WHITEBIRD RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE
Location:
Hours of Business:
Phone:
Web Address:
768 Yates Street (downstairs beside Odeon Theatre)
Dinner: Thu-Sat 6pm-12am; Clothing/Records: Mon-Sat 11pm - 6pm
380-7040
n/a
Chosen for:
An eclectic food/fashion/music destination
Comfort food at great prices
A hidden treasure
To confuse Grapeviners this month, Founders led the group from mid-block Yates onto Blanshard and then doubled back onto the other side of the street. Just past the Odeon Theatre, we traipsed down steep stairs to open the silver steel door of Whitebird Restaurant & Lounge.
Wait-person Laura greeted us warmly and dashed off to find co-owner James McDonald who emerged from the back with mop and bucket.
James' smile grew wider as we presented him with our purple balloon bouquet and pronounced Whitebird Restaurant & Lounge as Best-of-the-Bunch for the month of February.
Whitebird owners James McDonald and
John Beaumier
Photos by professional photographer Rae Murphy,
Sandra Tennent
and Barbara McDonell
It's a restaurant. It's a lounge. No, wait ... it's a clothing and record shop! In fact, it's all three, fusing music, fashion and food to nourish your mind, body and soul in a casual but elegant setting.
Upon entry, the wow-factor interior surprises with a curved woven-metal wall burnt to create dramatic blue swirls. This leads to the sleek modern bar and then the restaurant. Local art decorates the walls – many bold black and white paintings pop with splashes of bright yellow and red – some pieces created by James' mother. The clothing/
accessories/record/shop is located on the opposite side, past the happy Buddha.
The dove (white bird) is a freedom bird, meaning
free to do what you please and follow your passions.
In explaining the store name, James says "the dove (white bird) is a freedom bird, meaning free to do what you please and follow your passions". Clearly, the owners have done exactly that.
James and John met through their mutual love for music, fashion and excellent food. James, a journeyman carpenter, designed and built the entire shop interior, including the woven-metal wall mentioned above. John, an entrepreneur and promoter, wished to create a place that people would want to hang out in. Through teamwork, Whitebird Restaurant & Lounge was born.
Ten years ago, on the corner of View and Vancouver Streets, co-owner John Beaumier (who arrived later) launched Whitebird as a small record shop and home-base for Victoria electronic music lovers to make CDs and mix music. That morphed into the deejay shop carrying turntables, mixers and other DJ gear ... and that evolved into the clothing/record shop. Recognizing the close relationship of music and fashion, James and John opened the evening lounge one year ago. Four months ago they expanded hours to include lunch.
FOOD: West coast fusion is taken to a new level by Chef Billy Feltmate and sous chef Emil Radcliffe who create delicious fare with many tasty vegetarian and vegan options. The prices are unbelievably reasonable. Grapeviners had a tough time deciding what to order from the interesting menu, many wishing they had tummies large enough to accommodate two choices!
The owners' philosophy is for "well-presented comfort food". Indeed, they accomplish that in spades. My warm honey ham and brie cheese sandwich was served on a Portuguese bun with a small green side salad of tomatoes, red peppers, onion and roasted garlic mayo. It looked delicious. It was! And it cost a mere $5.
Several soups or salads are priced at $4. Choose a Thai chicken satay for $7 or a teriyaki salmon burger for $8. The three entrees range from $16-$19: free-range chicken, herb-crusted wild Coho salmon or a 9-ounce AAA-certified Angus rib-eye steak.
MUSIC: Whitebird houses Vancouver Island's original deejay equipment shop, now over eight years old. On Friday and Saturday nights, top local deejays entertain individual patrons or parties. No dancing, however.
...delicious fare, including tasty
vegetarian and vegan options – all
at unbelievably reasonable prices.
CLOTHING/ACCESSORIES AND RECORDS: Offering men's and women's urban street wear, mostly catering to the younger crowd, but also including fleece wear, vests, turtlenecks, private designers and vogue international. A small collection of LPs are displayed for sale beside a turn-table. (Note: Server Laura is the do-everything gal who switches hats as required to also provide services as bartender and clothing shop clerk.)
Whitebird is available for private bookings. Small modular tables are flexible, allowing staff to reconfigure seating to accommodate any party or event needs.
For a unique experience and a delicious lunch, combine a downtown excursion with a meal at Whitebird Restaurant & Lounge. Browse the bookstores or take in a movie matinee with a before or after visit to Whitebird for a tasty nutritious meal.
"Whitebird's philosophy is for 'well-presented comfort food'",
says co-owner James McDonald.