olo restaurant

fantastic !. thank youullafor getting it right.

bright atmosphere
spectacular service
smart menu
clean food
refreshing in every way.

took my husband and a couple family members for a long awaited visit toullafor his birthday and enjoyed a stellar meal. there was nothing that wasn't beautifully presented and simply spectacular tasting.

my tuna tataki was to-die-for...i am still thinking about it 3 days later.

if i had to pick one thing i would have liked better - would have been a bigger wine list but honestly - eveything else was so refreshing and spot-on, that i don't even care that much.

thank'sullafor setting the bar so high. you will give other restaurants something to aspire to.
excellent food and service.
great job.


-----22 dec, 2013-----

well we have found our new favourite restaurant.
we were there last night for dinner and everything exceeded our expectations.from the moment we arrived until we left. service and food were exceptional. well doneulla!!!!!

fine dining experience of gastronomic proportions! whenullajoined the victoria restaurant scene several years ago i heard exquisite details from locavores and food lovers about the tender loving care with which their food was prepared. although a fancy restaurant by victoria standards,ullastill has a comfortable feel. the space is small and intimate, with high ceilings and lots of light. bright, whimsical artwork and a bookshelf chock full of cookbooks (including the star trek cookbook!) line the walls. the food here certainly is prepared with a monumental amount of effort. plates come adorned with gastriques and flourishes carefully executed to accentuate the other flavours on the plate. they are one of the only restaurants in victoria who uses molecular gastronomy in their food, which creates a finished product that is very precise and technical.

great food with some regrets. it's no doubt the food atullais innovative, fresh & of great quality. i have to say however that my (many) lovely dining moments there were greatly overshadowed by a dinner there a few months ago.

not only did the waitress break a glass over my dinner companion, spilling wine on him, what was worse was she only offered a small apology and continued on. it happened mostly due to the fact that she was serving from the wrong side which in a restaurant with a zagat rating of 29 you'd expect they'd have those things down pat. offering a credit on the cheque for the wine at least would have gone a long way.

ulla leaves nothing to be desired food wise, why not have your service & dress code of your waitresses match the caliber of your fare?

the food here is quite inspired and creative without being pretentious.

my partner had the baguette with herb butter. i wasn't going to eat it but the butter was so flavourful i had two pieces.

next we had the semolina cubes that they also had on theullamenu. these are spectacular. they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. you know the aoli it comes with is housemade because the incredible flavour and texture.

i'm impressed that they have fresh made pasta for $14-$15. the portion is more like a large side or a course to share (keep in mind, i'm a pretty hungry girl). there is a generous layer of padano cheese on top. the sauce was the perfect consistency to support the fresh pasta as the star of the show.

the service was very good. my partner's pet peeve's are:
1) when his glass is empty and it takes forever to get a refill
2) we're done and it takes forever to wait for the cheque
i found our server anticipated our needs and i always had what i needed.

the ambiance is funky, fun and a bit fancy. with some meals at $28 this is not your quick, every day dinner spot.

in the soft buzz of the restaurant with inaudible conversations, the ting of cultery hitting the porcelain plates and hip music that most people young and old would recognize and enjoy, the sound of crying or whining children pierced over.

on my left was a table with two loud, young children.

on my right there was a single parent with a toddler who was whiny and sometimes crying. the child was rolling on the floor while people had to step over it to get to the bathroom. it became obvious that the man was there because he has some sort of relationship with one of the servers.

if a place doesn't have supplies like colouring papers and high chairs, you may consider going somewhere else if those are the things you need.

overall, i loved the food and the service was great.

while we were in victoria , dorothy and i were on the hunt for some good food as well. sadly, we got turned away from a restaurant because it was packed and they didn't have any tables until 10pm. they recommended checking out ullarestaurant  in victoria's chinatown. sure, why not. i opted for the  pork three ways with potato & cheddar perogies, cabbage, chive, bourbon maple sauce ($26) . it was actually more like four ways: one which seemed like a meat ball (far top left), crackling (on the perogie), grilled (bottom), and roasted (right). i liked how the roasted one seemed like hk style roasted pork, and enjoyed the meatball as well. the grilled one had a strong charred and smoky flavour, which i didn't enjoy, but i know some people like that smokiness. i found all three pieces to be overly salty though. the perogies were delicate and good and served as somewhat of a palate cleanser. doro had the 6oz grass-fed, island beef ($25) , which was quite good, albeit again, a bit salty. the

inventive bioregional cuisine that flirts at times with pretension. the menu's local emphasis is always changing, giving it a seasonal freshness. we had two starter dishes before our mains and generally loved the flavours throughout. on this score,ullasucceeds where so many other west coast cuisine pretenders fail. nice, minimalist, relaxing ambience; service the night we were there was flawless. our one grievance is portion size in proportion to cost. very little food on the plates, especially the mains. we left hungry, and diners dropping over $100 should never leave hungry. i appreciate that quality products and local food cost money, but there are creative ways to fill up a plate a bit more. the new wave of modern fine restaurants seem to be plagued by a misguided belief that trinket-size portions and artistic presentation are paramount. as such, sometimes that comes at the expense of what deserves to be a more robust, satisfying meal.

had a lovely dinner atullalast night. our server was knowledgable and friendly, the food was scrumptious and the wine paired perfectly. i had the basil crusted halibut and was very satisfied! beautifully prepared - a work of art! great modern, chic vibe. will definitely be back.

glad we tried it.ullais a great little place in victoria. creative menu and good friendly service. the bourbon sour cocktail was delicious. we tried the octopus and quail dishes to start, both good. i had short rib for my entree, my husband ordered the pork. in general, both were good. a couple of the "purees" in both appetizer and entrees tasted a little odd but they are such a small part of the meal it did not have an impact on the overall experience. a couple sitting at the table next to us were complaining about the noise level and lack of privacy. well, it's a small room, meant for a great dining experience. i suggest if you want privacy, call ahead and ask if there are appropriate tables in the restaurant. we will definitely be back on our next trip to victoria.

a clear winner of a restaurant in victoria. i went toullain july to have a late dinner with my boyfriend, and (hopefully) experience something special before leaving the province for a work trip. i had read aboutullanearly a year before (in en route magazine on an air canada flight). i expected something good, but i was not prepared for how unique and amazing the experience was. it defeats all the general rules - the atmosphere is casual to upscale casual (very laid back, and the music is great)...usually that means lounge type food....but the food here is 5 star (more typical of an unusually good formal restaurant). i love the combination. the atmosphere is great, from the lighting to the books to the effortless/genuine service (no reciting lines or going through the montions here!) it kind of feels warm and intimate....more like a living room than a restaurant.

and the food...wow! i've been eating all my life :), so i never really imagined that i could eat at a restaurant that would teach me so much about food. the plates have so much going on (so many excellently executed components....which - shockingly - all seem to complement each other beautifully). i seriously don't know how they manage to balance all the foods/textures/flavors so well. (also, i thought i knew what polenta was....now i know i was wrong...do youself a favor, get the polenta - even if you feel like you're not big on it....its a totally different food the way they do it here). the octopus and polenta were standouts.

the plates and serving sizes are small, which i love. we ordered 2-3 appetizers, 2 mains, and 2 desserts and shared everything. normally you couldn't do that in a restaurant and not leave in pain from overeating. the food didn't come out too quickly, which gave us time to have a few cocktails (also good). i don't think i've ever seen my boyfriend enjoy a dessert so much - anywhere. (he had a chocolate cake type thing - my description really doesn't do it justice).

the only bad thing is that, now that the bar has been raised so high, everything else will inevitably seem crappier. i feel that we have always lagged behind vancouver in terms of dining experiences here...ulla goes a long way towards singlehandedly evening the score :)

good choice for a special evening. we sent toullafor our 25th anniversary. it was a good choice. the service was great, the food beautifully presented with a scrumptious combination of tastes. we sat at the table under the book shelves and enjoyed browsing through some of the books , 2 definitley on my "to buy" list now.
thanksullafor a special evening,we will be back
sonya jones

best food in the city.ullais the coolest room in victoria serving the best food in the city. we dined on the weekend and the room was alive. the menu is quite understated which allows the food to shine. we found ourselves slowing down and taking our time with the plates. the flavors and textures---it has been a long time since a meal has been enjoyed in this way!
the only thing that wasn't quite there was our service. he was nice enough but didn't seem that interested in us and didn't have the same polish as the space & the other staff.

we look forward to going back to try different plates and sit on the other side of the room.ullais worth every cent and more.

dined atullalast night. my wife and i had one of the finest meals we have ever had - and we have eaten at many fine restaraunts here and abroad. taste and portion were spot on as was the service. unlike the previous reviewer we felt the proces were very reasonable for the standard of the food - you can pay much more at other establishments for far less quality. we will be back.ullais simply one of the best restaraunts around. if you enjoy watching topchef and other cooking programs, and appreciate skilled cooking, you will like ulla.

one year and still going strong.. happy one year ulla. you never fail to deliver on all levels.
dinner was spot on. pea soup. spring salmon. polenta cubes. shortrib. cherries. chocolate. lisa's service was as usual the best. we love seeing all of you in action. you will see us often over the next year because we're looking forward to tasting your new dishes.


-----08 may, 2011-----

ulla you really are the best!. we cannot stop talking about your english pea soup. how is it possible for something so simple to taste so amazing? and be so memorable. the vouvray lisa suggested with it took the experience over the top. i almost wanted to cancel my halibut cheeks and have more soup. glad i didn't because they were luscious and sweet. (octopus, shortrib, chocolate cake and apple genoise were devoured too).
congrats on the boulevard piece. you deserve all the attention you are getting!


-----13 feb, 2011-----

ulla is our go to spot. ulla. we love you. dinner last week was better than our first visit. we have been in so many times in the last 6 months we have lost count.
your food is stellar. clean, bright, interesting, perfectly prepared.
your room is modern, warm, inviting.
lisa knows your food and wine, professional yet fun. to be reconized and warmly greeted, steered in the right direction is appreciated. that our server remembers what we had before and where we sat is something that is not experienced in many restaurants.
thank you.
thank you.
thank you.
we love spending money atullabecause we get more than our moneys worth. it is the only place we know we can order anything on the menu and love it.
we are looking forward to your new seasonal offerings.


-----26 oct, 2010-----

love this place. we picked the right night to book intoullalast week. we asked 'what should we eat?'
quail with bacon, cauliflower mushrooms and a pomegranate vinagrette. are you kidding? every element on the plate worked. (chef brad has a sense of humour...we loved the surprise!) arancini on truffled mayo. and there was more!
actually every element of the place works. people having fun and sharing their love of food. lisa we love you, but you already know that! brilliant food served in a room that 2 young owners thought long and hard about. they deserve everything that is happening to them.


-----28 aug, 2010-----

ulla's food is unbelievable! lisa steered us in the right direction again.
heirloom tomatoes with beans and watercress in a roasted lemon vinagrette.
momofuku style chicken wings. outstanding!!!!!! (an homage to a restaurant in nyc).
lamb. so tender. so perfectly cooked sous-vide with handmade gnocchi, chanterelles and peas.
not only is the food unbelievable, we learn about ingredients and cooking methods. truly a great experience.
we're thinking next time we let lisa order for us so what we get is a surprise. you cannot go wrong with any food decision you make in ulla!


-----09 aug, 2010-----

we stumbled onullalast week and what a nice surprise it was! it was a quiet night for them but not for long. if you love food, you will be visiting regularly. (we've already been back!) the menu is small which means everything is fresh. the entire wine list is available by the glass which means it was created to work with the food. the cocktail list is small and only local beer. i believe someone knows who they are. the whole concept is refreshing.
pea soup. fresh. clean. morels add add organic layer.
salad. local greens with beets. red. candy cane. yellow. perfectly dressed with a red wine vinaigrette (hint of rhubarb).
octopus. local. tender. tasty. bright. fresh. warm with the peppery flavour of arugula.
salmon. bright pink. perfectly prepared. celery. who know celery could be so tender? quite possibly one of the best dishes we've ever had.
the best surprise was the service. our server was someone we've come to enjoy over the years and had wondered where she had gone. thank you lisa. you will be seeing us regularly.

really liked it. i went toullaa few weeks ago with about five industry working friends and we really enjoyed it. we liked the menu so much we actually ordered one of pretty much everything on the menu and ther server/kitchen was kind enough to casualy course it out for us so that we could share each dish. i will definatley be back!