JOIE Grillades — Restaurant in Victoria

Visited JOIE Grillades in February 2023 on Valentine's Weekend for dinner.

SUMMARY: To sum up and after spending over $200 for a meal for two including a 15% tip and no excuse nor compensation for what happened, what can I say? Maybe this was not a good night for JOIE Grillades. Despite the fact my wife's main dish was good and she enjoyed it very much, it was not a good experience for me. In fact, there was no "JOIE" in having dinner there. Maybe it's time for this restaurant to consider changing its name to "PAS LE CHOIX Grillades" ("No choice Grillades" in English)...

CLEARLY NOT RECOMMENDED.

DETAILED REVIEW: Unlike the overwhelmingly positive reviews, which drew us to this restaurant, our experience was a very disappointing one.

Upon arrival, we were promptly seated at a table for four and the ambience was lively as expected on a Valentine weekend.

We ordered half a liter of a French Sauvignon Blanc and our glasses were promptly filled.

As we wanting to leave room for dessert, we skipped starters and ordered our mains right away.

My wife ordered, Salmon Victoria. Having decided on the Poulet fermier i.e. chicken with a lobster cream sauce, I asked if I could get it without the cream sauce. I was told by the server that "they couldn't do this dish without cream but that they would come up with something". Based on this, anyone hearing this would understand they would be served chicken without a cream sauce.

Our server was from France like me and as our conversation was in French, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind I would get a dish with chicken but slightly modified, just like any fine dining restaurant would do, especially as there is a note at the bottom of the JOIE Grillades menu stating in essence to let them know of any food allergies or requirements.

Upon being served, my wife's dish looked very appealing. It ended up being as good as appealing as it looked. She enjoyed her Salmon Victoria dish very much.

The main issue came up when what was put in front of me was absolutely not what I had ordered.

What had been prepared for me was the Choulette Basque, one of the JOIE Grillades signature dishes. It is beef covered in a mustard coating and served with potatoes.

First of all, remember I ordered chicken but was served beef. Second of all, I was not told I was going to get served beef. Had I been told, I would have advised how I wanted my meat cooked. It was well done and I would have asked for medium rare. Third, there were three baby roasted potatoes served as the side. Very very small side. Fourth, when the bill came, I assumed they would charge me for the chicken dish price but I was wrong: They upcharged me $13 for a beef dish I didn't even order nor was advised I would be served.

I believe the server was underhanded and dishonest in the way he dealt with the situation.

The waiter asked if I wanted another dish if I didn't eat beef. Well, that question should have come BEFORE being served another dish, not AFTER.

I kept my cool when mentioning my dissatisfaction to the server. I ate my overcooked and unwanted beef without much pleasure. What a downer on what was supposed to be a fun and romantic dinner!

To finish our meal, we ordered the "chocolate lava cake" to share. It was mediocre at best. Served barely warm and not very chocolatey like a lava cake should be and with little fruit/raspberry coulis on the side. It felt like even serving us dessert was rushed. How can you serve a lukewarm lava cake? Lava cake is synonym of hot !

To try to compensate for what I truly felt was a very underhanded and in the end unacceptable practice, our server provided us with two Grand Marnier on the house.

It was a nice and appreciated gesture. However, the approach by the server and its impact on what was supposed to be a romantic dinner for us had already left a very sour taste in my mouth

Finally, which French restaurant is going to charge you $13 for bread when you have already spent $155 for two mains, wine and one dessert for...

Having dined at numerous French restaurants in both France and Canada, I am fairly picky when it comes to spending my money on French food. Joie never disappoints me or my family. My wife (who is also familiar with French cuisine) and I have been to Joie multiple times now. We enjoy it so much that we had to make the point of bringing my father in law to Joie; as exploring high French cuisine is a tradition of ours. The overall experience of Joie est absolutment incroyable.

Now for the details:

The food! The cuisine is not what one might traditionally associate with French cuisine. Joie's food is not heavy in butter and cream. The food is full of flavour. Being more of a southern French palate, the food is fresh, lively, and relatively light in comparison to traditional Parisian cuisine. Now one may think that the food then lacks complexity or refinement. That's where Joie really shines. The several dishes that I have eaten (including the full tasting menu), have all been full of complex flavours without being pretentious. The food is refined, right down to the herbs, without losing flavour notes. The cook on all meats is absolutely spot on. The care and diligence that the chef puts into these creations shows wisdom, creativity, and flair. He has melded Parisian, Basque, and Northern Italian flavours into an experience like no other in Canada.

The spice! For the younger audience, wine may not be of importance. Having grown up in French culture, a meal is not fulfilled without the delicate accompaniment of fermented grapes. Wine is just a way of life in French culture. It's not something imbibed for its alcoholic purpose, but more to enhance the flavours of food. The individuals at Joie have absolutely perfected this process. Each time we have visited, I have ordered the flight of wine, which the chef personally pairs with the foods chosen. Having not ordered the same dish twice, I can say without a doubt that the chef understands how wine enhances all the nuances of each dish. On some occasions has actually brought out flavours in the dish that I couldn't otherwise realize were there. The pairings are brilliant. The choices of beverages are outstanding. Does all this mean that the food is lost without wine? Absolutely not. However, it is a demonstration that the chef completely understands flavour profiles.

When it comes to high French cuisine, the experience is never inexpensive (unless you cook it yourself). However, for an experience like what Joie can provide, ever dollar spent is absolutely worth it. You won't find another French restaurant in Canada that comes close to what Joie provides. If you enjoy French cuisine and don't want the heavy butters and creams, then Joie will take you on a taste experience that cannot be missed....

I was so disappointed with this restaurant tonight, especially as I had booked for our 11th wedding anniversary. Quite frankly, none of the food was truly French cuisine. If I had to describe it, I would say it's closer to Italian/BC cuisine. I was hoping to have a tomahawk steak and to my surprise they had none, (on what should be their busiest night! Yet only had 3 other patrons) so I settle for the 5 course dinner. I spent $350 for food that seemed to come straight out of Costco: Kirkland watery pesto shrimp, presliced cheese and prepackaged deli meats, lox with basic cream cheese. While the portions were huge, they severely lacked in preparation, presentation, and flavour. I received a rack of lamb that literally had Skippy peanut butter on it, with common frozen french fries you could expect from fast food A&W with plain ketchup and mayonnaise. Many dish were cold and should have been hot. After 1-2 bites into my lamb, I called the kind waitress over and told her I simply could not eat this food. C'étais tout simplement dégueulasse. I have had plenty of fine French cuisine in my life, and I happen to be french, and honestly I can't recall the last time in the last 25 years were I refused to eat food at a restaurant. The waitresses told me the chef had changed the food to be more suitable to local tastes and palates.... Once upon a time, they had served french cuisine she said, but people didn't enjoy it, what a shame. She was truly apologetic, but said she wouldn't do anything about the bill even after we had not even eaten our main course. She did credit the $8 berry soda drinks x 2 we had, which actually ended up being the only good thing we had tonight. I can't help but wonder if the food would have been much better if the owner had not been sick this weekend, I guess we will never know! Je suis très tristes que mon anniversaire de mariage a été ruiné. J'espère que ce restaurant va s'améliorer pour le future, parce que malheureusement, c'étais une...