An insider's guide to Victoria since 1997.

Spinnaker's is focused on locally produced food and drink -- in addition to their own craft brewery they support local vineyards (Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands). Almost everything on the menu is locally sourced -- seafood, meats, fruits, and vegetables -- which means that while the menu varies through the seasons, you can expect a fairly high quality of food on your plate.

My most recent visit saw me ordering from the large appetizer section of the menu; I selected their antipasti plate and the beet pakoras. Both were excellent though I will say the portion of the pakoras was larger than I had anticipated. The antipasti plate frequently includes seafood but on this evening, it did not. Instead, the plate held an amazing lamb sausage, a fresh salami, sweet pickled carrots, two varieties of cheese and flatbread crackers plus very grainy mustard. The pakoras were best when very hot (but still good as they cooled down); they were served with two dips -- a yogurt dill and a cranberry salsa, each of which brought out different flavours.

My dining companions had the bruschetta and the pot pie of the day. The bruschetta is described as follows, 

"sunwing farms heirloom tomatoes, roasted garlic, red onions & garden herbs topped with bc goat cheese, spinnakers malt vinegar reduction & olive oil served on grilled house made sourdough crostini"

It did not disappoint, despite being a bit crumbly. The pot pie was reported to be very tasty although its "freeform" nature meant that the temperature was uneven. Personally, I take issue with the item being called a pot pie -- it was a stew with a piece of pastry set on top. However, I am willing to look beyond the semantics and accept that a rose "by any other name would smell as sweet."

Spinnaker's gets high marks for the food and overall experience but it does get very busy; reservations are recommended for the restaurant and on warm evenings, expect to be elbow to elbow in the pub. [Spinnaker's website]