ulla | Victoria | 509 Fisgard St.

[VicHockeyFan]

Looks like they are well underway with something to replace the sushi place there at the bottom of Fisgard.



http://www.ulla.ca/

Website coming soon.

509 fisgard street, victoria, bc 250-590-8795 dinner from 5:30 tuesday to saturday

RIP capital letters...

[Dylan Leblanc]

What type of food will it be?

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by Dylan Leblanc

What type of food will it be?

No indication. But dinner only, maybe that's a clue. So it won't be a "breakfast all day" kind of place. Or a cereal restaurant.

[victorian fan]

Scandinavian? Ulla, short for the name Ulrika
German? Ulla, short for the name Ursula

[Mike K.]

Ulla (or Ula) is a popular name in many European countries.

[Van]

Suppose to be 'Modern West Coast Cuisine' or something like that.

[Matt R.]

From what I've seen, Brad's a good cook. I think we can expect it to be 60/40 brasserie/brio.

Good mix.

Matt.

[hotdoglegz]

ulla had a bit of a soft opening this evening. I didn't attend but took a peek inside. It's a sharp looking space. I'm anxious to try it out.

[Matt R.]

I bet they are hoping for much overflow traffic from that place on Government that recently stopped taking reservations.

Hotdoglegz, let me know if you'd like to go for a snack/beverage at Ulla, I am free many evenings post-shift!

Matt.

[VicHockeyFan]

Some good pix on Facebook.

[Matt R.]

Heading down to Ulla tonight, looking forward to it!

Matt.

[Matt R.]

Across the board, our experience at Ulla was exemplary. I think it's fair to say that there's isn't anyone else in Victoria doing anything quite like this. The sourcing of ingredients is impeccable (this is not uncommon in Victoria) but the style of plating/presentation was pretty unique around these parts. The flavours we experienced are becoming more and more common, for good reason. Use of in season product was primary, and the accompaniments were equally as delicious and important on the plates as the protein component. For example, my wife's short rib 'steak' was excellent, but her cauliflower agnolotti were exquisite. My lamb sirloin was fork tender (they didn't even bring a steak knife) but my English peas were summer on a plate.

We had four cocktails, and shared six plates between us, each different and excellent. Light touch, simple flavours, perfectly executed - everything from my bourbon sour to dessert. The sous vide rhubarb was like nothing I've had before.

The server was not able to answer some of my questions, but I tend to ask a lot of them. She made every effort to find out the answers and relay them back. Service was gracious but not overbearing. I caught our server keeping a close on us as we ate, and she totally busted me using our bread to mop up every last morsel from the plate, caveman style.

At first blush I thought portions were a little on the small side, but after three courses I remembered that less is usually more. Restaurants in Victoria tend to kill diners with big amounts of starch and a minimum of 6oz of protein, all totally unnecessary, especially at this level.

Based on their first weekend of business, I'd say they have a bright future ahead of them, especially after Streetlink moves. There is enough demand for this type of cuisine downtown for all, but it remains to be seen what happens when Peter Zambri adds another 120 seats in the downtown core.

Prices were right on par, with value being good to great. The ingredients on our plates and in our beverages do not come cheap. Attention to detail on the smallwares was refreshing, especially for a startup. Flatware was lovely to use, and very handsome. I expect they will be short some by the end of the week.

If you are looking for a big chunk of meat and some starch with blanched vegetables, look somewhere else. If you are looking for a creative, well executed menu in a simple, elegant space drop in and see them.

For full disclosure, we were expected last evening and I know both the owners and employed the Chef ever so briefly at one point, but I don't hold that against him.

Matt.

[Barra]

I had a look at the photos on their Facebook site and it is a beautiful room - I'm going to check it out!

[VicHockeyFan]

^ ^ That's one heck of a review....

[gumgum]

I have to big up this place too. I went there this evening and it was excellent. I started with the pacific octopus and had the short rib steak for my main. My wife had the salmon and then the chocolate cake. Everything was excellent.
The service was attentive, friendly but relaxed.
The restaurant itself was clean and modern, but the wood added a nice warmth to the place.

This place will be a big hit.

Too bad it was completely empty when we were there. I know...it's a Tuesday. But still, it was a bit sad to see all those tables going to waste.

Fellow Victorians, check this place out!

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by gumgum

Too bad it was completely empty when we were there. I know...it's a Tuesday. But still, it was a bit sad to see all those tables going to waste.

I walked by Moxie's at about 4:30 and back again at 5:00pm tonight, could not believe how empty it was. Yipes. Maybe that's just a fluke. Or maybe it gets busy later.

[gumgum]

I was there at 6 to 7:45 smart-arse.

[jklymak]

4 of us went tonight Tues, and it was empty at 7, but filled up quite nicely by 8. The food and service were great and reasonably priced. We'll be going back!

[weirdie]

To anyone who has visited ulla: Did you happen to notice what kind of vegetarian options they offered? I can't seem to find a menu on their FB page and it sounds like a lot of different meats.

[Baro]

I might check it out if they'd spend the 5 min to type or scan their menu onto their website.

[VicHockeyFan]

Originally Posted by Baro

I might check it out if they'd spend the 5 min to type or scan their menu onto their website.

I don't understand why folks are proud/worried about their Urbanspoon ratings, yet they don't bother to do just that. It takes less than 5 minutes.

[weirdie]

Originally Posted by Baro

I might check it out if they'd spend the 5 min to type or scan their menu onto their website.

Exactly. It might seem a little odd, but I like to know that a restaurant is going to have something that I'd like to eat before I go there. It's more than awkward to sit down, look at a menu, and decide to leave because they don't have anything that interests me.

Oh the age of technology! What pretentious jerks you've made of all of us!

[Matt R.]

With a restaurant like this one, quite often the chef is happy to put something together based on components of other plates. I noticed he had quinoa on a couple of plates, so that's a good start. Lots of peas, corn, tomatoes right now too.

The night we were there I noticed one vegetarian item on the menu, which the table next to us ordered. The server asked if they were vegetarian and the response was "no, it just looks so good".

You could probably phone them and ask what the vegetarian options are.

Matt.

[jklymak]

Originally Posted by Baro

I might check it out if they'd spend the 5 min to type or scan their menu onto their website.

Except most of these places don't make their own websites, or have any clue how to upload anything to them, so they have to pay someone by the hour.

[ulla chef]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for your interest in ulla. It has been an exciting first few weeks for us!

We use as much local, organic and seasonal product as possible. This means that our menu changes very frequently. We will be posting a sample menu online very soon so you can have a good idea of our style of food. Please do keep in mind that a dish you see on the sample menu may not be exactly what we are serving the evening that you come. Each evening's menu is based on what is fresh, in season and inspiring to prepare.

Vegetarian options are always available even if they are not printed on the evening's menu. We have fed quite a few vegetarians who have left extremely happy.

As many of you have probably sussed out, our website is currently under construction but will be launched soon. The menu section will be updated frequently. If you ever have questions regarding the restaurant, the menu or any dietary concerns do not hesitate to contact us the old fashioned way - via telephone at 250-590-8795. You can also email us at info@ulla.ca.

We are really looking forward to meeting those of you who have not been down to check us out yet. We hope to see you soon!