, Manon – from Montreal, with a French accent and a warm, welcoming manner – proffered a menu of eighteen teas. 

Reading the descriptions, I couldn’t help but think of the over-the-top language sometimes favored by wine buffs. The Empress Blend boasted “components from Assam (thick, malty and full bodied), Kenya (floral-like with a golden coppery infusion), and China (burgundy depth with light, oaky notes). It was delicious. Merry chose a more humbly described herbal tea called Waterfront Mint, a refreshing blend of peppermint, ginger, and rose hip. 

At six feet, six inches tall, I’m not so much a bull in a china shop as a giraffe in an English tearoom, but I could appreciate the refined beauty of The Empress’s Royal China pattern. With a ring of red flowers and a crown in the middle, the plates and teacups have fourteen layers of color and are hand-painted with 22-karat gold. 

The design dates to 1939, when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) hosted a dinner for 250 guests at the hotel and decided this was the pattern they wanted – so they had a full set shipped all the way from England. 

Tea at The Empress is easygoing and fun, yet a veddy British affair. 

Our hotel was named for Queen Victoria, who in addition to ruling Great Britain for more than six decades had the title Empress of India. The city bearing her name is the capital of British Columbia, and for Americans is handily located just 75 miles northwest of Seattle by ferry. 

The English arrived here in 1843, and near the hotel we saw their mark in the Neo-Baroque Parliament Buildings, which have turquoise-green domes and more than 100 stained and leaded
glass windows. 

Reflecting another culture, Victoria has a thriving Chinatown, the second oldest in North America (after San Francisco). It was to Chinatown that we set out one afternoon in a light drizzle – British Columbia’s version of “summer.” The first Chinese came to the area in 1858 and worked in gold camps, salmon canneries, and logging camps around Vancouver Island. In winter they returned to Victoria, where Chinatown’s stores, gambling parlors, opium dens, and brothels welcomed the workers and their hard-earned cash. What the men saved was sent home to support their families.

Merry and I had signed up for a walking food tour called “Hip & Hidden Chinatown + Old Town.” Guide Brenda Quinn, who lives in Chinatown and has a lively interest in food from around the world, told us that Victoria has the highest number of restaurants per capita in Canada, but just 92,000 residents. “We’re a city,” she said, “that walks like a town.”

To our surprise, only one restaurant on the tour was Chinese. Chinatown and its environs are unexpectedly diverse, with an award-winning Indian restaurant, a French bakery owned by an Irish woman, and our first stop: Maiiz Nixtamal Eatery and Tortilleria. (Nixtamal is the product of blending water, calcium, and dried corn kernels into a dough that creates fragrant, soft, flavorful tortillas.) 

Brenda turned to me. “Try the fungus tacos!” 

Huh? Wait … fungus?! 

Known as huitlacoche, it grows on immature corn kernels and has a smoky, earthy, slightly sweet flavor – safe to eat, tasting a bit like mushrooms, and a delicacy in Mexican cuisine. 

My taco was garnished with cilantro and red onions. “When you fold a taco,” said Brenda with a wry smile, “you eat one end and the other end will mock you.” Indeed, as I chomped one side of my taco, some of the contents popped out the other side and onto my plate. But it was delicioso, definitely among my Top Ten Tacos of a lifetime. (Merry chose mushroom tacos, also an immediate thumbs-up.)

Our group walked on to Pinhalla – one side a pizza parlor, the other a vast hall of flashing, bonging pinball machines. Brenda issued each of us two tokens, which I plunked into a carny-themed game called “Fun House” and had a blast. Then we scarfed slices of cheese pizza made, Brenda opined, “with a great marinara for a pizza parlor.”

Next it was on to Café Malabar, which two South Indian chefs started as a pop-up in the public market. Thriving in its new location next to Chinatown, Café Malabar was chosen by Air Canada as one of the top five new restaurants in the entire country. Our group first sampled Potato Masala with coconut chutney, then a Kerala Egg Puff, flaky pastry filled with spiced egg and served with a chili-tomato dip. Both were subtle and tasty, a reflection of the chefs’ love for the vibrant flavors of Kerala, an Indian region famous for its spice markets.

Brenda led us through Fan Tan Alley, which got its name from a Chinese gambling game. Along this narrow path in the 1800s, there were six gambling halls, plus opium dens. (Oddly, opium was legal in Canada until 1908, but gambling was not. To slow down police officers during gambling raids, Fan Tan Alley had secret trap doors and locked gates at each end.)

Soon we dropped into Dumpling Drop, a vest-pocket restaurant with a sweet origin story. When Tarn Tayanunth found out her mother had early-onset Alzheimer’s, she looked for something the two of them could do together. Her mom, Toom, loved making dumplings, so they did – so many that they started delivering them around town. During Covid, business soared and today they have two locations. Our group sampled the “Classic Vegan deep-fried dumpling topped with our housemade chili oil, cilantro, and crispy onions.” Mmmm.

After even more stops at a Japanese rice-ball emporium, a craft beer brewery, and a chocolate shop, I barely had the strength to tap my phone and summon an Uber to take Merry and me back to the hotel. We headed up to our room, possibly for a nap – and maybe a little snack later … 

Compass Points

Getting There: From Seattle we took the three-hour Victoria Clipper ferry (www.clippervacations.com) non-stop to Victoria, a scenic run with water and island views. Comfort Class included leather seating in a spacious cabin on the upper deck, one piece of free checked luggage, complimentary snacks and beverages, and a fun crew. 

Visitor Information: (www.tourismvictoria.com) Activities, accommodations, dining. Weather in Victoria: Fresh, dry, sunny summers, and cool, cloudy, rainy winters (November-February). It poured on several days during our late October visit.

Where to Stay

Fairmont Empress: (www.fairmont-empress.com) Like the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Old Quebec, this classic hotel defines the character of the city. The Empress reflects its roots but isn’t stuffy or antiquated, with recent multi-million-dollar renovations and updates. Chosen Travel & Leisure’s #1 City Hotel in Canada, it has 431 rooms and suites. Pop for Fairmont Gold, a luxury hotel-within-the-hotel; there’s private check-in, a concierge team, complimentary shoeshine and pressing, and turndown service. In the modern Gold lounge, “grazing your way across Victoria” comes home to roost, with lavish daily breakfasts (we demolished perfectly poached Shakshuka Eggs, crushed avocados on toast, and pastries galore), all-day snacks and beverages, and evening canapés. 

Dining at The Empress: For travelers worldwide, Afternoon Tea is synonymous with The Empress. The Q at The Empress features Pacific Northwest cuisine based on fresh regional ingredients, partnerships with local farmers and artisans, sustainably sourced seafood, and traditionally raised meats. The dining room’s 1908 origins show in its cherry-wood ceiling and ornate moldings, but the decor is contemporary, with artwork that’s a cheeky nod to Queen Victoria. (Fun Fact: The Q Bar’s Empress 1908 Gin is infused with pea blossom that turns it a vivid indigo blue; add tonic and your cocktail morphs to soft pink.)

The health club has a sauna and indoor pool; the spa offers an extensive menu of treatments.

What to Do

Hip & Hidden Chinatown + Old Town Tour: (https://offtheeatentracktours.ca) Walking tour of small-scale eateries in and around Chinatown with knowledgeable guides. Other tours available.