This guy is a complete joke. He is a gun owner, and takes his guns in for work at a relative's…read morehouse. He took a gun in last week. When he came to pick it up, he was handed an agreed upon bill of $75.00 for work completed. He said ok, went "back to his car to get his wallet." A few minutes later, he returns with a cheap bottle of wine and some duck eggs. He quickly handed them to the gunsmith, leaving him bewildered, and then scurried off to his car like the little cockroach he is; leaving without paying. Three people witnessed this. Next time you sign up for one of this guy's 100$ cooking classes, make sure you pay him in Play-Doh.

The London Chef has a won a big ol' place in my heart. Well, stomach really. This recently opened…read moreunique new concept in the Victoria food scene is the work of Dan and Micayla, who have a very romantic story. The London Chef is part cooking school, part cafe, part catering, part dining room, and all heart. My first visit was prompted from a tweet proclaiming the best breakfast sandwich ever. Off I marched with a friend in tow. The cafe front has a selection of baked treats, muffins, croissants, and quiche nestled in between fresh salads and sandwiches for lunch. The breakfast sandwich was warm ciabatta topped with aioli, three layers of slice meat, cheese, two eggs, and homemade tomato sauce that doesn't deserve a lowly name such as ketchup. $10 with a cup of Discovery Coffee, this creation changes weekly and I think is only available on Saturdays. They're using local seasonal ingredients and have a great selection of ready made items to go, including soups, stocks, dips and specialty items from other local food producers. Peek beyond the cafe front and you'll find a beautiful open kitchen filled with stainless ranges for their cooking classes. They do lunch and learns for $25 where you can stop in for lunch, learn to prepare what it is you'll be eating, skip the work, and enjoy the lunch. I haven't done this yet, but I'm really looking forward to taking some of their classes. Beyond the kitchen is a communal dining table made from a single piece of reclaimed Fir that's over five hundred years old. It's stunning. Friendly conversation, while encouraged through the communal seating arrangement, is hard to do until the food is gone. Talking is too distracting and the food is too good. Excited to watch them grow, this gem is sure to be around for a long time to come.

I don't know why I have this bizarre urge to review businesses in my old Victoria neighbourhood…read moretoday but here's another one. We used Guy's (the French proprietor) catering services for our wedding back in October 2009 and it was such a blessing dealing with someone who: a.) knows his food (i.e.,his cheese gougeres were devoured within half an hour of our reception and the cheese platter with the brie wheel lasted us through the night) b.) works within your event budget and delivers exceptional bang for your buck c.) delivers results in the the most professional and efficient way. No surprises that stress you out on the day of your event, just beautifully done catering, which believe me, contributed to one less thing I had to worry about on our wedding day (not having hired an events planner and all). Would recommend to anyone.

We were excited to try Jazzaniah. They took lots of notes at time of setting up order. However,…read morethey did not deliver on time (45 minutes late-after a call was placed asking about the order) plus what was promised in our order was only partially delivered for our event with 21 people. Majority of crowd was VERY disappointed with taste and quality of food.

Always an "eh" experience. The service is always wonderful, fast and friendly. It's usually close…read moreto empty, so great if you have a large group or want something fast on the weekend. The prices are cheap, but the portions are small. The food isn't bad, but it's not great either. I ordered the meatlover omelette during my last visit, and the omelette was runny and soggy. I also ordered a side of hollandaise, which came in a small 2oz paper portion cup, and cost $2! Would go back if I had to, but only if I was looking for another "eh" average meal.

I just had Truffles cater the Celebration of Life of my husband 2 days ago, I have to say, I was…read moreblown away. Everyone was absolutely raving at how amazing it was. The food was outstanding and presentation gorgeous. Staff was SO helpful , patient and flexible , I never felt pressured. I would highly recommend this company . They will be my "go to" caterer forever more.

Extortionary, extremely anti-consumer, overpriced, and the food was average to poor…read more We were forced to use Truffles for our wedding due to exclusivity contracts with the venue and we had such a frustrating time with their poor customer service, and extremely anti-consumer policies & pricing. Here's an itemized list of our issues: - No free tasting of Buffet Menu or any other menu being offered (only complimentary canape tasting along with a 30-minute consultation, the Chef joins for about 20 minutes). Every other caterer we talked to had a complimentary tasting. - To continue with the tasting, they wanted 300 $ plus plus tax, plus operations fee for 3 course meal for 2 people (no leftover food left with this tasting). Limited selection of the menu - old menu (2021 menu, meaning some items being tasted may not even be offered in 2022 making the entire thing pointless). For the tasting, it would be limited only to: one starter, two mains and one dessert ( no lamb or seasonal items, maybe on the sable fish). Dessert does not come with the normal menu, we would have had to pay extra for that so having it as part of the tasting is nonsensical. - Being unclear in email communications about the tasting. At first we were told "The cost for this tasting would be $300 plus tax, operations fee, and chef labor" and when I inquired about extra costs, they noticed the error and amended it to only "Just the tax and operations fee" charges. Consequently, I would have been charged more had I not inquired more about those costs. - Extortionary pricing for alcohols (400%-500% markup). This kind of pricing is way above industry standards and is anti-consumer. - Extortionate amount for cake cutting - $5.5 per person. Other caterers charge around $1.50 per person. - No gluten free or vegetarian options for main entree. - Limitation on menu flexibility. When asked why the dietary restrictions for gluten free or vegetarian options are not accommodated in the entree section, the caterer replied with "For vegetarian options you would order the gnocchi or the tagliatelle as an accompaniment and this would be their 'main course'". Which automatically limits our choice for accompaniments. The caterer is unable to adjust the offering of courses - You are locked into 3 salads, 3 accompaniments and 2 entrees (so you cannot swap two salads for a side for example) - No pictures or photographs for any of the menu items. No indication of the portion sizing. The caterer replied with "We don't have pictures of our full Island Buffet; the buffet is a good size portion for each person. It is not meant for second portions" which was not helpful in this situation. Other caterers we talked to do not limit it to a singular portion per person. - There is an inexplicable difference between pricing per person in Hatley Castle's Island Buffet menu of 78$ per person and the comparable Wedding Buffet sample menu at Truffles website of 48$ per person (https://trufflescatering.net/wedding-catering/menus/). - No detailed catering price breakup estimate/quota given prior to the event. When asked for a breakup of prices over the phone to see what was different in the above mentioned menu selections, the caterer's representative was evasive and emotional. They eventually explained the higher charges per person with the cost of transportation, linens and cutlery. Meanwhile, from dealing with other caterers I know that transportation, some linens and cutlery would be complementary to whatever pricing is on their website per person. Charging extra on top of per person charge is unfriendly to the consumer and is radically more expensive than other caterers for no apparent reason. After all of this, the food quality served was highly mediocre. The chicken and salmon was overcooked and dry, and the other served dishes were quite plain and under seasoned. Overall our experience with Truffles was terrible, and there was no redeeming factors in this experience. We would highly recommend against using them.

Wonderful food and excellent service! Each time we have shopped here we have been served by…read moreknowledgeable and very helpful staff. We have come to rely on Cheryl's and plan our meals with these great folks and their excellent food in mind. Thank you!!

We've had two of the picnic baskets so far. The Islander and, today, the Tailgater. Both…read moreincredible. So fun, and so nicely curated. What a treat! The steak and prawns in the Tailgater were perfect. The horseradish sauce with the steak was delicious. The potato salad is yummy, and this is such a great little gem for a fun outing. 5*

I came here before the official opening and was warmly greeted by Shirley, the owner. A few hiccups…read moreas would be expected but nothing to speak of. The food was delicious, served simply and priced very well for the market. I would have taken a picture but forgot to and was half finished before I realized if forgotten. They are only open weekdays for lunch but the bistro will give you a very good window into their catering operation (the heart of the business). Well done.

Went for a great lunch today. Shirley had special Spanish…read moretapas, what a feast. And the fresh Bannock was fantastic. My wife also savored the lime cheese cake. Great little place with unique and very special food. Did I mention that the service was exceptional?

Toque Catering has catered a few little events for our office (including individual popcorn…read morecontainers for an in-house VIFF film screening, and outdoor picnic packs for safe covid gatherings!) and we have been extremely satisfied with the quality of food and service they provide. Definitely our go-to caterer in town!

I want to share my disastrous experience with Toque catering. I booked Toque several months ago to…read morecater my moms 80 th birthday dinner last night. I confirmed 2 days before the party that everything was set and organized for the 630 pm hot drop off of food. They never showed up, never called, nor answered emails. I still still have not received a call or email nor and explanation or apology. We finally had to get take out at 8 pm. When my husband went to their physical location this morning after 10 am it was unlocked but there was nobody there. The place was a mess with cooked and uncooked food everywhere. Finally a very unkempt person arrived. My husband calmly asked for a full refund. The owners "excuse " was he had a bad day on Saturday and he forgot he had to prepare the dinner for Sunday. From their recent Google reviews I see I am not alone.

Atmosphere and service were great, but the food itself was just average…read more It's tucked away in a quiet corner near UVic, so it can be a little tricky to find the first time. But that's also what makes it a bit of a hidden gem. There's a courtyard and a pond right inside the restaurant. The vibe feels like a lodge nestled in a scenic spot. The servers were nice and attentive. The menu was pretty varied too, going beyond basic burgers and sandwiches to include tacos, poke bowls, etc. Overall it was a pleasant experience, but the food fell short compared to specialty spots. It wasn't bad, just not quite good enough to call delicious either. That said, the plating was very appetizing. A nice spot to eat surrounded by quiet, green forest scenery. Just don't go in expecting specialty-restaurant-level flavor.

I've been to the University Club a few times now for school functions and I absolutely love the…read morelocation. It's nestled into the trees outside of the University's ring road and sat a little bit lower on the hill, so it truly makes it feel like a destination in and of itself. When you look out the windows at the fountain in the middle of the pond, or out at the trees surrounding the building on all sides, it adds a certain degree of mysticism and fantasy to the location. The appetizers that this location provides for functions are absolutely splendid. I believe the caterers are university employees as the quality has kept up every time that I've been. Last time around, the food that stood out the most to me was the prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears, which I had on a fun plate full of other delicious, relatively upscale tasters. This visit, I also had the time to go and get an $8 flight with some wonderful beers in it. I had the Hoyne Dark Matter, a Blue Buck, Category 12 Critical Point, and a Fat Tug IPA. I hadn't tried the Critical Point before this and I thought it was incredible. Altogether, I thought that my combination for the flight was a great balance of lights and darks, from hoppy beers to heavy beers. Later that night, after food, I also enjoyed a glass of Peller Estates' Merlot, which I always enjoy. The inside of the Club has a lovely wood cabin feel, which fits the aesthetic of the environment perfectly. They still manage to dress this venue up, however, by using a mix of crisp tablecloths and exposed wood, complete with a gorgeous zen garden in the middle of the building, with windows looking out towards it. For this reason, the Club is shaped like a ring, with windows looking inside towards the garden, as well as outside towards the trees. Lovely building design, complete with a breathtaking environment and great decoration. I'm looking forward to getting some awesome photos of the University Club next time I'm there on a beautiful blue day so that I can back up my initial description because, after all, a photo IS worth 1000 words. ;)