9 replies to this topic

[julienne]

Chefs Alison Bigg and Jena Stewart have taken on the charming and cozy space on Broughton St. - formerly Cafe Madrid. They are currently renovating and hope to be open early April. Devour will offer comfort foods, savoury pies and stews, great baking and coffee, and a place to enjoy appetizers over a glass of wine pre-theatre or after work.

[julienne]

I enjoyed my second lunch at Devour. The ingredients are fresh, the cooking knowledgeable and the decor bright, modern and welcoming.
Duck salad rolls. Tender roasted duck, crusted with star anise and orange, was sliced along with perfectly ripe mango tossed in rice noodles - not al dente thank you god. Three of these amply portioned rolls were served with a tossle of wild greens on the side and a dipping sauce of mirin, soy and sesame oil, delicately flavoured withe same spice mix.
Absolutely brilliant and affordable. Price tag? $7.95.
I'll be returning again and again.

[Caramia]

Sounds delightful! I'll have to try it.

[amor de cosmos]

Duck salad rolls. Tender roasted duck, crusted with star anise and orange, was sliced along with perfectly ripe mango tossed in rice noodles - not al dente thank you god. Three of these amply portioned rolls were served with a tossle of wild greens on the side and a dipping sauce of mirin, soy and sesame oil, delicately flavoured withe same spice mix.
Absolutely brilliant and affordable. Price tag? $7.95.
I'll be returning again and again.

sounds seriously tasty

[amor de cosmos]

missed out on the duck salad rolls. their menu changes all the time depending on availability of their products, and to mix it up a bit so they don't get bored of cooking the same old stuff, which i think i actually like. one of the chefs there (i think someone called her jena...) was exactly like lynn crawford from restaurant makeover lol. it was scary

[G-Man]

I managed to get the duck salad rolls there the other day they were great. I will be back!

[mat]

I have changed the thread title as Devour is obviously now open. Hope to have dinner there soon - the duck salad rolls seem to be a hit.

[julienne]

I managed to get the duck salad rolls there the other day they were great. I will be back!

I'm so glad you liked them. I think the chef's cooking talents are solid.
I'm also anxious to try the dinner hour there and their Saturday brunch.

[amor de cosmos]

Devour: Menu is always changing, always intriguing
By Pam Grant, Times Colonist
August 20, 2009

DEVOUR
Address: 762 Broughton St.
Tel: 250-590-3231
Hours: Open Monday to Wednesday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday to Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Closed weekends.
Major credit cards and Interac accepted. Wheelchair accessible.
Rating 4 1/2

- - -

"Go big or go home" might be an accurate -- if ironic -- way to describe what Jena Stewart and Alison Bigg had in mind when they decided to open their own eatery in the culinary minefield known as downtown Victoria.

Opening a spot in this competitive area with high rents during an unpredictable economy takes guts, especially when you consider the location they picked. On the former site of Café Madrid, Devour's footprint is smaller than many living rooms. Fortunately, there's nothing minuscule about either the value or quality of food here.

Stewart and Bigg helped to transform this tiny venue with their own hands. The result is a pleasant and functional space, perhaps more of an ad for Ikea than a dining room, but hey, if you're lucky enough to get one of the dozen seats, you're not going to be looking at the décor. Nor will you be disappointed, unless your idea of great food usually comes with a choice of fries or salad.

With differing culinary backgrounds but a shared passion for real food, the owners met while working for local catering group Truffles, and decided to break out on their own. Devour's menu, much like the idea behind the business itself, is fantasy stuff for anyone who loves food. It changes daily, and sometimes more often than that.

My first visit was unplanned. I was on my way to a Vietnamese restaurant when I overheard someone raving about the spring rolls they had just eaten at Devour. I made a detour to find that indeed, instead of doing what everyone else downtown does and stuffing them with rice noodles, pork and/or prawns, these had mango and aromatic duck flavoured with star anise and orange. Even better, three rolls with local mixed greens and dipping sauce cost less than $8.

Of course, the downside of a constantly changing menu is that the next time I visited, they weren't on the list, but this wasn't a problem, as I have yet to arrive and find fewer than several items appealing. Thanks to the skill and creativity in the kitchen, the biggest problem you might have is narrowing down your selection.

If you work downtown, you might know recent lunch offerings include sandwiches such as Muffuletta stuffed with Italian meats, olives and roasted vegetables, tuna with green apple, steak on baguette or chunks of chicken in chipotle-spiked mayonnaise. Leafy salads (which might be a little scarcer in the winter) including a house rendition of the classic Cobb, while soup lovers have indulged in gently spiced black bean; split pea; carrot and orange with a little ginger; and comforting potato and parsnip with bacon.

Devour is also a great spot to grab something on the way home when you don't feel like cooking dinner. I recently picked up a flaky empanada filled with shredded pork, chorizo and yam served with mixed greens and a bright green salsa crafted from jalapeno, garlic and fresh herbs, and a six-grain salad topped with grilled fresh apricots, roasted almonds and chunks of moist, tender chicken. Your only dilemma will be choosing from a list that might feature tourtière with tomato chutney, seared albacore tuna on a bed of fennel with grapefruit, or cold tandoori chicken with black sticky rice salad.

They are only open two evenings a week, so I went for dinner with a friend who hadn't been yet. It turns out great minds really do think alike and Don couldn't decide what to have, either. To compensate, we shared a few things, beginning with an ample chilled salad of quinoa, roasted beets and goat cheese.

We followed up with a salt cod fritter with sauce remoulade and greens, and a delicate ricotta tart with hints of lemon and basil paired with rustic bread salad, and wrapped things up with coffee and caramel ice cream flecked with sea salt.

The price for two with a glass of wine each and tip? Just over $60.

Devour was open on the weekends for a while, but Bigg and Stewart have put the brakes on that for the time being. I look forward to a reversal because I am betting that the niche they have filled with affordable quality lunches will be expanded to include fabulous brunch options.

http://www.timescolo...2031/story.html

[ALL_2_EASY]

The only down side to this place is how small it is. I started changing my lunch hour so I could get in. I am still thinking about the lunch I had there a few weeks ago.