We were in Victoria, Canada one evening during our Summer vacation. We decided to go have some drinks and light snacks, and found a nice spot. It is located inside Chateau Victoria, and a statue of a man with a dog by a fountain greeted everyone who came by.
The lobby of Chateau Victoria was really nice, classic and elegant. Seems like a pretty nice hotel. They even had a piano there, I wonder if they do some kind of live music?
The lounge was almost straight ahead from the main entrance to the hotel, very easy to find. They had the sign at the lounge entrance in a way that the interior of the lounge is hidden from the lobby, providing some privacy and quiet, peaceful environment.
The lounge was much more spacious than I thought it would be, with lots of seating. It was not very busy when we arrived, but people kept coming in, as it seems like a popular spot for travelers and locals alike. It is a good thing when locals support the eatery, because that usually means they have good food and drinks.
They offered several types of seating, with regular tables and chairs, sofas, booth, and some large, relaxing chairs. They had faux fire places in several spots, creating cozy, relaxing atmosphere in the large space. I especially like the little seating area in the back.
We started off with cocktails. I wanted a fun drink, so I went with Little Tramp ($16) off the Tiki Cocktail menu. All the Tiki drinks can be ordered individually, or for two. It is made with rum, apricot liqueur, scotch, sloe gin, lime juice, and white chocolate syrup. It came a fun Tiki container with mini umbrella, which is exactly what I wanted! It was sweet, kind of tropical. Didn’t really get the white chocolate flavor, but it was a strong, solid drink. Fun drink for a fun night out!
My hubby also ordered from Tiki Cocktail, and went with Jungle Bird ($15). This one is made with rum, campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. This one didn’t come in a fun container, which was disappointing… I guess not all Tiki drinks are served in the fun cup. This one was strong too, flavorful and more fruity which I liked. It was topped with candied lemon which was nice.
For snacks, we decided to order two items to share. We wanted some kind of good “bar food” with the drinks, so we went with Clive’s Poutine, The Classic ($10.25) and House Made Angus Beef Slider ($3.50). Since we didn’t know the portion size, and we were not that hungry, we decided to start with those two.
The Classic Poutine comes with house made chicken gravy. They use local cheese curds, and it was quite tasty! Exactly the kind of bar food we wanted. The portion was pretty good, enough to share among the two of us. The fries were crispy on the outside, and potato-y in the inside. The gravy was flavorful, we enjoyed it.
Then the slider. I somehow was expecting two or three sliders, but then they brought out just one… Well, I should have guessed with the low price tag, and it does say “slider” and not “sliders.” It comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and pickle. The slider was not small, but a good size, The patty was cooked well, and packed with flavor. The veggies were fresh, it was a nice slider. Still, not big enough to be “sharable” per say…
Instead of getting more food, we decided to get another set of cocktails. I chose a cocktail from their Bold & Pure cocktail section. I ordered Solitude ($14), made with Suntory toki whisky, kirsch cherry liqueur, cinnamon-pear dark balsamic, honey, aloe juice, and cardamom bitters. This one was a real adult drink, strong and relaxing. Yes, bold and pure for sure…
My hubby, who enjoys a cocktail with egg white just like me, ordered Courtyard Fizz ($14). It is made with taboo absinthe, crème de cacao, lime juice, soda, egg white, and mint. This one fell below our expectation, big time. First of all, the egg white was not whipped well, so it was disappearing by the seconds. The flavor of the drink was not that great either. It didn’t really have any kind of noticeable taste, and it was not strong…
Their bathroom is located outside of the lounge, sharing it with the hotel lobby. There is a door between the front lounge seating and the bar. They have a cute crown signs at the door for men and ladies.
The bathroom was nice and clean, spacious and well lit. Not a huge bathroom but enough for the guests who would use them.
Our server was really nice and friendly, she was very informative and took a good care of us. We had a nice evening drinks with good food. One of the drinks was not that great, but we liked the other orders. The poutine was really tasty, a great accompaniment to alcoholic beverages. I am glad we found a nice spot here in Victoria!
Clive’s Classic Lounge – 740 Burdett Ave, Victoria, BC, Canada V8W 1B2