Located in one of the city’s premier hotels, the Delta Suites, Lure is becoming the place to go for seafood. Their dinning room offers floor to ceiling windows that look out onto Victoria’s inner harbour. The center of the dinning room is raised so everybody gets a nice table with a view, what a great idea! The lounge is comfortable and sexy, everything a lounge should be. The whole room itself is somewhat streamlined, but there is no need for smoke and mirrors when you have the entire harbour, in all it’s glory to accompany you in what is surely going to be a great night out.
Upon my arrival, I had barely stepped foot in the restaurant when I was promptly greeted and told someone would be right with me. As someone who eats out a lot and knows a thing or two about restaurants, let me tell you how nice that was. For something that should be standard operating procedure, you would be surprised how many people fail to do this one simple task. Moments later, the bartender came right over to see if he could be of any assistance. My reservation was not quite ready so he led me to his bar, where I awaited my table and guests. I asked him to make me something tasty and he proceeded to throw together one of the two Lure signature cocktails. This was the Lure oasis, Malibu, Chambord and pineapple juice. The pineapple juice gives this martini a very pleasant frothiness, complimenting the sweetness of the drink. The other signature cocktail is the Songhees Sunset; Mandarin vodka, melon liqueur, and cranberry juice, delicious! Perched on my seat at the round bar I could not help but notice the effortless flow in which the staff seemed to move, like a well-oiled machine. Moments after my guests arrived, we were led to our table, via the self-serve coat check.
We were seated in the lower section of the dining room with the inner harbour spread before us. Simply stunning, and we reflected for a moment on how lucky we are to live in this perfectly scenic town. Our server greeted us within moments and I couldn’t help but notice how professional and efficient she was right off the bat. A basket filled with a medley of breads arrived; cheese, olive and multi-grain breads. I haven’t seen a mixed breadbasket since the late Herald Street Caffe, and it was well received. The appies arrived within minutes and I very much looked forward to trying the tuna tartare I had heard so much about. It was phenomenal. The tuna was plump and almost creamy, with a baby frisee salad on top. There was also curry oil drizzled on my plate, just adding a hint of curry to please the palate. The dish was finished with sprouted grain baguette chips. My guest, also enjoying the 35$ dine-around menu, had the Cured Wild Salmon and Dungeness Crab Roulade. The avocado vinaigrette supported the creaminess of the crab beautifully, while the cured salmon wrapped around it held everything together effortlessly. I hardly noticed our plates being cleared or new cutlery being laid down, as our server did all of this without us even noticing, a trait I wish all wait staff possessed.
Next came the entrees; I had the Halibut and my guest; the Wild Salmon done three ways. My halibut, by itself, had no real taste, the chanterelles that accompanied it were very salted, on their own, but put it all together, along with the Savoy greens and lemon preserves that sat blissfully on top and this was one incredible dish. The way all these items combined together was simply divine. The Wild Salmon came in a tempura batter, which was somewhat bland, the chipolte cream helped. There was a tartare, which unfortunately could not stand up to the tuna tartare; it lacked some kind of punch, something to make it really grab you. Then finally, there was the Dungeness crab ragout stuffed in between the Wild Salmon, delicious, you really can’t go wrong with Dungeness crab. Upon the clearing of our plates, I had many questions for our server, all of which she answered gracefully and without pause, like a breathe of fresh air.
Finally, for dessert, I had the Dark Chocolate Truffle Terrine, so creamy and decadent, paired with pistachios and a little citrus salad; it was a little piece of heaven in my mouth. Then I tried the Goat cheesecake Brule and that one was above and beyond all expectation. The goat cheese adds a creamy thickness, while the hazelnut crust sort brings you back down to earth and lets the champagne gelee get you all melty again. Lure really delivers as the place to be for a super evening of fine seafood, yummy cocktails and a professional staff that ensure you will not leave disappointed.
- The Secret Diner
T: (250) 360-5873 45 Songhees Rd.
