While I was enthusiastic about the cultural activities in the city, my husband was more interested in its culinary offerings. He found out that Victoria had, at that time, an iconic German restaurant, so he wanted to go there for dinner.
The restaurant was called Rathskeller Schnitzel House, which had become a Victoria institution after more than half a century of existence. Rathskeller means "a restaurant or beer hall in the basement" in German, which was how this restaurant actually started (in the basement of a hotel in the 1960s). Over the years, it had grown bigger and more popular, so in the 1980s, the owner moved to a bigger building at the intersection of Quadra and View Streets. Despite the relocation, the menu did not change. The place became famous for its authentic Bavarian schnitzels and sausages. Their new abode also stayed pretty much the same until the 2010s, save for the collection of bric-a-brac that covered its window sills, mantles, and beams that had grown each year.
The atmosphere inside evoked a cross between a typical German tavern in the foothills of Bavaria and a beer hall in Munich with its red plaid tablecloths, white lace curtains, wooden panels, steins on display, and beer taps. The servers were donned in traditional dirndls (south German traditional outfit) and musicians were playing music on the accordion. The menu was even more traditional. It listed a selection of good, old, hearty German food with no frills – none of those fancy, stylized dishes or fusion cuisine. It was as straight-forward as what any German mama would serve on her dining table – schnitzel, rouladen, goulash, cabbage rolls, sauerbraten, spaetzle, paprika chicken, and others. And of course, they had beer and wine. You could even order a "boot beer," which was basically five pints of beer served in a boot glass.
My husband and I ordered two different kinds of schnitzels. He had the Wiener Schnitzel (German for “Viennese cutlet”), which is a classic. This type of schnitzel is made only with veal (and would you believe, even protected as such under Austrian law!) as opposed to the German version made with pork. It was served with home fried potatoes. Plain and simple. I opted for something less German with a more complex flavour – the Cordon Bleu Schnitzel which is stuffed with ham and cheese and served with home fried potatoes as well. I asked our server if I could substitute the potatoes with spaetzle and it wasn’t a problem at all. The meals came with a cucumber side salad and we were served rye and white bread with butter while waiting for our orders. The servings were humongous, but they were so good and we were both famished as we had not eaten anything after the ferry ride, so we finished our plates.
They also offered interesting schnitzel variations – the Jaeger Schnitzel (breaded pork schnitzel topped with mushrooms, onions, and bacon, and sautéed in red wine), the Gypsy Schnitzel (topped with a pimiento and red pepper sauce and spicy), the Rahm Schnitzel (covered with a delicate sour cream sauce), and the Holstein Schnitzel (with fried egg, lox, caviar, and anchovies). How I wished I were a local so I could have tried one every weekend!
After our carbohydrate-rich meal, there was no more room for dessert, even though the list was quite tempting, especially the Bavarian Black Forest Cake and the Apple Strudel. Maybe next time!
My husband chatted with the original owner’s daughter for a bit and found out that the restaurant made all their sausages in-house, and that you could order them by the dozen to go. And since they made the sausages themselves, she was able to give him the exact ingredients which were all natural, with no preservatives or artificial colouring or flavouring. We ordered two dozen bratwurst sausages and arranged to pick them up on early Sunday afternoon before we left for Vancouver.
(Update: The restaurant closed in 2017 and the property was put on sale. According to the owner’s daughter, the same lady we met during our visit, much as she would like to continue her father’s tradition and legacy, running a restaurant involves a lot of hard work and time commitment. When her dad passed away in 2002, she decided she was going to live a life outside the restaurant business at some point. Though she herself has a culinary background having taken courses in Europe, she felt it was time to do other things after more than a decade in the restaurant business. She saw how her dad devoted his time to the restaurant and never had the opportunity to enjoy his retirement years. And so, with her mom’s blessing, she decided to say farewell to their millions of loyal patrons and retire in style.)
Photo Credits:
zomato.com, rathskeller - old Facebook page
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