Located at 311 Neill Street, Ombre Restaurant brings a fresh culinary experience to Tofino, housed in the iconic former SoBo location. Executive Chef David Provencal, known for his work at Wolf in the Fog, and General Manager Eric Murdoch are at the helm, curating an unforgettable dining experience. With a focus on seasonal small plates, the menu showcases local ingredients, combining creativity and tradition. The ambiance at Ombré mirrors the vibrancy of the menu. With seating for 70 guests, including an intimate chef’s table and a 12-person communal dining experience, it’s ideal for everything from casual dinners to special occasions. Check out my full review of Ombre Tofino below.
Ombre Tofino – Starters
Ombré’s menu is designed to be shared, so gather a group of friends and order plenty to taste and enjoy. To start we had a selection of their smaller bites:
- Olives ($6) – caper berries, dulse, citrus
- Sourdough ($6) – cultured butter
- Madeleine & Foie Parfait ($7) – buckwheat, brown butter, raspberry
- Garden Vegetables ($9) – garlic scape ranch
- Lentil Hummus ($16) – charred eggplant, walnut, za’atar, flat bread
The Madeline & Foie Parfait was one of my favourite dishes of the night and a top 10 dish for me of 2024. The madeleine was perfectly made, buttery with a nice crumb and a crisp crust. The foie parfait on top is made with chicken liver and it’s so smooth, rich and decadent. The raspberry powder adds just a slight tang that balances out the richness of the entire dish. It is a perfect dish and I highly recommend you come to Tofino just to try this (seriously). It was unlike anything I have ever tried.
I can never say no to bread and the Sourdough here is fantastic. I wish I could bring a loaf of this home with me!
The Garden Vegetables were fresh and I like the mix of pickles for a variety of textures and flavours. The garlic scape ranch was very flavourful, but the vegetables on their own were also excellent. The Olives were plump and fruity and the citrus adds a nice freshness.
The Lentil Hummus was incredibly smooth and the charred eggplant adds so much flavour to the dish. The housemade flatbread was soft with a slight chew and served hot from the oven. This was another stand out dish for me and a must order.
Ombre Tofino – Larger Plates
For our second round of plates, we had slightly larger snacks to enjoy:
- Endive ($18) – goat feta, frisée, date, horseradish
- Brill Sole Crudo ($19) – turnip, blistered shishito pepper, almond, key lime, dill
- Marinated Calamari ($20) – grilled cabbage, cannellini beans, agrodolce, wild bay
- Wagyu Steak Tartare ($24) – sofrito, cured egg yolk, herring, crackers
- Grilled Carrots ($16) – vadouvan, labneh, puffed amaranth, mint
- Chanterelle Mushroom ($22) – focaccia, brassica pesto, creme fraiche
The Endive was deceptively simple looking salad that packs so much flavour. The endive was sweet and crisp and it pairs with the goat cheese and dates wonderfully. The horseradish adds a little zing to the fresh salad.
The Brill Sole Crudo was such a fantastic combination of flavours. The almond adds a nice toasted flavour to the fresh fish and the grilled peppers have a lovely char.
The Marinated Calamari was another standout dish for me this dinner. I personally am not a huge fan of deep fried calamari so I loved this take. The agrodolce (Italian sweet and sour sauce made with reduced balsamic vinegar and lots of sweet and sticky caramelized onions) was delightful and went so well with the smooth cannellini beans and the fresh calamari.
The Wagyu Steak Tartare was very unique. I have never had this dish with pickled herring and surprisingly it actually works! Not my favourite (I’ll stick to a classic tartare), but definitely worth trying.
The Chanterelle Mushroom toast was just a generous pile of chanterelles perched precariously on top of a large piece of focaccia. The creme fraiche adds a lovely creamy component. This rivals some of the best mushroom toasts I’ve ever had.
The Grilled Carrots were beautiful with a multitude of colours. The labneh adds a nice sourness to the dish to complement the natural sweetness of the carrtos. The puffed amaranth adds a next textural crunch element.
Ombre Tofino – Pasta
Ombre Tofino has a pretty sizeable selection of pasta to choose from. Chef David and his team have also been working on a gluten free pasta dish that he let us try and if you’re gluten free this pasta is pretty darn close. For all of us who can eat gluten though check out the following:
- Bucatini ($24) – Cacio e Pepe nasturtium, pecorino romano, black pepper
- Sourdough Campanelle ($27) – maitake, tuscan kale, parmesan, nutritional yeast
- Sugo di Carne ($28) – spelt gnocchetti, meat ragu, sherry vinegar, parmesan
- Braised Duck Leg ($34) – cippolini, butternut squash, rutabega, brown butter, agnolotti
The Bucatini is the most gorgeous green colour. I personally like my pasta and noodles on the firmer side, so I really enjoyed this pasta dish. However, some of my dining mates found it to be a little too tough for their liking.
The Sourdough Campanelle is a super fun shape – a cone with a ruffled edge. The shape of the pasta is perfect for holding on to all the sauce. The combination of maitake, tuscan kale, parmesan and nutritional yeast all come together delightfully.
The Sugo di Carne was the star pasta of the night for me. The meat ragu was so rich and flavourful and the spelt gnocchetti were like fluffly little pillows.
The Braised Duck Leg was fall off the bone tender with a crisp skin. However the star of the dish for me was the perfectly made agnolotti. The pasta was so thin and filled with the most flavourful butternut squash filling.
Ombre Tofino – Dessert and Cocktails
We were stuffed to the gills at this point but as they say there is always a separate stomach for dessert. The desserts are led by Executive Pastry Chef Joel Ashmore, known for his innovative dessert creations and we tried the Lemon Dulce Cheesecake with hazelnut crust and fruit compote. The cheesecake was smooth with a delicate lemon flavour.
The Affogato Corretto features milk & honey gelato with amaro. The gelato is so smooth and silky and the Jannamico Super Punch poured on top adds a nice after dinner kick to wake up the senses.
Throughout the night we had the pleasure of trying all 6 of their signature cocktails:
- Cinque ($18) – Terre Peach Infused Aperol, Orange-Rosemary Syrup, Lemon, Prosecco, Soda
- Santorini ($16) – Minty Vodka, Cucumber Infused Ouzo, Krupnik Honey Liquor, Lemon
- Marrakesh ($18) – Bourbon, Strawberry-Sumac Syrup, Cocchi Rosa, Select Aperitivo, Lemon, Rootside Cascadian Bitters
- San Sebastien ($16) – Mint-Infused White Rum, Cointreau, Ancho Reyes Verde Poblano, Grapefruit Cordial, Lime
- Tangier ($17) – Roasted Walnut Infused Rye Whiskey, Date Demerara Averna Syrup, Turkish Tobacco Bitters
Worth a Try?
YES. Ombre is a beautiful restaurant with and incredible menu. The food here is unlike anything I have ever tried and I was able to learn so much and expand my palate in a whole new way. Every dish is executed with so much love and attention to detail. You can really feel the passion that everyone has for what they do and it shows in the dishes that come out. There wasn’t a single bad dish and I highly recommend you make it a priority to come out and try out Ombre in Tofino. This is a must add restaurant to any Tofino itinerary.
Ombré Tofino
Address: 311 Neill St, Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0
Website: https://www.ombrerestaurant.com/
