Although Ten Ten Tapas has been open for a few months now, they held their Grand Opening Party just a few weeks ago. Located at 1010 Burrard, the place is gorgeous with breathtaking views. All the menu items are meant for sharing and we got to sample a few signature items. Our first bite was the Vegetarian Spring Rolls. The skin was nice and crispy, and I enjoyed the freshness of the mixed veggies inside the crunchy exterior. The dressing was tangy and complemented the salty shell nicely. The next dish was the Shrimp Parcel, delicate little shrimp wontons topped with a ponzu-siracha glaze. These bite-sized morsels are great for cocktail parties, since they are easy to pop into your mouth, one bite wonders! A more substantial offering was the Mini Beef Wellingtons. These pastry wrapped beef bites was served with a red wine jus and a touch of grainy dijon mustard. Although they look tiny, these are quite filling. The last item I sampled was the Coconut Prawns. These had a light coconut coating and had a bit of sweet chili sauce drizzled on top. Deep fried to a golden crisp, the coconut flavour is quite mild. I am not usually a fan of coconut, but in this version, I quite enjoyed it!
Take note:
Dinner nightly, but closed on Tuesdays, Weekend Brunch
Our last dinner in Victoria is a place that was recommended to us by the bartender at Brasserie l'ecole. Located a little bit out of town, in a section of Victoria called Fernwood. Parking is a bit hard to come by, but it's worth it for a visit. The people that I talked said that the bartender at Stage is amazing, so instead of wine, we opted to try some of their cocktails. Here is the Absinthe Orange , made with three different alcohols: Bombay Sapphire, La fee absinthe, Grand Marnier. Despite the amount of alcohol in this drink, what really comes through is the citrus from the orange and a hint of absinthe. And I loved the kitschy glass that this came in. Most of their food offerings are tapas sized and meant for sharing. Because we had already had Nachos at Irish Times, this was perfect for some light bites. We started off with the Sooke Trout. The portion was larger that I expected for a "tapas" and it was really good. I love it when they serve the skin with fish, especially when it's crispy. Rounding out the place were some green beans and a smokey cured bacon. The saltiness of the pork paired well with the trout, and the whole dish came to life when you squirted some of the juices from the grilled lemon. This was definitely a winner. We wanted some meaty goodness in addition to the trout, so we got the Lamb Merguez Sausage. Again the portion surprised me, I guess I'm just used to the rather tiny servings of tapas in other places. The sausage was a bit drier than I was used to, but the chickpea ragout accompanying it helped to balance that out.
Take Note:
Amazing cocktails, if you don't see it on the list, ask for it anyways, they might just surprise you
Reasonably priced, three drinks and the food you see here for under $60
Parking nearly impossible, but you can park at the Victoria High School front and back lots.
If you're in the downtown area for a show at The Centre, Rogers Arena or BC Place, check out Hidden for a great pre-event dinner. Located in the Westin Grand, Hidden really is hidden! Serving up tapas that are tasty and great for sharing, this place is worth a visit.
We started off with their Inukshuk Onion Rings, and although not stacked like an actual Inukshuk, these were crunchy rings with a light batter. I found them a little oily, but then aren't onion rings supposed to be? What I really liked was the smoked ketchup that these little rings came with, and I found myself double dipping quite a bit!
We also tried their Steamed Mussels which were done in a smoked paprika-tomato broth. The mussels came with and andouille sausage and plenty of bread for soaking up the broth. I found the mussels plump and meaty but the best part was the slight heat from the sausage.
We also tried their Baby Back Short Ribs, which were doused on a honey & knob creek bourbon glaze. These were really tender and truly falling off the bones. Served on a bed of Fraser Valley fingerling potato salad, this is a whole new way to enjoy Meat & Potatoes!
I know it doesn't look like there is a lot of meat on the plate, but the three pieces that you do get are so good that you just need a little bit! For some reason, most of the tapas that I observed other people order were also in "trios". If you're dining with just one friend, you should each try one of whatever appy you ordered, and then choose your favorite so you can have one more of what you liked.
Our first bite was the Vegetarian Spring Rolls. The skin was nice and crispy, and I enjoyed the freshness of the mixed veggies inside the crunchy exterior. The dressing was tangy and complemented the salty shell nicely. 
The next dish was the Shrimp Parcel, delicate little shrimp wontons topped with a ponzu-siracha glaze. These bite-sized morsels are great for cocktail parties, since they are easy to pop into your mouth, one bite wonders! 
The last item I sampled was the Coconut Prawns. These had a light coconut coating and had a bit of sweet chili sauce drizzled on top. Deep fried to a golden crisp, the coconut flavour is quite mild. I am not usually a fan of coconut, but in this version, I quite enjoyed it! 
