Bite Me: Wings aplenty at Tartan Toque

Columns February 4, 2015

The Tartan Toque is Victoria’s only true wing joint. However, the Toque has so many choices beyond chicken wings. You can’t just sit there and scan the menu board; it takes a few minutes to truly absorb what’s available.

The food choices include house-made burgers, salads, wraps, and greasy goodness like fries and poutine. The choice of wing sauce ranges from typical “hot” to “candied bacon.” Dip them in some blue-cheese sauce and call it a day.

Bite Me is our regular food column (file photo).

All the sauces are made from scratch, and they have vegetarian and vegan choices. One of the big hits for vegetarians is the crispy tofu fingers, a substitute for chicken wings. Tofu fingers work the same way as the chicken wings: you choose your custom flavour sauce, and they are deep-fried to your liking. I have had the tofu fingers; as much as I like the idea, a basket of them is a bit much for my liking.

I usually have the crispy chicken wrap and choose the peanut satay sauce with garlic mayo. The wrap is loaded with greens, tomatoes, and avocados. I’m never disappointed with this choice. I don’t recommend the crispy tofu burger; it has a big homemade patty, but it consistently falls apart in your hand, and not in a good way. It’s just messy.

My favourite part about the Tartan Toque is the atmosphere. I kind of like the uncomfortable, hard benches that you need to slide into, the bar service, and the array of board and trivia games to play while dining with your friends and family. The restaurant is also very inviting: the staff is always friendly and ready to help with recommendations.

The Tartan Toque is located in the Stadacona Centre at 1507 Pandora Avenue; their hours are from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm.