Category Archives: News

What is happening in your area.

08.05.26
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Does Victoria Really Need A Lee’s Donuts?

Lees Donuts658 View Street
Victoria, BC (Old Town)

Just how many donut shops does this city need? I’m skeptical, mostly since my favorite donut shop isn’t actually a donut shop. It’s a cream puff shop, and yes, I’ll admit it, once upon a time Beard Papa’s was really good. But time hasn’t treated this operation kindly. Quality dropped, and so did this staple of every visit I make. It could benefit from coming to the island to “restart,” instead of Lee’s Donuts. But as this other operation opens its first location at 658 View Street, I do have to wonder: will the cream puff giant soon follow?

Although the signage was already up when I was downtown not too long ago, I’m not feeling particularly excited. There’s going to be huge competition over which creamy operation will taunt our taste buds. Even though it had humble, Asian-style beginnings as a mom-and-pop shop inside the Granville Island Public Market in 1979 I’m still not entirely sold. And I’m fairly sure founders Alan and Betty-Ann Lee’s “secret recipe” isn’t all that secret.

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06.04.25
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H-mart Victoria Is Finally Open! And Everyone Loves This Operation, Moreorless. 

H-Mart Front

Although H Mart is a U.S. based grocery store specializing in Asian (Korean) products, the current climate in Canada to not support American-based operations/goods did not stop the masses from checking out the grand opening. This place can do better by not carrying the usual Coca-Cola, Ferrero Group and the like, but I digress. Even on the second weekend, when I visited, it was packed. It felt like I was walking through a mini-Costco at Mayfair Shopping Centre. I sampled as much Korean food as possible and looked for the deals.

And the range of expanded Asian goods, when compared to other local operations, is the best I’ve seen in ages. I’ve visited T&T Supermarket in Vancouver, and the vast range of products is equally comparable. Had this operation decided on selling only South Korean, Chinese, and Japanese manufactured items, I’d shop very often here. Sadly, the pricing is no better than other places. A careful buyer is best advised to monitor H Mart’s weekly flyers to know where to go to buy those 5 packs of instant ramens!

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12.04.24
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Clash of the Cookbooks on ROKU Channel! Who’s Hungry For Grandma’s Recipe?

Clash of the Cookbooks PosterDebuting Dec 6, 2024 on Roku Channel

Join comedian Phoebe Robinson and cookbook author and culinary historian Max Miller as they put cookbook-obsessed chefs to the test with legendary cookbook-inspired challenges. Cookbooks are the cornerstone of how the average person has learned to cook for hundreds of years, testing the technical and creative skills of home cooks.

In this competition, chefs from across the country take recipes from the page to the plate by cooking from history’s greatest and the world’s toughest cookbooks.

6 Episodes make up season one, and if you’re looking to find the secret ingredient to help spice up your dish, this show is worth catching!

About The Roku Channel

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free ad-supported streaming television on Roku, and features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 on-demand movies and programs, more than 400 live linear television channels, and premium subscription offerings in the U.S. It licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners and features a growing library of Roku Originals.

03.06.24
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Otaki, A Destination for Fans of Yamadai Instant Ramen!

window displayThere’s a new operation in Victoria, BC which is designed to feed the hungry instant ramen enthusiast and also sell geeky wares. Otaki has over 30 flavours from Yamadai, and it all comes courtesy of the stock that the sister operation, Sakura Grocery, has. The plan is to provide even more brands from other parts of Southern Asia so that those hungry asian noodle eaters will say this shop is the place to go to find that comfort food from home.

Besides Oni Oni, which is a convenience store that sells delicious rice balls, the decision to open another operation was in response to the pandemic. Some folks wanted something to do. Although that time is behind us, these individuals didn’t quit these hobbies. That’s the reason this store is stocking up on those bestsellers and will consider how to expand from there. Because some folks are lazy to cook, instant ramen became all the rage for some self isolating, and as for what other instant goods one wants depends on who you ask.

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03.06.24
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In Victoria, BC, There’s a A Ramen Bar, but What’s Geekware?

This bit of tantalizing news dropped on some social media channels in the past few days, and we will update as soon as we can. This operation is opening today, and we have roving reporter Ed Sum going to this place near Market Square in Victoria, BC to investigate. We will update with further information, photographs as soon as possible.

Ramen Bar and Geek Ware

02.07.24
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Wanting Enercheez? Here’s Where To Find Them in 2024.

Version 1.0.0

Enercheez is a delicious snacking product that’s sold in select markets for a little more than seven years now, and they are finally hitting grocery stores! I discovered them over the weekend while at Thrifty’s Foods. And after doing some online fact checking, it seems they are more popular as a dried food product to take along for those camping expeditions. I assume that’s how they were sold when it came to market in 2017.

This cheese snack is made by Mountain Munchies, a family-owned company based out of Nelson, British Columbia. According to CEO Bruce Burgener, who said to Expert Navigator, “With the U.S. so close, it always seemed like the best market to access, however with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) there are other options and other countries excited to bring in Canadian products.” 

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