Devour Lunch

Earlier this week my good friend (and massage therapist) Laura and I were emailing back and forth about my impending ART sessions when we decided we should quit talking “business” and start talking about a lunch date instead.

She knows that I’ve mentioned Devour Bistro during multiple foodie-must-try conversations so suggested we should get together there.  Who I am to turn down such a lovely suggestion?

I have never heard a bad word about Devour.  Why would I?  Everything is prepared fresh daily, looks delicious, and seems to cater to pretty near any palate.  Gourmet comfort food.  Before walking out the door this morning I made sure to check out their website for today’s menu…I was super excited to see Borscht as their soup of the day.

I ordered a cup for Laura and I to share and was pleasantly surprised at the size of the cup!  Honestly I expected it to be half the size and the chunk of soft baguette was a nice bonus as well.  The soup was smooth, creamy and slightly sweet.  We were both impressed.

The one thing I did know before stepping into Devour was that you don’t go there without ordering one of their decadent house made sodas as your beverage.  Today’s offering?  Strawberry & Cardamom.  Yum, trust me.

There was at least four different things on today’s lunch menu I was leaning towards ordering…it was a tough decision! Laura solved part of my problem by ordering their Pulled Pork Sandwich with Green Apple Slaw and offering to let me try it.

It was VERY good.  Even the gal behind the counter said that they know there is a lot of pulled pork competing at lunch spots in Victoria, but she was right that theirs is different…in the best possible way.  Rich and delicious.  My comment was that it was more of a gravy than the usual barbecue sauces you find most places.  I actually might have thought it was beef if I didn’t know any better…it had that richness about it.

So because Laura made that her choice I decided to go for something completely different…the Ricotta Lavender Tart with Lemony Potato Salad.  Oh.my.word.

Imagine a pillowy soft, creamy forkful of light ricotta heaven.  It was this amazing, dessert-like meal!  Sometimes ricotta can be a bit dry texturally but not this tart. And the fresh lemon, sprinkles of lavender, and drizzle of reduced balsamic were sooooo delicious.

And that potato salad?  Seriously people…it may have been one of the best potato salads I’ve ever had.  The lemony zest was perfect.  We couldn’t put our finger on what else was in there (honey?) but yowza! it was good.

The cafe itself is quite small…maybe 4 or 5 tables plus a few window seats…so we went a wee bit early to ensure we could eat in.  I suspect a lot of people working downtown must get take-out, which I totally would too if I lived/worked a bit closer.

As if all of that wasn’t enough for a Friday lunch Laura ordered us this amazing wedge of Apple Pie with house made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Just look at that amazing creamy wedge!  The pie was cinnamony and delicious with a lovely flakey crust, but I was totally distracted by that ice cream.  I love me some vanilla bean and this ice cream was so dense I actually picked away at it with my fork.

I would seriously go back for a side of pulled pork, a scoop of lemony potatoes, and a wedge of ice cream any time.

ANY time.

Keep those lunch invites coming.