- Story Chelsea Forman Photography by Lia Crowe
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Courtney Room has added a littleje ne sais quoi and miam! to the cityB次元官网网址檚 dining scene with a restaurant redesign that hums with a French bistro vibe on the lower level and offers fine Parisian dining upstairs.
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| Smoked honey mussel, fermented radish foam and pieces and trout roe |
B次元官网网址淥ld world meets newB次元官网网址� at the Magnolia Hotel & SpaB次元官网网址檚 newly renovated Courtney Room, which B次元官网网址� through harmonizing design and menu B次元官网网址� evokes a sense old Paris within a classically modern setting and a uniquely local expression.
High ceilings, elements of Art Nouveau, artfully tiled entranceway and chevron-patterned wood floor conjure the grand dame hotels of Paris, while the menu further elevates the Parisian experience with locally sourced and seasonal cuisine B次元官网网址� from both land and sea B次元官网网址� created with a French flourish.
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| The newly renovated Courtney Room |
B次元官网网址淭he vision and goal was to take the area and turn it into a classically modern space that would tie into the hotelB次元官网网址檚 overall design,B次元官网网址� says Bill Lewis, general manager at Magnolia Hotel & Spa. B次元官网网址淲e wanted the dining experience to meet the food experience, so we developed the menu to match the space.B次元官网网址�
Two separate menus, one in the downstairs, casually elegant bistro area and one in the upscale, upstairs dining room, offer a range of French-style delicacies from caviar and velour en croute to charcuterie sandwiches. Although created with a French twist, the cuisine pays homage to its locally sourced ingredients with names such as Nootka Rose lentil and Bean Ragout, Yarrow meadows Duck Breast and Cache Creek Beef Tartare.
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| B次元官网网址淔or the Charcuterie Sandwich, we use a country loaf (made in house B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 a mix of sourdough and rye), pickles, mustard and a rotating charcuterie, also made in-house.B次元官网网址� |
The Courtney Room renovation was undertaken by Sharon Bortolotto of BBA Design in collaboration with Vancouver-based design agency Glasfurd & Walker.
B次元官网网址淪haron has worked on the aesthetic of hotel for over 20 years B次元官网网址� continuity in the design exists throughout the hotel, spa and now restaurant,B次元官网网址� says Bill.
The main bar features gray marble and a custom glass oyster station. The elevated upstairs dining room features brasserie-style velvet banquette seating in a carpeted space with white tablecloths and a glassed-in wine room.
Vintage lighting creates a casual elegance reinforced by the restaurantB次元官网网址檚 sophisticated colour palette of smoky grey-blues, taupes and earthen hues. Commissioned abstract expressionist-style artwork by Blu Smith pairs with the spaceB次元官网网址檚 decorative accents of leather, brass, bronze-beaded curtains and white marble chevron details.
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| B次元官网网址淭he French 250 cocktail is a take on the classic French 75, but instead of regular gin we use Empress Gin from Victoria B次元官网网址� hence the 250 (Victoria area code) to make it local. We also add wild mountain honey syrup and lemon juice and top it off with the Unsworth Charme de LB次元官网网址檌le (also local from the Cowichan Valley). B次元官网网址� |
B次元官网网址淚deally, The Courtney Room will become an iconic dining space that is as timeless, classic and as long-lasting as the hotel. We think we built something exceptionally well designed and well thought out. ItB次元官网网址檚 a timeless dining experience in a classic restaurant,B次元官网网址� says Bill.
