You’d think that after the excess that is Christmas, the last thing anyone would want to do would be to take a few days in Victoria for shopping and dining.

What can I say: that’s what J and I do best, and the best time to do this in Victoria is between Christmas and New Year’s when the tourists seem to withdraw and the sales are in full swing.

En route to Victoria, we often stop at the Malahat Inn for lunch. There is no question that the view and the food there are both good. I have noticed, perhaps because we are often there in colder, off-peak times, that the wait staff is less than enthusiastic and the dining room can be chilly— in both senses of the word. It didn’t help that our waiter thought the delicate, curly green tendrils on my salad were sunflower sprouts; he said he’d ask the chef, but apparently forgot. This was OK because one taste of the vine-like garnish told me they were pea sprouts.

With lunch under our belts, we were ready  to check in to our favourite hotel, Swan’s, right in the heart of the old section, near the Johnson Street bridge, China Town, Market Square, Capital Ironworks….perfect. But we didn’t linger too long in our lovely suite because there were bargains to be had!

In a few short hours, we had pretty well bought all that Santa apparently hadn’t known we needed or—unimaginable! — didn’t think we deserved, and it was time to think about choosing a spot for dinner.  We weren’t close to being hungry yet, but we love restaurants and it is exciting to find a new favourite.

As we walked down Trounce Alley, we were both drawn to the bustling scene behind the large windows of a place called Tapas. We looked inside, and in unison we both knew that this was where we could linger over a long meal. You may wonder what drew us to it so immediately, and it is hard to say, but over the many years of being in the restaurant biz, there are certain features that draw us and keep us returning, even through some iffy meals, while others, even with good food, cannot entice us back.

It’s like “curbside appeal” in the real estate business. Perhaps it’s the architectural style: the window design; the lighting; a partially open kitchen. You look through the windows at the snuggly placed tables, filled with animated diners, or set with a candle glowing as if waiting for you. There is a large, friendly bar with comfortable looking stools, suitable for a cocktail or an entire dinner The staff are all smart looking—in both senses of the word.

How you are greeted at the door can either make or break this perception; there is no excuse for someone not saying hello to you within the first minute.  Even just a “Hello, the hostess will be right with you,” from a passing waiter with his hands full of dishes can be enough to make you comfortable.

As it happened, we didn’t make it back to Tapas until the following evening.  As we returned to the hotel, we found ourselves drawn to another restaurant, Luciano’s. It had that same intangible feeling of an unspoken invitation about it.

There was a large group with a young boy at the bar eating, and a quick chat with the hostess assured us we would find seating when we returned.

An hour later, we were seated at the bar, where the family seemed to be finishing up. I looked at the end of the bar, and got a feeling that I knew that man. I was sure he was the fellow we had seen outside Café Mexico that afternoon, a restaurant owned by an old buddy of Jordan’s, and just a block away. Jordan had decided then that it wasn’t Brad. It had been 6 or 7 years since we last visited him, and with a new wife and young child, he was often away when we dropped in to say “Hi.”

But this guy looked so familiar, and he was with a young child, and his restaurant was only a block away, and he was in a restaurant that other restaurant people would go to, and he looked so familiar. We finally asked a waitress; if he was in the food biz, they would know his name.

 And it was Brad; a little greyer and with less hair, the fellow we had indeed seen earlier in the day. When we told him that we had originally planned to go to Tapas,  he told us that Luciano’s was owned by the same guy, a friend of his, and that he had helped open Tapas 7 or 8 years ago, and that the owner had lived on Gabriola. A waitress, hearing “Gabriola” came over to say she had just returned from visiting her folks for Christmas here.

We had a terrific evening catching up and the food was good too! Back at our hotel we enjoyed the other reason we always stay at Swan’s: the terrific dance bands.

The next day, we walked around the harbour to Spinnaker’s for lunch. It is definitely a tourist destination with a pub menu and lots of interesting local food. I had a delicious tempura tofu sandwich made from local tofu. I didn’t ask what that meant. If I had to say one thing that made that a great lunch, it was the fantastic homemade buns. The juiciest bugger or sweetest piece of salmon is ruined by a generic bun. Staff who take pride in their employer; attention to cleanliness, especially table tops and the walls around the tables; good breads—Jordan and I have forgiven many a rough meal if these criteria are met.

Dinner at Tapas that night was perfect. It was a happy, buzzing place and everything ran efficiently. The mussels were perhaps the best I have ever eaten.

With enthusiasm for Victoria over-flowing, we drove to West Bay to look at float homes. We decided that in a perfect world, which would also include a large lottery win, we would have our home on Gabriola with a float home in West Bay, walking distance from downtown.

Coming home was great too, especially finding out about the amazing generosity and kindness of our island people over this Christmas season. That’s the intangible quality that draws people to a place.  Maybe we can figure out a way to get a float home on Gabriola?