Author Archives: Ed Sum

02.20.15
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Naughty Nellie’s Slaps More Than Just Fish!

Naughty Nellie’s Not Just Fish & Chips
4081 Shelbourne Street
Gordon Head
Saanich, BC
Phone: (250) 721-5555

Not to be confused with the downtown operation, Nautical Nellies, Naughty Nellie’s in Gordon Head is certainly a delight for high school students and retirees alike. Depending on the time of day, I often see the latter type of clientele coming in. Also, certain species of fish goes faster into the frying pan or should I say fryer?

Lingcod was not available on the last two visits I made. It’s a touch frustrating since I like the flavour. Regular cod was ordered so I would not make a bad pun since I wasn’t in the mood for the halibut. The batter was nice and crunchy. It’s a familiar taste, without any amped up mix of extra spices to really kick the dish up a notch. The fish was cooked fast and fresh, for a moist center, though sometimes what I get hardly tastes exceptional. Fish n’ chips is comfort food and not many places really do anything special when crisping this dish up.

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The fries were quite good, and they’re done right. If given a chance to bash McDonald’s fries, I will because properly home cut and freshly prepared fries tastes infinitely better than anything processed at a plant and shipped cross-country to all the outlets. Even the coleslaw was nice. Some days they make it right and other days it’s just too mushy.

Overall, for the volume offered, the dish is very good. When I’m in a mood for fish and chips and I don’t want to travel far, the walk will do me good. I can do take-out, which is what this operation specializes in, but it won’t necessarily benefit burning off the meal. With a hill separating me from home to this diner and back again, I have a means to work off the calories!

3½ Blokes out of 5

Naughty Nellie's Not Just Fish & Chips on Urbanspoon

02.11.15
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[VFF’15] Final Recipe’s Family Aspirations, A Movie Review

9:15pm Feb 10
Odeon Theatre

With a movie title like Final Recipe, I had to wonder if this foodie film is the be all and end all of films celebrating Asian-style culinary delights. I’m very grateful to the Victoria Film Festival for bringing in a variety of independent movies to my attention, and when every year manages to include some kind of food themed film, all my taste buds can do is salivate in anticipation!.

It’s tough to beat the first film (Chef of the South Polar) I ever saw. I became really hungry for Japanese food, and the lesson I learned that ramen cannot be ramen without kansui — a kind of mineral water containing elements of sodium carbonate along with a few other chemical compounds.

In Final Recipe, I learned that at least in China, there’s 1200 variations of what a noodle can become when cooked up. Flavours can be instilled, presentations can awe, but what about bringing pleasant memories from long ago? Especially that when one has become a conneiseur because of that first dish that mama made for you with love. Those kind of memories are not easy to forget.

This movie succeeds because it evokes those kinds of memories when the competition begins. I came home feeling hungry for a noodle-based dish and after satisfying my belly, I’m finally to ready to write!

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02.09.15
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[VFF’15] Is the Food Tennis Pro Ate Big in Japan? A Review & Interview

bij_POSTERLittle known Seattle-based rock band Tennis Pro is having problems back home and in what they realize is that they are not getting the attention that they deserve. When Alex Vincent (AKA Alex Shumway) of Green River fame takes notice and offers them the chance to pursue recognition in the land of the rising sun, perhaps their fame will truly be “Big in Japan.”

This rockumentary blends actual concert moments with a fictionalized narrative to tell the story of what guitarist David Drewery, drummer Sean Lowery and bassist Philip Pearson faced while in this country. From total culture shock in not quite realizing where they are to showing off what this trio have to eat, perhaps it’s best lovers of Japanese food should not attend this film with an empty stomach. It will get some people wanting to try an ice cream hotdog or to attempt a ‘dangerous’ round of sushi roulette themselves.

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02.06.15
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[VFF’15] “Gone South” to Look at the Rise of Hollywood, A Review

GoneSouth-Poster-11x16.75Feb 6 • 6:00pm
The Vic Theatre

Special Guest in Attendance: Director Ian Ferguson

The documentary Gone South: How Canada Invented Hollywood is a very informative and tongue in cheek look at a different kind of invasion that’s still infiltrating the entertainment industry today. It’s only fitting that this movie is part of the opening night of movies to start the 2015 Victoria Film Festival. This movie is part of the Canadian Wave program.

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01.28.15
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-[Roast]- Me A Swine & I Will Do the Hula

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Roast Meat & Sandwich Shop
#6 – 1701 Douglas St
Victoria Public Market
Victoria, BC
(778) 433 – 6639

In my many sojourns into the Victoria Public Market, I’ve always walked by Roast with all those lovely pork rinds prancing in the corner of my eyes. I can pick up a Chicharrón (a dish with nothing but these rinds) or get a sandwich with this garnish, but I always pass it by. Yes, I have a weakness for those crunchy delicious delights. When I should watch my weight, resistance was lost to me this day. I finally gave in and ordered their Porchetta sandwich ($9.95). Yes, it’s pricey for a 5″ sandwich but oh the flavour!

Unlike the BBQ Pork that I have from Chinatown, which is basically a rib cage dipped in a vat of hot oil, this one took its time to cook. The herbs added to it while it cooked braised all the way through from the skin, through the fat and into the meat.

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