Victoria Brunch Blog

820 Yates St.
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Sundays
$10 - $15
www.zambris.ca

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The Boiled Down

Chic and modern, but not pretentious. Zambri’s deserves a brunch reputation as positive as their lunch and dinner ones. 

Nick’s rating: 9.5 double smokings out of 10
Jen’s rating: 9 buongiornos of out of 10

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The Slow Cooked

J: Zambri’s is an award winning Italian restaurant that has been a favourite of Victoria foodies for over a decade. So, how come I’d never been there before? It’s been on my list of restaurants to try for years, but I suppose I just never got around to it. Last year Zambri’s moved to a great new location in the recently completed Atrium building (sharing the block with two other great Victoria eateries - Pig Barbeque Joint and Habit Coffee). Well known for their lunch and dinner fare, Zambri’s seems to keep their brunch offerings on the D.L. At least it seemed that way when we arrived at 11am on a Sunday morning and the restaurant was more than half empty. Because of the lack of diners, I was honestly a bit worried that my first visit to Zambri’s would be a bit of a disappointment. I thought, “if this place is so great, where is everyone?” My concerns very quickly vanished as soon as I was served a truly great americano. The friendly folks at Zambri’s certainly know how to handle their espresso.

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Perfection.

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N: That whole Atrium block is great. They’ve also got Cook Culture, who constantly tempt me with their cooking classes (soups from scratch, yum). Truth is I’d never been to Zambri’s either. The reviews were rave, but that was for dinner in their previous place, so a new location and an empty Sunday morning had me a little worried as well. My beverage was a straight up coffee, served in a white mug on a white saucer.

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Very classy. Very tasty.

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J: The only sweet item on the menu (other than a fruit cup) was french toast - panettone french toast, to be exact - served with amaretto maple syrup and wee bit of whipped cream. I was more than happy with that option. Panettone (pronounced pana-TOE-nee) happens to be a type of sweet Italian bread containing raisins, bits of candied orange and citrus zest. It originated in Milan and it is damn good. The dish was deluxe.

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A portion any Italian grandmother would approve. “Eat! Eat!”

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N: I was tempted by the Meatballs and Eggs, but opted for the Italian Scramble - eggs scrambled with potatoes, peppers and smoked caciocavallo cheese. I was enamored as soon as I saw it laid down in front of me, beautifully plated. The texture of the eggs was exactly to my liking, and the dish burst with flavor.

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These vibrant food colours were sponsored by Crayola.

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N: The only thing missing from it was meat, so Jen and I decided to split a side of double smoked bacon. I’ve had some time to think on that bacon, and I can honestly say that that bacon in my top three bacon experiences of all time. I’d go back for the bacon alone. Bacon.

J: Oh god that double smoked bacon. That bacon was amazing. I bet you regret offering to share with me. Next time we’ll each get our own order of bacon.

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If I ever have a pet pig I’m going to call it Zambri.

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N: Yeah next time I’ll definitely get my own triple order of bacon, but bacon has given so much to me, it’s only fair I gave back to it by sharing its bacony love.

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How do you say ‘please sir can I can have some more’ in Italian?