aura waterfront restaurant + patio

presentation was lovely, taste was amazing. went forlunchyesterday (saturday). had the deep fried sushi (in which only the nori was deep fried), whose flavours melded wonderfully; the crab moco (which was like a spicy, de/re-constructed bibimbap with a very tasty crab cake), and the fresh and tasty fish and chips, with wasabi tartar sauce. great meal, friendly service, and an incomparable view.

my family and i visited aura at laurel point hotel on a beautiful sunny day.  it was a perfect setting for brunch; a picturesque oceanside scenery, warm weather, a quiet setting, and we didn't have a care in the world but to enjoy ourselves. aura offers contemporary pacific west coast inspired creations with influences from japanese and hawaiian cuisines.  there were a lot of more items on theirlunchmenu we didn't get to try since it was sunday brunch.  nonetheless, we really enjoyed a lot of the dishes here. the complimentary chocolate and zucchini bread and refreshing strawberry banana smoothies were a really nice touch.   the zucchini bread was presented with a cute fresh flower.  mini jars of jams, peanut butter and honey were there for you to go crazy on. i'm not a fan of raw bananas, but i was ready to order more of these smoothies. brunch just wouldn't be brunch without eggs benny.  aura's crab benny is served with soft poached eggs over meaty dungeness crab cakes.  the toaste

not impressed. went forlunchtoday at the aura with a friend.
i tried ordering a cocktail be be told that they didn't have the ingredients.
we had ordered a basket of focaccial it came burnt and cold, i had the fettuccine it was cold and mostly flavorless.
for one cocktail,fettuccine and a glass of wine it was almost $50 and so not worth it.

long time favorite now overpriced. i took my 91 year old aunt tolunchlast saturday afternoon at what used to be one of our favorite spots for a casual lunch. we will not be going back again anytime in the near future.
while the view was, as usual, spectacular, the meal was a huge disappointment. the menu has a definite lack of choice and the staff is not aware of just how good this place's menu used to be. we would have left without ordering except big mouth me ordered coffee as we sat down and before we saw the new menu.
the coffee was cold and at $4.00 per cup, not worth the price even with refills included.
i had the arugula salad. first off, the portion was tiny compared to other places we eat. perhaps a cup of greens, two teaspoons (you could see it was portioned with a teaspoon) of goat cheese and 8 slices of beet for $11.00.
auntie had the smoked tuna sandwich with a side of greens rather than fries at $14.00. she commented that she would have to use a knife and fork to eat the sandwich as the bread was too thick to get into her mouth. while the tuna tasted fine, it was not worth the price in her opinion.
so, almost $37.00 (inc hst but without tip) for a lightlunchfor 2 without wine or spirits of any kind.
the lpi has geared itself toward tourists and business travellers who don't care what it costs and probably won't be back. we go tolunchevery saturday and are used to a $40.00 tab but, we do not expect to leave the restaurant and go grab something to eat right after. the locals have to suffer for it. so very sad because we used to love aura and now we just don't.

excellent service, good looking food, however.... this restaurant has some of the nicest views. there is a new chef in the kitchen, for about one month now. service was excellent. the food looked really good, but i was not impressed with the taste. the melon appetizer was ok, my halibut was overdone, the potatoes were still hard. the bite i had from my partners short rib was very chewy. i was not impressed with the $21.00 dessert platter we shared. this used to be one of my favorite restaurants but i won't be coming back here for a while.


-----09 apr, 2010-----

pricey but impressive.. aura at the laurel point inn is one of my favorite upscale restaurants in victoria. forlunchtry the west coast b.l.t. grilled albacore tuna, baby frisée, sun wing farm's tomatoes, avocado, crispy pancetta, very delicous and tastefully presented.
although a bit pricey, the restaurant has an impressive view, serves excellent coffee and the ambience is elegant yet relaxing.