Located across from the Blue Bridge Theatre at the Roxy, Part and Parcel is relatively new to the Victoria restaurant scene. Understandably, not many people have heard about it due to its small size and somewhat obscure location, but if you haven’t tried this place yet, you should.
Choosing the location for convenience sake, my partner and I thought it would only make sense to grab a bite here before seeing a show at the Roxy. Under the warm glow of hanging lights, we ordered off a chalkboard menu. With cards in hand to represent our order, we both returned to our table. I got a picture of kale on mine, while my partner got a turnip. Surrounded by air plants and industrial furniture, we barely had time to take in the narrow room before our food arrived.
Photo by Sarah Allan (Photo Editor)
Having been told beforehand that I had to try the fries here, I took up the challenge, wondering how good fries can be. Let me tell you—they can be damn good! Tossed in a North African spice mix called ras el hanout and served with harissa mayo ($5), these fries made for a killer combination of crunchy, spicy, and salty. My sandwich with kamut fried chicken, pickles, and bacon ($10) was good, but it was really the fries that stood out.
My partner was more adventurous, ordering a farro risotto with pumpkin seeds and squash ($12), along with a side of grilled brassica with sunflower tahini and chili oil ($5). The brassica, being an awesome vegetable in season, again played on that sense of crunchy, spicy, and salty I found in the fries, but for different reasons.
The farro was looser than a traditional risotto, and though I enjoyed the toothsome quality of the grains, I again liked the side better than the main. Having a choice of small takeaway desserts on the counter, I picked up a rosewater and pistachio meringue ($1.50) that proved to have a really marshmallowy texture, but too much rosewater.
Part and Parcel is a restaurant that straddles that delicate line between cozy and classy. The cross-stitched welcome sign that doubles as a coat rack as you walk in could be something you would see at your grandma’s house. Yet, the mix of sophisticated menu ingredients is more likely to remind you of your upscale, trendy cousin. Reasonable prices and an extremely casual service style put another point on the cozy scoreboard. Yet the care and attention that go into the cooking and presentation of the food would lend to the side of classy. Regardless, Part and Parcel is a unique little spot in Victoria that you absolutely need to try—before everybody else realizes how great it is.
