Last week hubby and I went to Victoria to visit my folks. To celebrate birthdays with my folks, I took them on a seafood adventure at Ferris’ Upstairs Seafood & Oyster Bar in downtown Victoria.

Not super busy for a January weekend, we were lead to our table quite quickly upon arrival and drink orders were taken. As I was the only one drinking, I ordered their signature Seafood Caesar. This cocktail was topped off with a refreshing fresh shucked oyster.

We ordered 4 baked oysters to start, as their menu has 6 different ways to select from. We went with the Cornelius (cooked in cornflakes, butter and fresh thyme), the Original Rockefeller (cooked in spinach, green onion, butter, and pernod), the La Truffe (baked in creamed leeks, crispy prosciutto, and truffle oil), and the Spaniard (baked in chorizo cream and chorizo crackling). We all agreed that the La Truffe and Rockefeller were our preferred choices.

For appetizers, we ordered the Seared Scallops and the Smoked Seafood Platter as appetizers to share as scallops were my mom’s favorite. The seared scallops were cooked in a bacon lardon and brown butter sauce. They were cooked perfectly and had the right amount of sauce to them. However, the Smoked Seafood Platter was the winner out of the appetizers. It came with a smoked oyster, smoked salmon, smoked albacore tuna, smoked rainbow trout, butter, crostinis, and pickled carrots. It also had the option for some cyprus black sea salt that went well with the crostini and smoked albacore tuna. The smoked oyster was really amazing and I’d love to have more of that in the future!

For main entrees, we each ordered a different meal to try. Mom ordered the Bouillabaisse – which came with two giant scallops, prawns, fish, and shellfish cooked in a tomato fennel broth, saffron aioli, and topped with a crispy oyster. Mom really enjoyed her meal, especially the crispy oyster which was cooked perfectly and her two giant scallops.

Dad ordered the Prosciutto Wrapped Long Line Ling Cod, cooked in a light brown butter and sherry sauce topped with marcona almonds and kale salad. Dad’s a really picky eater, but that night he loved his dish! It was light, filling, and most importantly seasoned properly. Compliments to the chef for wowing my dad since he normally only likes eating Chinese food!

Hubby loves his meat so he decided on the Alentejo Pork Cheeks and Clams. Braised pork cheeks, chorizo sausage and clams cooked with beans and kale – my hubby really enjoyed his dish although I wasn’t a huge fan of the spice and beans.

Despite not a huge tuna fan, I decided to try the Seared Rare Albacore Tuna, served with a salad of potatoes, capers, olives and sundried tomatoes with a crispy fried egg on top. I was really amazed at how they took a soft boil egg and fried the outside, but the inside was still runny. The seared tuna was light and refreshing, with a black sea salt crust.

For dessert, we ordered the Chocolate Brownie and Creme Brulee. The creme brulee would’ve tasted the best if the inside wasn’t cold. We much preferred if the inside was warm. The surprise was the server’s recommended Chocolate Brownie, nice and fluffy, not heavily dense, but just the right amount of dark chocolate used to make it satisfying for a few bites with the fresh whip cream.

Would I recommend Ferris? Yes – especially the oysters and Seafood mains. They also offer Happy Hour oyster specials. I hope this restaurant sticks around for a longer time so I can come and enjoy more oysters and drinks next time I’m in Victoria.