Pilgrimme - Galiano Island

Not sure where to begin this is the best food I have ever had (sorry mom). It was an incredible experience and worth the travel to the island. I really felt lIke Chef Jesse was having a conversation with me through his food. He takes you on a journey with every dish highlighting incredible hyper local ingredients you didn't even know existed. The atmosphere was very hygge warm nordic with a very local vibe and not pretentious at all. This restaurant deserves every alcolade available in the culinary world. I can't wait to go back.

I didn't know if I would enjoy the food because it certainly seemed kind of far out and weird, but I'd have to say all four of us really enjoyed our dinner when we visited Galiano the last weekend of July 2019. The hibiscus kombucha was surprisingly sweet and refreshing, and I won't bore you by going through every single dish but my highlight was either the boneless duck leg with einkom, mushroom, and seaweed or the alkaline noodle with turnip, leeks, and black garlic... or maybe it was the fig leaf ice cream? Staff were amazing and especially Elena (sp? did a great job explaining everything to us (that's her pottery being used at the restaurant and the cozy cabin-like restaurant was intimate and sophisticated without being too pretentious. And of course, my compliments to the chef, Jesse. Definitely a BC must-do!

So I ate here more than a year ago, and it's still on my mind. This menu challenged me and my partner to find anything appealing- it was all so foreign to us and our palettes. We ended up ordering a few dishes that did honestly not appeal to us on paper. Then we had our minds BLOWN. All this time later, and I cannot forget the snap of the kelp and burnt buttermilk sauce. To be that surprised, despite us both being real foodies- wow. I'm pining for this food.

My dining partner and I agreed this was one of the best meals of our lives. Every aspect of every dish was incredibly thoughtful, inspired and yes delicious! Excellent service and ambience, too. All fresh local ingredients, innovative combinations and lovingly arranged presentation. Can't wait to go back!

True food artistry mixed with passion, talent and execution. The biggest take away was the connection to the West Coast in all the flavours. House marinated olives with fir tips were the best I've ever tasted. The pickled and fermented veg in various dishes was perfectly pickled and tasted like it was picked in the garden, pickled and served on the table. The Galliano slow cooked venison was amazingly tender. The last course was marinated sour cherries and a mouth watering housemade dark chocolate truffle. Overall a sublime food experience with heart warming service to go with the food. Worthy of all the accolades.