Sam’s Sushi Bar & Grill
521 Queen Anne Ave. N
Seattle, WA
(206) 282-4612
Very rarely will I say a sushi place is a dud. At Sam’s Sushi, not only was the rice tasting flat, but the late night service was terrible. I arrived about 45 minutes before closing and while the other couple here was able to take their time to finish their meal, I was being rushed.
Osaka Sushi
1951 Oak Bay Ave.
Oak Bay, B.C.
250-590-6650
J: It was a day revisiting old haunts like the Penny Farthing Pub. It was just an indecisive day as Ed and I traveled to Oak Bay, then to downtown Victoria only to turn around and make our return. During our journeys via B.C. Transit bus, to learn we had the same driver twice and the same bus 3 times that day was a little weird. It was the bus I now dub Phantom 8035.
The Village Patisserie
2217 Oak Bay Ave.
Oak Bay, B.C.
250-370-0766
E: Little did I know that the Village Patisserie would also offer a variety of Persian delights. From soups to desserts, there was a lot that I could‘ve ordered.
But I was looking for a light snack, and my eyes quirked when I spotted a sweet priced at $2.60 for two. The zoolbia was delicious. It had a fine crystal-like structure. I could swear I was eating a honeycomb with none of the waxiness that some may think this dessert would have. After learning rose-water was used, I can see why.
The Penny Farthing
2228 Oak Bay Ave.
Oak Bay, B.C.
250-370-9008
E: Has it been a year already? With James‘ limited schedule, sometimes we don’t often hit old haunts as often as we like. In Oak Bay, we wanted to revisit the Penny Farthing. And at the same time, met up with Mike Rowe of Forkjoy for a casual get-together.
J: It took some time before Ed and I were ready to tackle any kind of a meal or light snack after the large amount of food we encountered at Beacon & Eggs. We bided our time by spreading our hard earned currency among the independent shops in Sidney.
This township is really a place for the bookworms as Ed and I. We were quick to opening our wallets to businesses like Tanner’s Books, the Haunted Bookshop and Beacon Books. But books can only feed your mind and not your stomach. With Ed’s, that mind was thinking sushi.
Ming’s Restaurant
1321 Quadra Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 385-4405
E: Either I’m far too critical about my culture’s approach to cooking a decent meal or I do not find Chinese food all that tasty anymore. Has my palate been spoiled? Or when it comes to dining out during the start of Chinese New Year, are the cooks at Ming’s feeling just too unsympathetic to wanting to create a tasty meal? What James and I ate here was a mixed bag of digestion problems.
Hours later, after the meal, I have to wonder if the MSG in my tummy is turning sour.
J: I think it’s possible Ed’s stomach was revolting on him. It may be the cultural background. My grandmother, a Newfoundlander, can’t look at seafood now without feeling ill or having bad memories resurface. Back in Port Rexton/Trinity Bay they used to use squid when growing the potatos> Back then it was used to fertilize the soil and now it is something I consider eating. Sorry granny but I love seafood.
I’m not sure if it’s a Scottish hand-me-down or having Newfoundlander in my blood but either way you and grandad are partly to blame. Perhaps in future I need to steer Ed clear of a Chinese restaurant or else I’ll be steering him to the closest open window. But in this small city of Victoria, the Two Hungry Blokes, like General George Armstrong Custer, are surrounded by them. Ed may commit Seppuku. I’m sorry Ed but I’m eating my way out of this one. Tell my future wife (or the closest facsmilie thereof) and my illegitimate children that I would have loved them…maybe.
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