For the final days of Art of the Cocktail’s Sip Around event, we decided to head straight downtown, into the core of the city. One place I have not often set foot in, is Sauce Restaurant. I’ve been there a coupl of times in the past, but not in a few years. It was high time we tried out what they had in store for us.

We were greeted by an empty restaurant (being 3pm on a Friday afternoon, I may add) and we bellied up to the bar to speak with the main cocktail artist, Kyle. With no one but us to serve, we were given the full treatment.

The cocktail was “The Flying Dutchman” a flavourful blend of Boomsma Gin, Giffard Ginger Of The Indies Liqueur, honey syrup, Harney & Sons Tropical Green Tea, lemon juice and a spritz of Taboo Absinthe (which was ignited to slightly singe the rosemary). It was delicious, citrusy and just sweet enough to enjoy. It paired quite well with the appetizer, a pepper sirloin tataki with Japanese slaw.

Though we loved both the drink and the tataki, we couldn’t finish the food (maybe it’s because we haden’t eaten beef in over a month). For the price, this was a great deal and I recommend Sauce to anyone heading downtown for the evening and wants a casual atmosphere. I wouldn’t call Sauce “upscale” or “cutting edge”, but their food is good, high quality and the service was impeccable.

For our next adventure, we headed across the bridge to Spinnakers, my old haunting grounds. I worked there as the Tapas girl (serving raw oysters, tapas, and other small culinary delights) for almost two years back in the early 2000’s. I have a soft spot for their beers, vinegar, breads, sauces, truffles etc., which are all made in house of course. But the main attraction is the delightful food. Made from mostly local farm sourced foods, they have a knack for creating simple, delicious food. And their Sip Around offering was right up to par.

Ryan, our cocktail artist and server at the bar, created a complex and spicy concoction he calls a Sharaab. A blend of Left Coast Hemp Vodka, Ginger of the Indies,
Grande Marnier, Monsoon Coast’s durban curry and Spinnakers India Pale Ale all topped off with a carrot garnish. It was gingery and spicy and sweet and savoury and it was damn delicious. It paired unbelievably well with the softer than a soufflé Fraser Valley pork belly (braised in Spinnakers Pale Ale and Sooke-grown transparent apple), which was served on a bed Saanich Organics turnips, Dragonfly Farms peppers and local carrots (slaw) with a cilantro sesame dressing.

We were very satisfied (and slightly tipsy) when we left. Happy to know that we will definitely be coming back to our favourite pub in Victoria. I couldn’t give Spinnakers a bad review, I just love everything they do.