Follow the signs to great food and drink in Victoria’s Bastion Square

A sign pointing you to fresh oysters and another just above the door are the only clues that one of Victoria’s most exciting food and drink experiences can be found here, tucked away in historic Bastion Square. 

Follow the stairs down to find a dark and moody candlelit space, where the canopied bar gleaming with bottles of local and international wine and spirits is a sure sign that this is the right place to come for a good drink. 

Head further into the restaurant and you’ll enter a cozy, brick-walled room, which for some will bring back memories of Camille’s, a Victoria staple that occupied the space for 27 years. Go even further and you will discover the best seats in the house—a hidden courtyard patio surrounded by brick walls, where a tree stretches high above and twinkling lights add to the romantic ambience. You’ll feel like you’ve left Victoria and been transported to Montreal or New York.

Chef David Healy’s food complements the restaurant’s esthetic perfectly. The dishes are comforting, coastal and very Vancouver Island. The seasonal menu changes daily and is largely seafood focused, but with a selection of vegetable dishes that showcase just how lucky we are to live in a province with such an abundance of beautiful produce. And each dish is designed to be shared, because Chef Healy wants to bring people together to “break bread” with one another and enjoy the food together, just as they would at their grandmother’s table.

Cocktails and food have always shared the spotlight at Wind Cries Mary, with both focusing on using local ingredients to make simple things very well. The bar program at WCM has grown extensively over the years, but still stays true to the original vision that now-general manager Clayton Thornber had when he started it, which is to try and capture the beauty of Vancouver Island in a glass. 

The bar team, led by Soren Schepkowski and Bronwyn Hawkins, has created menu after menu of seasonal cocktails that both bring comfort to locals and brilliantly showcase what the Island has to offer to those just travelling through. The best example of this is Schepkowski’s collaboration with Stillhead Distillery in Duncan to create WCM’s very own rye whisky. With notes of Rainier cherries, cinnamon buns and ocean breeze, it is the base for the WCM Old Fashioned, a house cocktail that tastes the way the room makes you feel. 

Not to be outdone, sommelier Jasmin Dosanj has built a wine list that appeals to those looking for something funky and weird as well as those craving big, bold and Old World wines. Look forward to more exclusive finds at Wind Cries Mary, including Dosanj’s upcoming collaboration with Bella Wines.

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY:

Wind Cries Mary
45 Bastion Square, Victoria