Two Victoria restaurants have been recognized as some of the best new eateries in all of Canada.

Each year, Air Canada sends out a top food critic travel the country looking for the hot new restaurants.

In the top-30 list issued by Air Canada, Ugly Duckling and Marilena Cafe and Raw Bar in Victoria made the cut.

Ugly Duckling Dining & Provisions just opened in February at 543 Fisgard St. for high-end fine dining with dishes inspired by Chinatown.

And the owners have described the approach behind their food as B次元官网网址渨himsical.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 only open from Wednesday to Sunday each week (starting at 5 p.m.), so make sure you make a reservation. Plans are also in the works for a Sunday morning brunch.

B次元官网网址淣ow open in the heart of downtown Victoria, Ugly Duckling is an intimate fine-dining restaurant that takes its inspiration from the intersection between Coastal BCB次元官网网址檚 magical landscapes and the rich cultural heritage of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 oldest Chinatown,B次元官网网址� reads a post from the restaurant. B次元官网网址淲e craft dining experiences built around two promises: to serve you only those things which we have made by hand; and to work really, really hard to make you smile. We canB次元官网网址檛 wait to welcome you.B次元官网网址�

Marilena was opened a few months ago by Vancouver-based Toptable Group. Toptable Group is known for its restaurants in Vancouver, but also in Whistler and even in New York City. The new restaurant, Marilena Cafe and Raw Bar, is located at the Rotunda building on 1525 Douglas St.

The restaurant group is also notable for its connection to the Vancouver Canucks. Toptable Group and the professional hockey team share the same owner, Francesco Aquilini.

B次元官网网址淔or me itB次元官网网址檚 been a long time coming. This project has been in the hopper for probably three and a half years,B次元官网网址� said Marilena executive chef Kristian Eligh. B次元官网网址淭he pandemic had a lot to do with the delays, but now weB次元官网网址檙e trying to time that opening with the kind of vibrancy coming back into VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 food scene and downtown in general. WeB次元官网网址檙e definitely excited about the time of year weB次元官网网址檙e embarking on this opening.B次元官网网址�

The restaurantB次元官网网址檚 cuisine will have a strong seafood focus anchored by a Japanese-inspired raw bar.

One of the seafood highlights from international waters that the eatery will prepare is a stripped bass from Mexico. The raw bar will also serve up fresh hibachi, ahi tuna and more from Pacific waters around Hawaii. Although the restaurant specializes in local and exotic imported sustainable seafood, the chef said that B次元官网网址渙utside of that, we have something for everyone.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址� With files from Ella Matte, Victoria B次元官网网址

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