Sips, artisan bistro, 425 Simcoe Street in James Bay Square, a few blocks from Victoria's Inner Harbour, is tucked away on the lower level of this small shopping center, next door to Spinnakers James Bay Spirit Merchants, a business where shelves are filled with spirits, wines and brews for sale. Their ad in the Victoria Clipper Magazine tempted us to search them out - we would have missed their lower level location had we not been looking for them.
Sips, we agreed, lived up to its 'artisan bistro name. Our panini filled with locally grown and produced artisan charcuiterie and cheese, served bread from a local bakery rivaled some of the mouth-watering creations we've found in Italy. We sipped a B.C. white wine and then a red -- both offered as samples during our lunch hour stop.
Open from 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m., we plan to make this a regular stop - next time an early evening stop for a glass or two of vino paired with their B.C. cheese plate.
