Author Archives: Ed Sum

08.08.10
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The Journey Begins

Road trips are fun, but sometimes it sucks to wait for a ferry to get Islanders off this rock. Let’s face it, while Vancouver Island can’t be done as a three hour tour, at least there are chances to go explore and do stuff, even if it’s at the Swartz Bay BC Ferry Terminal.

Yvonne and I wandered the market that was surrounding the building where Land’s End cafe is located. And we found two places to start our culinary journey.

Not often do we touch tourist food, but with a name like Galloping Goose Sausage Company attached to the hot dog stand, I had to try it out. The garlic smokie I tried was pricey. At $6.75, it managed to hold my appetite for quite some time, especially with my next meal nearly 5 hours later. That had to be damned good meat (on a whole wheat bun) in order for that to happen.

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08.06.10
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Heading out to the Highway

And I got nothin’ to lose at all. Judas Priest has nothing to what I’ll be doing in the coming week, and there should be a few articles from Yvonne and I, while James holds the fort back home.

He’s shifting focus to go look at the some foods you can buy at the grocery stores while I do a little culinary adventure of what Washington State can offer in our road-trip.

You’ll have to ask him why he isn’t part of this trip, but I think it had something to do with a bear. She didn’t appreciate him eying that salmon she just recently fished out of the river, or something ….

I could say I’m goin’ to do it my way (heck, I’d be tackling that bear down too for fresh sashimi) and takin’ a chance before I fall.

Anyways, I’ll be competing against Yogi if we end up in Yellowstone, but then, the whole trip will be one huge adventure.

We will be making a stop in Seattle so I can hit the Crab Pot again. That’s for certain, but there’ll be other places too as we work our way eastwards, perhaps through mythic lakes, ice-torn landmarks and an eerie ghost town too.

There’ll be updates as ‘net access permits.

07.25.10
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Denny’s Canada Lacking When Compared to American Counterpart

3100 Douglas St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 382-3844

Franchise operations are always questionable, and the quality of the food never stays the same at every outlet you go to.

After my roadtrip and a few breakfasts Denny’s in the States, I find those operations far better than in Canada. They have more tasty offerings, especially in the cherry pop department, but over across from Mayfair Mall this particular Denny’s has moreorless stayed consistently the same.

Better known for their value priced breakfasts, I went all out and tried the Meat Lover’s Trio ($11.99). That’s the works, everything, complete with a heart pump included. Well, the grease content wasn’t that bad.

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06.28.10
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Catering a way into my Heart

2012 Update: Sadly, this business has closed down but the chef continues to cater. If you have an event you wish him to cook for, you can contact him here.

Connoisseur Catering
2512 Bridge St.
Victoria, BC

Connoisseur Catering can easily run circles around the soups I’ve had before, and they do more than just cater soirees. They serve lunch to the masses in the industrial side of town. I’m somewhat of a regular here and visit when I can to get a Wild Buffalo Burger and a green salad tossed in a vinaigrette from Milan as my side dish.

I’ve rated their burger at my buddy’s burger blog and this time, I opted for something new, a white clam chowder. At $10.50 for both, I couldn’t stop spooning mouthfuls in fast enough. I haven’t had good chowder in ages, and the stuff I eat at Chinese restaurants (a different kind of chowder altogether) is just boring. Some restaurants do a decent job too, but usually, I find it’s not as good until you put in freshly ground peppers.

That makes for a huge difference. And a good chowder should be fluid. There should be just enough clams so l’m happier than a seagull after his next meal. But like a tootsie roll pop, after one lick I want to gulp it all down. After savouring this delight, the ambrosia can enter the great whale known as my belly.

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05.18.10
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Fujiya’s Take-Out Sushi Hits

Fujiya
3624 Shelbourne St.
Saanich, BC
(250) 598-3711

Depending on the time of day that one visits Fujiya, the quality of the raw fish always varies. If you show up early enough, like ’round 11am, the fish is great, if not spectacular. As the day progresses, the quality might drop. But timing is everything here, including finding a few hidden specials, like uni in the refrigerator section.

I’ve been a regular there ever since they started selling sushi, and sadly, I miss seeing octopus, surf clam and scallop as part of their regular take-out menu offerings. You have to ask or order those particular platters in advance.

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05.11.10
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All I can say is I’m game!

You tell me James. I’ve been reviewing diners and restaurants for my college paper, Nexus, for the past year and I look forward to branching out and covering more than just the beaten path. I know my focus is for the starving student who wants someplace close by to quickly head to, but there’s more than just Victoria, BC to review — there’s the world!

Well, for now, I want to cover the entire southern Vancouver Island region because there are some great places that not everyone will know about. They deserve mention even if they’ve been covered to death in other magazines and review sites.

I want to brave the Colwood Crawl to try places out where you live, James, and also head up to Sidney, BC to get a Taste of Tokyo. I’ve been there, loved what I ate, but can chefs bring it home to here in this quaint town we live in known as Victoria? Sidney is just a short bus ride away, so I have to head there … if not to buy books, then definitely to dine there.

While we all know Victoria is a tourist haven, let’s see if we can find complete meals for less than $20. Sometimes it can be done and sometimes it can’t. That’s going to be our mission.

Can we do it? By hook or by crook, we’re going to try.

Avast ye mates, we’re off to sail the seven seas! Now where’s that eyepatch?

Nevermind, I have my fedora.