AURA waterfront restaurant + patio

Top 5 Dine Around Stay in Town Tips

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:01:00 -0800

Hey Victoria, it’s that time of year again when all the best restaurants in town put together fabulously affordable menus for you to come and try. We’re really excited to be a part of this again this year, featuring both a $30 menu and a $30 Celiac menu. But more than just tempt you with all the deliciousness that our Chef Ito has whipped into this years offer we thought we would arm you with 5 tips on how best to take advantage.

Don’t wait until the last week to enjoy. This year Dine Around is running from Feb 17th until March 16th. Most people will come in the last week. Our advice is come sooner than later. You are more likely to get the best table will all the harbour views you can possibly soak in…that is, of course, if you dine with us :)
Take advantage of the Stay In Town part. Such a great opportunity to make good use of the cocktail and wine list and treat yourself to a night of luxury. Guest room rates start here at our BC Hotel at $99.
Make a reservation. Sounds obvious but we still recommend it. Let us know that you are coming so that we can be sure we will have a table waiting for you when you arrive.
Never pay for parking. Well at least when you are dining with us. Bring in your parking voucher and your AURA server will deduct it from your bill.
Eat and Tweet. New this year and what a great idea. If you are a tweeter we are @AuraVictoria and would love to hook up with you out in the twittersphere. Oh and the hashtag for this event is #yyjdinearound

Okay so there you have it. AURA’s top Dine Around Stay in Town tips.

Chef Ito has given way to complete abandon with this year's Valentines Menu

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:15:10 -0800

4 courses of pure lust, $70 per person

Imagine starting with Sloping Hill Pork & Local Hazelnut Pate, moving on to Qualicum Bay Scallop and Sake Sunomono Salad. After a refreshing palate cleaser moving on to a Wild Mushroom & Polenta Napoleon with Edamame Perogis and Cambozola Cream. Nothing spells lust like Cambozola Cream!

3 courses of infatuation, $55 per person

Okay so you’ll start with the Kildonan Farms, free range, Egg Lyonnaise, Local Double Smoked Bacon and Venturi Schultze Balsamic Reduction. Then after your palate cleanser you will tuck into the Braised Veal Cheek, Pearl Barley Cassoulet and Smoked Bone Marrow, mmm, yes please.

And no matter which feast of love you choose, you will for sure save room for the Chocolate Pistachio Pizza served with Spiced Hot Chocolate sip topped with an Inn-Made Marshmallow.

250.414.6739 … ask for the love specialist, we’ll take care of the rest.

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:43:03 -0800

““Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.””

- Harriet Van Horne, Vogue 10/1956

Top 6 reasons to have New Year's Day Brunch with us

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:59:00 -0800

1. Cause taking down the tree can wait till next weekend
2. New Year’s resolutions don’t officially start until the 2nd of January (source not available)
3. Our view is better than yours
4. Best ever Inn-made Ceasers and of course fresh squeezed Mimosas
5. Parking is free
6. Chef Ito and his team of merry men and women are passionately amazing good cooks

New Year’s Day Brunch at AURA

Seatings 11am till 1:30pm

$45 adults

What are you doing on New Year’s Day?

Christmas Day hours

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:59:02 -0800

To all of our friends who might be wondering what our Christmas hours will be this year on Decmeber 25th they are …

Breakfast 8am - 10am in AURA

Christmas Day Brunch 9am - 2:30pm in both AURA and our spectacular Terrace

Please note we will be closed after brunch so that our people can enjoy the big day with their people :)

Inn Room Dining 8am - 9pm for all you lucky folks that are staying with us.

So if you don’t already have plans make a reservation and come on down and celebrate the big day with us!

Christmas Simplicity

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:16:30 -0800

We know that some might say that Christmas Simplicity is an oxymoron but around here it is the perfect fit.

Take for instance Christmas Eve - nothing crazy just the cool stylings of Chef Ito and the amazing service team to deliver the most tasteful evening yet. Sip on the perfect glass of bubble, savour the flavours of the holiday season and soak in the peace and twinkle of our beautifully lit harbour.

And then there’s our annual Inn at Laurel Point Christmas Day Brunch - famous for many local Victorian families and travellers alike. Leave the cooking and the cleaning to us . Just be there and relax, let your shoulders drop and embrace the day sharing it with all the most important people in your life.

See it is possible …Christmas Simplicity…what are your plans?

Brunch...Santa Style

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:56:00 -0800

Straight from the North Pole, it’s Santa! Join us for our most festive Brunch ever, where kids can eat, meet and snap a photo with Jolly ol’ Saint Nick himself. Next Santa Brunches are on Sunday December 11th and 18th - seatings at 10am & 12:30pm.

Why not start a new tradition by bringing the whole family down to relax and spend some time together on the ever-gorgeous harbour side Terrace Ballroom.

Heck we did - Santa with his special culinary elves who we know have been ~~good~~ great all year through!

So get in here and have brunch - make your reservation soon cause it will sell out.

Adults $35
Seniors$30
Children 6 - 10 $17 under 6 free
$1 from each adult brunch purchased will go to Habitat for Humanity Victoria

Santa pictures are included - no charge :)

Drink beer for a good cause

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:00:00 -0800

Check this out … fresh off the press from the fine folks of Vancouver Island Brewery. They are launching a Gingerbread Ale (YUM!) and will donate .25 cents from every pint sold here in AURA to Habitat for Humanity Victoria.

And wow what a perfect fit with all that we have going on here at the Hotel. Check our the photos from this year’s Gingerbread Showcase

So starting on Monday Dec 5th you need to come here and have a pint or two after all it’s for a good cause :)

See you soon…

Santa is coming to our place!!

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:15:00 -0800

Straight from the North Pole to our little Victoria BC Hotel, Inn at Laurel Point ,to make guest appearences at our Santa Claus Brunch Series. Come on down for our first ever Santa Claus Brunch were kids can eat, meet and greet Jolly Old Saint Nick himself.

Why not start a new tradition by bringing the whole family down to relax and spend some time together on the ever-gorgeous harbour side Terrace Ballroom. Children will enjoy their own special buffet as well as their own area to watch their favorite Christmas movies.

All children will receive a complimentary photo with Santa and Laurel Point’s resident ‘reindog’, Ruby.

Dates of the Santa Claus Brunch Series are:

Sunday, December 4th
Sunday, December 11th
Sunday, December 18th

These dates are sure to sell out, so make your reservations in advance - we’d hate to disappoint you.

Adult $35
Seniors $30
Children 6yrs - 10yrs $17
Under 6 Free :)

$1 from each adult brunch purchased will go to Habitat for Humanity Victoria.

See ya there!

Office Elf Appreciation Lunch Parties Have some special office...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:44:00 -0800

Office Elf Appreciation Lunch Parties

Have some special office elves in your life? Why not treat them to a special lunch buffet created by our very own executive chef Takashi Ito. Bring your staff, friends, or come solo and enjoy a deliciously festive meal every second and third Thursday and Friday of December.

Make sure to indulge in our Inn-made rum and eggnog (YUM!) - they will be flowing all day long so don’t be surprised if the workshop is a little slow after lunch. And…if they’ve been really nice this year, ask us about our ultra lux penthouse suites for your after party.

December 8, 9, 15 & 16 $25 per person - rum and eggnog extra :)

Gingerbread Tea anyone? After marveling at the most magnificent...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:29:00 -0800

Gingerbread Tea anyone?

After marveling at the most magnificent gingerbread creations join us at AURA for our festive Gingerbread Tea. Pastry Chef April Iverson will be offering gingerbread- inspired desserts from her pastry shop for you to enjoy with coffee, tea or hot chocolate before you brave the chilly winter weather.

$9 per person with $1 from each purchase being donated to Habitat for Humanity Victoria.

Sorry not available on Sundays

Fall has arrived at our waterfront hotel and AURA has a very...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:29:00 -0700

Fall has arrived at our waterfront hotel and AURA has a very special corner on these beautiful views!

These awesome photos snapped by our talented (and also beautiful) Assistant Food and Beverage Manager here at Inn at Laurel Point, Jennifer Woppenkamp. Thanks for sharing Jennifer.

Chef Ito carves a ginormous pumpkin that he got from the fine...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:55:00 -0700

Chef Ito carves a ginormous pumpkin that he got from the fine folks at The Roost Farm Bakery in Saanich. What fun!! Check it out!

Sweet! We just got a new Pastry Chef.

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:42:00 -0700

“We’re thrilled to welcome April to the AURA team,” said Ian Powell, managing director of the Inn at Laurel Point. “2011 has cooked up a lot of great things for us here at the Inn and the arrival of April is truly the icing on the cake. I think we are all excited to see some of the delicious creations she’s going to bring to the table.”

Previously, Iverson worked at Le Macaron, Crave Kitchen Wine + Bar, the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan and KOKO Patisserie. Iverson was also one of a culinary team of eight who prepared desserts for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s post-wedding visit to Calgary earlier this summer (the royals requested that the reception food was prepared by SAIT students – and although Iverson had already graduated, her instructors, chef Victoria German and chef Ian Bergoli, asked that she return for this occasion).

True to the Inn at Laurel Point motto of “staying different,” having an in-house pastry chef is unusual in these days of trimmed down kitchens and hotel industry outsourcing. The culinary philosophy at AURA is to feature dishes using fresh, local ingredients, as opposed to food from afar. Examples of AURA’s homegrown philosophy include using Vancouver Island-raised beef; river and stream-caught wild salmon; locally-tended produce; and fresh herbs grown in the hotel’s gardens.

So don’t wait, come on down to our place and check out April’s creativity first hand!

Avril

Come join us to celebrate Thanksgiving! Call (250) 414-6739 for...

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:33:44 -0700

Come join us to celebrate Thanksgiving! Call (250) 414-6739 for reservations - we’d love to hear from you!

(And if you really love turkey, join us again on American Thanksgiving, too!)

We really know how to cook in the bedroom.

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:36:00 -0700

Rumour confirmed that Chef Ito and his band of trusty men really do know how to put it out in the bedroom … the bedroom used as a satellite kitchen, that is.

At AURA’s September Food and Wine Reception guests got an extra special treat this time when they hosted sake maker Masa Shiroki, paired with Chef Ito’s amazing creations up in the Inn’s most spectacular Penthouse, the Roger’s Suite.

Masa Shiroki’s Five Sakes poured at the event.

Lead by our very own resident foodie (and assistant director of all things food and beverage, @misswo), Jennifer Woppenkamp, our service team was in a bustle, as the room was stripped of it normal lux furnishings and transformed into a posh and intimate dining room - arguably the best in the city!

I have to say that, as my first time ever (not only at a sake tasting, but also a tasting that focuses on the pairing of sake with food other than sushi) was amazing! Who knew that a Osake Junmai Nama Genshu sake pairs spectacularly with Shinkenspeck wrapped pork loin and jalapeno cranberry jelly? What could be more fun that throwing traditional pairs out the floor to ceiling windows and discover a whole new realm of tastes.

If you’re not currently hooked into the AURA Food and Wine Receptions, you don’t know what you are missing. An hour and a half featuring 5 pours, 5 tasting plates and all the talk that gives you the inside scoop on how and why these various flavours came together. Stay tuned for the next event happening this fall featuring BC winemakers and our very own Chef Ito.

Avril

First up: Octopus & Scallop

Next: Pancetta-wrapped Pork Tenderloin. Inn-credible.

To Finish: Pistachio Blanc Manger & Maple Watermelon Gelée

All About Sake & Masa Shiroki

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:31:00 -0700

If you have never experienced the world of Sake, then you most definitely need to join us Thursday September 22 for an evening you won’t forget! Masa Shiroki, the man behind Granville Island’s Artisan SakeMaker, is joining our very own Executive Chef Takashi Ito to pair 5 beautiful sake with 5 sumptuous plates.

Sake is an alcoholic, rice-based beverage originating in Japan, sometimes referred to as rice wine. It is important to note that it is not like true wine, where alcohol is made from fermenting sugar present in the fruit.

Shiroki is heralded his ability to make award-winning sake. True dedication to the production of sake lead Shiroki to plant his own rice crops in Canada so that he could make “truly Canadian sake”.

If you’ve never had sake or are already a devout fan, you’re in for a real treat this Thursday September 22, 2011. Join us at 5:30 to enjoy everything sake has to offer.

For reservations, please call (250) 414-6739. Check out Masa Shiroki’s website for more information about his Sake!

Photo

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:23:00 -0700

Have you experienced Buffet Brunch yet? Join us October 2 to...

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:51:00 -0700

Have you experienced Buffet Brunch yet?

Join us October 2 to enjoy our famous Buffet Brunch in the Terrace Ballroom! All your brunch favourites will be there, hand crafted by Chef Ito and our Inn-credible culinary team! Come with your appetite ready - you won’t be disappointed.

Seatings: 10:00 | 10:30 | 12:00 | 12:30

Adults: $35 | Seniors receive 25% off | Children 6-10: $17 | Children 5 & under eat FREE!

For reservations, please call us at (250) 414-6739. This is a popular event - reserve early!

August 12 | 13 | 14 Celebrate Victoria’s Dragon...

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:35:00 -0700

August 12 | 13 | 14

Celebrate Victoria’s Dragon Boat Festival with hand-crafted, ginger Inn-fused cocktails. Cheer on The Paddlers and the Drummer right from our patio from 11am to the finish line…