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  "Yum!" March 26, 2012 We had our first dinner at Norwood's tonight, but hopefully it won't be our last! The food was amazingly gourmet and tasty, and our server was knowledgeable and delightful. Two thumbs up! :-) "Iron Chef Worthy" February 27, 2012 Norwoods is set up on main street in what was likely an old store from the 20's or 30's. Completly redone inside including engineered beams to open up the space. It is very quaint, seating about 40 including the bar. The kitchen is in full view, inside and out. I picked up on the location by driving by and noticing the chef and staff doing the prep work for supper and had to stop by when they opened at 5:30 in fact I changed my itenerary around it, and was not disappointed. I greatly enjoyed the experience as I watched them turn out my meal from grill to plate. They took great pride in sourcing all they can locally and what they do have to bring in is deciedly B.C. and Canadian highlighting the great bounty they have to offer the discerning taste. I had a craft beer lager from B.C for which they had a few offerings. They also had a fantastic array of similarly offered regional wines. The staff were accomodating to my questions and provided their recomendations which were well taken. I had their uniuqe offering of seared scallops and octopus to start which was excellent. Followed by the mushroom tagliatelli again fantastic. I topped it all off with a goat cheese "cheese cake" which was lighter than your typical cow's milk and well textured with blueberry compote and a 3 cheese plate comprised of B.C. and Quebec cheeses well accompianed. Needless to say I had to loosen the belt. Of note they have no salt/pepper on the tables which is a testament to the confidence of the chef, no additional seasoning required here, perfect. My only suggestion would be the addition of some sourdough bread to soak up the plate. Had I been the only customer I would have been licking mine. It was the off/off season when I visited so I was impressed to find such a high caliber establishment toughing it out, the locals are blessed to have such an eloquent place to dine. I would suggest that reservations are in order during the summer months. Well done Norwood, it had been 30 years since my last visit to Ucluelet but with Norwoods the next will be much sooner. Well worth the drive back to Nanaimo in the dark, on winter roads. "Well executed food & great service!" February 24, 2012 There isn't a lot of good(or any) dining options in Ucluelet or Tofino but Norwoods is a gem. We were a bit seafood-ed out so we opted for the lamb rack feature that was mind blowing! Ribeye was also excellent. Our server had the perfect balance of island relaxability, knowledge and attentiveness in one package. Also had dinner at Black Rock resort where we stayed and wished we ate here both nights! Great selection of wine for a small place too. "Superb - three nights in a row”" February 20, 2012 Dining out is a very individual experience: “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” says it all. However, if you are looking for the freshest local ingredients simply prepared and eloquently served, you really can’t do better than Norwood’s Restaurant in Ucluelet, BC. Watching owner/chef Richard Norwood working with his sous chef Phillipe Mallette from the proximity of the “chef’s table” is as entertaining and exciting as a front row seat at a jazz concert. These two have obviously been close collaborators for many years and their results are outstanding. We recently spent three evenings in their company (together with their capable house staff) and were more than completely satisfied. Reservations are strongly recommended and be sure to ask for the table near the preparation area for a real treat. We sampled their “catch of the day”, the rack of lamb and several appetizers and found all consistently excellent. A wine list emphasizing BC wines is comprehensive and excellent in quality. This restaurant would be highly regarded in the largest metropolitan centre. "One of the best meals I've ever had!" Apr 13, 2011 We were completely blown away by everything about this restaurant! We were lucky enough to sit at the chef's table/counter overlooking the action in the kitchen, and every dish that came out looked amazing...so we ended up eating way more than we ever intended but loved everything we had! The service is outstanding - our waiter gave fantastic recommendations for drinks and food. The chef's are brilliant and really great to chat with as they walked us through some of the food they were preparing, and then gave recommendations for specific things we were in the mood for. We started with martinis that were fantastic, then switched to a really superb BC wine I'd never tried before and completely loved. Then came the food...it was one of the best meals I've ever had, and I am a bit of a foodie who eats out a lot at home and when I travel, so this is saying a lot. The appies completely blew our minds...and I am determined to try and see if I can remotely recreate their octopus and/or their chowder because both were unreal. The entries that we had were completely unique and unbelieve in their presentation, different tastes and overall quality. We even had dessert despite eating way more than we ever intended. I seriously cannot rave about this restaurant enough and will tell all my friends to go and will definitely make this a stop every long beach trip I take in future!! "Words cannot describe" Feb 21, 2011 Norwood's is simply amazing. A perfect 10. Hands down one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten in. The location is deceiving - an unassuming little two-storey building in sleepy little Ucluelet, but inside you are treated to an unsurpassed, very personal dining experience. There are only a few tables and the kitchen is in full view of every one of them. The design is warm, welcoming and very west coast. The wine list tends towards unique / cult BC wineries, with the pairing menu carefully selected to enhance the incredible menu selections. The menu tends towards what I would call "west coast style" but is very eclectic and obviously very seasonal with ingredients picked in their optimal state. We had the mussels to start - they were succulent and perfectly prepared, enhanced by a spicy tomato broth. Delicious, and simply. The bread was served simply, warm with a delicious tapenade. My spouse had the tuna and words cannot describe how perfect it was - nestled over hokkien noodles in a ponzu broth, perfectly seared and served with the most amazing tempura prawns ever. The sauce was incredible. I had the tenderloin and it was quite simply the most sublime red meat dish I have ever order - perfectly prepared and served with gratin potatoes, caramelized shallots, grilled mushrooms and spinach. It was perfect. Not a small portion, but not too much. We savored every bite. The dessert was exquisite as well, but at that point we knew that anything we ordered here would be. This is a hidden gem and an absolute must-visit if you are in the Pacific Rim. The prices are outstanding for the quality and the food is quite simply sublime. "Best of all places in Washington, Oregon, and BC" Jan 29, 2011 Although we live near Portland Oregon we especially enjoy Vancouver Island and have vacationed there at least 15 times in the past 8 or 9 years and in Ucluelet at least 12 times. The food is so good that we have dined at Norwood's or at the Boat Basin, Chef Norwood's previous restaurant at least twice each week we have stayed. We prefer Norwood's to any fine restaurant we have dined at in Portland, Seattle, Victoria, B.C., or Vancouver B.C. It's a don't miss dining experience if you are in the area. If there we a 6 star rating Norwood's would get my vote. | |