This Vancouver Island restaurant was named one of the best new restaurants in Canada

(Fox & Monocle/Facebook)

An unassuming bakery and restaurant in North Saanich, B.C., has been named one of the top 10 best new restaurants in Canada, according to Air Canada.

The airline has been compiling a list of the top 10 best new restaurants in Canada for more than 20 years through its EnRoute magazine, and this year's winners were chosen by journalist Nancy Matsumoto after trying more than 30 restaurants that were nominated by a panel of experts.

This year, the Fox & Monocle café on Vancouver Island was named the ninth best new restaurant in the country.

The eatery, located just a stone's throw away from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, operates as a bakery during the day and a restaurant at night.

Its menu is inspired by modern European cuisine with a dash of local ingredients, according to EnRoute.

The Fox & Monocle is run by couple Ross Bowles and Tracie Zahavich.

"Bowles was sous chef under chef Rob Cassels at Victoria’s Saveur Restaurant and executive chef at the River Café in Calgary," reads the ranking by EnRoute.

"He met Zahavich, a fellow Albertan, when she turned out to be his senior, as demi pastry cook, at Gordon Ramsay’s three–Michelin–starred resto in London."

The Fox & Monocle was the only restaurant in B.C. to make the list of best new restaurants in Canada this year.

Other Vancouver Island restaurants have made the cut in the past, including Pluvio in Ucluelet, which was on Air Canada's list of top 10 best new restaurants in 2019. It also recently received awards from Trip Advisor and Canada's 100 Best Restaurants magazine this year.

The Fox & Monocle can be found at 2300 Canoe Cove Rd. It's open as a bakery from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and as a restaurant from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Monday.