Bar at Janevca Restaurant and Lounge
Located in Esquimalt, Janevca Kitchen and Lounge will officially open its doors on Oct. 23, offering a 130-seat dining room and a 40-seat lounge.
The kitchen will be led by executive chef Andrea Alridge, a former finalist on the cooking competition show Top Chef Canada, with experience leading renowned Vancouver restaurants like Osteria Savio Volpe and CinCin Ristorante. Alridge has crafted a family-style menu that blends international flavours with wood-fired cooking techniques. Signature dishes like the scallop crudo with pyanggang sauce paying tribute to Alridge’s Filipino background, and a wood-grilled bone-in pork chop with pickapeppa sauce is inspired by a favourite childhood dish.
Alridge uses the alchemy of open-fired cooking to shed new light on seasonal vegetable-forward dishes like the mafaldine pasta featuring locally cultivated and foraged mushrooms. A peach melba dessert served on plates acquired from the Savoy Hotel in London pays homage to the dessert’s birthplace and the hotel’s English influence.
Chef Andrea Alridge / Leila Kwok for Janevca Kitchen and Lounge
“Cooking with fire has always been a great love of mine, from a young age and throughout my culinary career,” says chef Alridge. “Janevca will bring an entirely new culinary concept to the Victoria area, showcasing the power of tradition, using age-old methods to create dishes bursting with flavour and complexity.”
A team of industry experts will help create a distinct and immersive dining experience at Janevca: Rob Scales, formerly of Il Terrazzo, will manage operations; Jacques Lacoste, sommelier formerly at Il Terrazzo, designed the wine program, and Brian Bradley, pastry chef from Tombo Eats and Fol Epi, will craft exceptional wood-fired bread and pastries. The restaurant plans to have an innovative and creative cocktail menu as well as a happy hour menu.
The interior of the restaurant will honour the building’s more than a century-old history in Esquimalt. The dining room space complements the landscape, with wrap-around windows and two patios to take in the stunning coastline and surrounding neighbourhood. With interior design by the Aragon team, focal features include live edge tables and antique furniture pieces hand-selected by Owner Lenny Moy in England. A separate lounge gives a front-row seat with views into the kitchen, where wood-fired artisans are at work.
Wood Fired Grill / Janevca Kitchen and Lounge
Reservations for Janevca Kitchen and Lounge will be available at Janevca.ca
Address: 429 Lampson St.
