Ça Va is Startlingly Good

From our first bites of the lemon goat cheese ravioli--which danced on the tongue, the pasta light and soft, the cheese smooth and tangy, the lemon zippily delicious--Ilana and I knew we were in a serious restaurant. Just a month old, Ça Va Bistro is very, very good, reviving Fernwood as a place of importance for Victoria foodies.  

For mains, we had the beautifully roasted lamb, which comes atop five grains braised in dukkah (a middle eastern spice that manages to transform quinoa and its peers into something surprising and compulsive) and accompanied by an artichoke slathered in velvety labane, and the "fish pie," which seems to me better described as a marvelous rich fish bisque topped with a decadent puff of pastry. Both were so wonderfully executed that I'm convinced the rest of the menu is just as good. The food conveys a sense of tradition and grounding, not just technique. And yet, it is also unpredictable and precise. Ça Va is making food as it should be.

I'm glad to come out of semi-retirement to urge all Victorians to go to Ça Va. Now!

We didn't have this, whatever it is, but I'm sure it is superb.


For more info on Ça Va, click here

Special thanks are owed to the grandparents Ross, who, in their annual sojourn in Victoria, resumed their tradition of having our children over for a night a week, making forays like this possible. Also to our friend Tim, a chef so refined that he almost never recommends a restaurant, for recommending this one. [Tim had the salmon, which he never orders, and gives it high endorsement].

Also, for my regulars (are you still out there?) I'll just mention, that while away from this blog I had a truly sublime meal at La Degustation in Prague. The best meal of my life. A work of a true genius. But, if you can't make it there, or are looking for a more affordable evening, try Ça Va. It's not a bad fallback.