Ca Va Bistro Moderne

Often walked by Ça Va, but had never been before now. A quick look at the menu; it looks like the name captures the essence of the place — French food with a modern twist — artistry and attention to detail, but with an air of informality.
We started off by sharing the Gruyère soufflé. Light, fluffy, flavourful. The caramelized onion jam was an interesting counterpoint to the soufflé and the kirsch cream sauce tied it all together perfectly.
For the mains one friend had the lamb sirloin. Wow. Perfectly cooked, melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender. I’m not a lamb person, but it will be hard not to order this the next time I’m at Ça Va. Another friend had the Sable Fish — perfectly prepared and the crab and spinach lasagne, eggplant was amazing. I had the Duck Confit sitting on a delicious pillow of yam, braised red cabbage, and apple — if you like confit you’ll be happy.
For desert we shared the crème brulé (beautifully smooth and the fig, in star anise syrup on the side was a lovely surprise) and a wonderful rhubarb soufflé with drunk cherries — which means if you eat enough of the cherries you’ll get drunk.
There have been lots of reviews here commenting on small portion sizes and we commented on that ourselves during the meal, but found we were all FULL when we got up to leave. Perhaps the portions are just right.
All in all, a wonderful dining experience. Interesting flavour combinations, prepared beautifully in a comfortable, modern setting with excellent service.

so freakin’ delicious! As one reviewer says, the portion sizes are on the small side, but that’s because you are there to taste– it’s definitely for a distinguished palate.
If you’re going there for a fine dining experience in a cozy place in a cute neighborhood, then this is the right place.

Ca Va Bistro Moderne may be a reason in itself to move to Victoria. It is certainly a reason to visit. The meal my wife and I shared was almost perfect. I am a vegetarian and she is an omnivore. We started with the Haloumi salad. For the next course, I had the artichoke barigoule and she had the lamb sirloin. For dessert, I had the twiced baked rhubarb soufflé and she had the chocolate marquise. Every bite of every course was a little taste of heaven.
The atmosphere is cozy and the wait staff very knowledgeable. The recommendations for wine pairings were excellent. The service and presentation left nothing to be desired. Our only regret is that we don’t know when we’ll get back to Victoria. When we do make it back, we will absolutely include at least one meal at Ca Va.

Food is good but portion sizes leave a lot to be desired. Like you need to pre eat. Got the lamb for $ 30 and it was three slices. They tasted pretty good but wasn’t full after. Same went for the rest of my table. Less isn’t always more!

Visited Ca Va for the first time last night before going to the Belfry Theatre. For a nice, cozy bistro in a very quaint part of town, it doesn’t quite fit when you consider the food.
I deviated from the drink menu and ordered an old fashioned. For the calibre of menu, and considering how fickle Victoria is right now, including myself, for a well crafted cocktail, I was served a crushed orange slice in ice with a shot of bourbon mixed in.
I ordered the Gruyère soufflé and while the cheese can sometimes make a soufflé a little dense, this was quite nice and light, especially when paired with the wine poached pear. My partner ordered the prawns and mussels and roe, and it was prepared well and tasted nice.
The real disappointment came with the main course of short rib, bone marrow and smoked potato purée. The short rib was minuscule for a price tag of $ 28. And while it did pull apart, it didn’t melt. I expect a nice rich sauce to accompany a short rip to help with the texture, but this did not have it. The smoked potato looked as if it was plated about 10 minutes before the rest of the plate was constructed, and was about two tlbs spread across the plate. It was cold, almost gelatinous, and had a ‘skin’ on top. The bone marrow was difficult to get out as my piece of bone was not completely hollow.
While there were some good parts of the meal, I did not have an overall good first meal there.

Our first visit of this gem. Enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends.
I had the lamb which was beautifully presented and the taste matched. Great service. We will be returning.

Ca Va!!! You are often off my radar due to your outside the downtown location. How very sad for me, because every time I have visited you are so friendly, cozy, delicious and above all consistent! My most recent visit was last night on a rainy February eve. The room was full and we didn’t think to make reservations but we sat at the bar and had a most amazing meal. Cocktails were lovely and well priced and we shared mussels in a broth with chile that were fantastic. While both the duck confit and short ribs with Beemster noodles were superb, we did a bit of fighting over the short rib dish that was soooo very good. Beemster noodles! Seriously, so delish with the tender short rib and roasted cauliflower. To finish we had espresso with a chestnut and pear tart… oh the pastry! I thought I’d died and had gone to Paris. Fernwood, how lucky are YOU to have both Ca Va and Stages in your hood?! Service was warm and friendly and it was a challenge to head back out into the rain after being in Ca Va’s seductive embrace.

The dinner we had was excellent. Great service, great atmosphere, great food. Best of all, everything was very unique.

We had dinner here last night and were mostly impressed with the food. I say mostly, because some of the flavors in my entrée were not quite to my liking, but that didn’t mean the food wasn’t good. We started with an order of Mussels in a Tomato Broth and a salad made with Haloumi Cheese. The Mussels were out of this world; soft, tender, slightly sweet, complimented with a savory and rich tomato sauce/​broth accompanied by crispy, grilled sourdough. Not to be missed! The salad, while good, was a little over-​dressed for my palate, but still tasty. For our entrees, we had the whole grain Risotto and the Duck Confit and Cassoulet, with Chorizo. The Risotto was unusual, but delicious. The Duck was perfectly cooked – crispy and tender as a Confit should be; however, the beans in the Cassoulet were undercooked and the overall taste was entirely too sweet for my taste. All in all, a really nice experience, with very attentive service. Would definitely go back.

Ca va is awesome! Great wine list with plenty of variety and a duck confit that will blow your mind! I don’t know if it will still be around by the time you read this, but there was a braised peach with chevre for desert that was probably the best desert I’ve ever eaten!

Best crab sandwich in Victoria. Super satisfying and delicious, right down to the rustic bread and pea shoots.
I was lunching with the ladies here on recommendation, and I, too, recommend coming back for lunch or dinner. The four of them were raving about either their crab sandwich or eggs brunch dish.
The prices are incredibly reasonable for the quality you get. Overall, this is the best French restaurant since. .. since. .. Well, it’s been a long time — La Petit Columbe? Wow, I’d come back just for that crab sandwich!!! The dinner menu chalked on the wall shows a lot of passion and creativity for not only French cuisine, just good quality fresh food. Must come back!

This is a great addition to the Victoria dining scene. Only about 30 seats, in the Fernwood neighbourhood. Have been for dinner and lunch and both meals were outstanding, so was the service. Really no low notes. Try the Qualicum scallop starter — caper and raisin sauce is worth a ferry ride from VAncouver or wherever. Short rib sandwich at lunch, crab angel hair pasta. All inventive and beautifully served with grace and humour. Get thee to fernwood!

I loved this place! The waitress is posh but kind. The women who work there seem to get along really well and that makes the atmosphere really nice. The food was TO DIE FOR. We had the duck and the short rib. I can’t say enough about how great the food was. Perfectly cooked, balanced flavours, unexpected combinations with an intuitive sense of what works. Delicious. The prices were more than fair for what you get and the food is gourmet. So it’s not the kind of place that you’ll eat at everyday, but the price is worth it for a special night out or a date night. The food made this place for me. I would say that it is going to give the Brasserie and Stages a run for its money. Now we have a wonderful pre-​theatre restaurant in Fernwood that isn’t just limited to small plates. If only we could get a little pizza or sandwich joint, we’d be set!!!

Amazing new restaurant for Victoria, and a real gem for Fernwood! A chance luncheon and we were hooked. .. dinner was even better…and then we went for brunch! The food is as good as it gets, and on par with every fine dining restaurant in the City but with a better price point, and Fernwood casual. French inspired, beautifully plated, perfectly cooked, and most importantly, absolutely mouthwateringly delicious. .. and the service is great! Must try the ‘Taleggio Soufflé with Anise Cream’ — simply delicious! and there aren’t words to describe how amazing ‘The ‘Eggplant Three Ways’ is! Recently opened, we know it won’t be long before reservations will be a must, it is just that good! What a great find!

Absolutely amazing!!! Have tasted many dishes on the menu and everything from the cocktails to the mains, and everything in between, is mouth watering. Staff and décor are also fabulous. Definitely one of the best places to dine in Victoria!