Last week, I had a chance to visit Victoria for a few days and decided to make it a foodie vacation. After getting tips from Twitter, we decided to check out Brasserie l'Ecole, which was on everyone's "must-try" list. We started off with some cocktails, the first was the French 75, made with Sparkling Wine, Gin, Cointreau & Lemon Juice. I had a version of this drink recently at Chambar. This one was better, with a stronger hint of the cointreau. The other drink is a Vieux Mot, a Gin, St. Germain Liqueur, Lime Juice cocktail. This had quite a kick! Although their menu changes daily, some things tend to stick around. For example, the French Onion Soup (Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée) is usually on the menu. It was amazing, and enhanced by the addition of bacon into the smoky caramelized onion broth. Piping hot when it arrived, the soup stayed hot as we took sips from the very interesting Lion Head Soup Bowl. I think the shape of the vessel actually kept the soup hotter. I liked the bread being cut up into chunks with the Gruyère coating them; I actually prefer that over the large piece of bread that you have to hack inside the bowl. The bacon isn't your average bacon bits, but it reminded me of the Mahony and Sons. I liked the meatiness and the depth of flavour in this soup. It seemed almost bottomless! Another staple on the menu is their Steak Frites, usually with a choice of a 8 oz Angus Sirloin, 12 oz Angus Sirloin or a
10 oz Angus New York Striploin. Always served seared with a pat of Roquefort butter, the red wine & shallot sauce is barely necessary, all you need is just salt and pepper. Even the butter was a bit too much for me. The steak was done to a perfect medium rare and I really enjoyed the flavour of the grill, the fat rendered so nicely with a nice smokey flavour. Considering a serving of protein should only be 5oz, this is big enough for two! We upgraded the Frites to Fancy Frites for an additional $3...and this got us fries with some garlic, parmesan and a sprinkle of truffle oil. You could smell the truffle oil wafting up as it arrived at the table. The thinly sliced fries could have been a bit crispier but I did enjoy the crunch of the littler bits. And for something that isn't always on the menu (but you should get it if it is) is their Duck Leg Confit. The potatoes, chanterelles and carrots still had a slight crunch to them, but I found them a bit salty. The duck was impeccable though, with tender meat that almost fell off the bones, the piece de resistance was the crispy skin. Our waitress was not kidding when she said that the skin was "crispy crispy". It was amazing and reminded me of my Whet revisit. So here was our entire meal, and it was as amazing as my friends promised. And the price tag wasn't too pricey, for the food that we had, three cocktails (I had a Goose martini as well), the price was under $93 before taxes and tip. Well worth it in my books.
Take Note:
Menu changes daily but check their website for the night's offerings
Bartender is friendly and makes great cocktails, some with absinthe, & a wide selection of Belgium beers
The mussels seem to be quite popular with the regulars
We started off with some cocktails, the first was the French 75, made with Sparkling Wine, Gin, Cointreau & Lemon Juice. I had a version of this drink recently at Chambar. This one was better, with a stronger hint of the cointreau. The other drink is a Vieux Mot, a Gin, St. Germain Liqueur, Lime Juice cocktail. This had quite a kick!
Although their menu changes daily, some things tend to stick around. For example, the French Onion Soup (Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée) is usually on the menu. It was amazing, and enhanced by the addition of bacon into the smoky caramelized onion broth. Piping hot when it arrived, the soup stayed hot as we took sips from the very interesting Lion Head Soup Bowl. I think the shape of the vessel actually kept the soup hotter. I liked the bread being cut up into chunks with the Gruyère coating them; I actually prefer that over the large piece of bread that you have to hack inside the bowl. The bacon isn't your average bacon bits, but it reminded me of the Mahony and Sons. I liked the meatiness and the depth of flavour in this soup. It seemed almost bottomless!
Another staple on the menu is their Steak Frites, usually with a choice of a 8 oz Angus Sirloin, 12 oz Angus Sirloin or a
10 oz Angus New York Striploin. Always served seared with a pat of Roquefort butter, the red wine & shallot sauce is barely necessary, all you need is just salt and pepper. Even the butter was a bit too much for me. The steak was done to a perfect medium rare and I really enjoyed the flavour of the grill, the fat rendered so nicely with a nice smokey flavour. Considering a serving of protein should only be 5oz, this is big enough for two! 
We upgraded the Frites to Fancy Frites for an additional $3...and this got us fries with some garlic, parmesan and a sprinkle of truffle oil. You could smell the truffle oil wafting up as it arrived at the table. The thinly sliced fries could have been a bit crispier but I did enjoy the crunch of the littler bits. 
And for something that isn't always on the menu (but you should get it if it is) is their Duck Leg Confit. The potatoes, chanterelles and carrots still had a slight crunch to them, but I found them a bit salty. The duck was impeccable though, with tender meat that almost fell off the bones, the piece de resistance was the crispy skin. Our waitress was not kidding when she said that the skin was "crispy crispy". It was amazing and reminded me of my Whet revisit. 
So here was our entire meal, and it was as amazing as my friends promised. And the price tag wasn't too pricey, for the food that we had, three cocktails (I had a Goose martini as well), the price was under $93 before taxes and tip. Well worth it in my books. 
Wow
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