Category Archives: Food

Your guide to some of the best and inviting food establishments.

11.04.26
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A University Heights Update; When A Mall Becomes An Outdoor Food Court

University Heights UpdateAt the risk of sounding like a broken record, months after the dust have settled, the new University Heights Mall is shaping up to be an ok hub for some operations to exist. As an area where nearly all the banks are represented, I can respect that. Folks with multiple accounts at different banks can simply walk across the street. The food scene remains the same: corporate and sad, and as for who else will occupy the space opposite this expansion, only time will tell.

There’s a pit where the former library used to be, the other strip mall is under construction, and the rest? They are hardly 100% done. I even sounded off on my what I thought during an interview on Kathryn Marlow’s This is Vancouver Island a few years back. Although that segment didn’t make the final cut, I was glad to get that off my chest, and instead we focused on was What Else Is As Iconic As London Drugs? (courtesy of CBC Radio).

And we were talking about what makes British Columbia unique, and not just the island. No, I’m not talking about wanting to be stuck in the same era where every adventure on Netflix’s Stranger Things must happen (because the old digs were reputed to be haunted!), but small is better than big.

When news broke that the block occupied by this shopping complex had been sold to an American firm, my heart sank. There used to be smaller brunch places and more of a sense of community here, back when Gauntlet Games occupied the space. They moved to another mall, which at least can’t be rebuilt from the ground up. For the mall I can walk to that’s five blocks away, it was home. There was a comic book shop, an arcade, a gym, a video game rental store, a poster framing place, and even a place to file your income tax!

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10.07.26
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When Sushi Ten Barely Rates In That Rating Scale….

ed in tee2006 Oak Bay Ave Victoria, BC Phone: (250) 590-1847 Hours: 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. (Daily) Website: www.sushi-ten.ca

ES: The sushi and sweets scene along Oak Bay Avenue has certainly changed over the years. Whether some closures were a result of the pandemic or otherwise (RIP Osaka, Sweet Delights and London Sweet Stop), I miss those early days. Thankfully, there are two other operations that have stuck it out, namely Bon and Kissato. I love the atmosphere of the latter, as it’s family-run, and though they seem to have downscaled, that’s alright when I’m in the area. Don’t get me started about the candy shops, though.

As Don and I looked around to see what’s changed, too much has changed. At least I got my mead, though!As for new operations, I feel Sushi Ten still has to earn its legs. Although they are popular amongst locals living nearby, they’ve been doing well since opening February 1, 2026.

DK: Popular is right. The mere mention of their name had my waitress at another recently opened eatery histrionic with praise last week. I went with her advice and got the salmon avo roll. Whether it’s aging taste buds or the effects of farming and freezing, I’m finding too much sushi salmon just a little bland these days. I had high hopes Sushi Ten would buck the trend. Then I remembered Ed’s rule about eating sushi on Sundays and Mondays…

Read more: When Sushi Ten Barely Rates In That Rating Scale….

ES: Or weekends for that matter! What’s just as equally important is how the fish was brought to the plate. There’s flash smacking it until the sakana is unconscious, or an ethical choice so that the death to feed our tummies is not as shocking. Ultimately, I think what we ate was more than a few days old before a fresh batch could be brought in.

Sushi Ten Basic Meal

I had the basic tuna and salmon roll to test the waters, and they weren’t all that appealing. As for their spicy chopped scallop roll, it seems the money went with the shellfish. That’s because those are harder to clam up if something goes wrong. At least the sunomono salad is hard to mess up, lest I want to pucker up for more octopus bites, which is why I often go for this appetizer to start with.

Don at Sushi Ten

DK: Safe to say Ed and I weren’t as enthused by the salmon here as others have been. Maybe it was just the wrong day of the week? That being said, I did enjoy my B.C. Roll. What it may have lacked in bold flavour, it made up for in pleasant crunch. Preparation that leads to proper texture and mouthfeel counts for something.

ES: At least the space is comforting, service is nice, and we didn’t have to wait long for the meal. Though we came in before the dinner crowd, I noticed how fast the place got packed by the time 6:30pm rolled around. Clearly this place is doing something right. I’d try to visit this place again on a day piggy arrived on market rather than grow old, though.

I wouldn’t say the tuna and salmon have gotten stale either. And I’d imagine Sushi Ten wants you to order from their fusion menu rather than standard, since they are slightly overpriced and offer more cream cheese than I need on my face for cleansing.

DK: Is Sushi Ten Head and Shoulders above the rest? No, but I’m willing to give them a second chance to make a first impression. Until then I’ll Google other old ’90s shampoo commercial taglines to shoehorn into reviews, and maybe we’ll give Sushi Ten’s neighbours Selah and Oak Bay Seafood a try. Because we’re worth it.

3½ Blokes out of 5

09.09.26
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Glitch Victoria: When Videogames Doesn’t Smell Like Geek Spirit

After a few months in operation, I firmly believe Glitch Victoria is a lounge with rack and stack games for those wanting to flex their alpha status to friends. That’s fine if you’re after a night out in Victoria, but as for connecting with the gaming community, they need a proper outreach person. That’s because the attempts I’ve seen have mostly come from the community itself. There was a group asking if they could host a night of fighting games for those who registered, and now there’s a relax and hang out thing with Coastal Collector’s Market, which is a swap meet for trading card games.

With only two true cabinet games at the time of writing and me hearing that they do not want to step on Quasar Arcade‘s toes, they’re taking the smart position. When Jurassic Park Arcade is the only game worth playing, dropping two tokens ($2) per go hurts. Even during the arcade boom, those cost a buck. Everything else is carnival fare.

That could mean trouble attracting regulars. When there’s nothing unique pulling people in, not everyone’s going to bother showing up. At the time of writing, I do not see this place as built for hardcore gamers. Also, I don’t see a problem with working with other operations so that they can pull out those cabinet games from out of storage and let other stores turn them on. Cherry Bomb Toys and Quasars did that, and I was there to play Atari’s Tempest as often as I can! I don’t see why Glitch is being shy with that idea.

At present, when store fronts are afraid of working together, I figure this is a place for people living downtown wanting somewhere to hang out. If one place is closed, the other can fill a niche.

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05.06.26
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Is Cocobella Victoria Singing the Kokomo?

606 Johnson St
Victoria, BC

Phone: (250) 388-3111
Hours: 8 a.m.–12 a.m. (Daily)
Website: https://www.instagram.com/cocobellacanada/

When I was downtown for Free Comic Book Day last weekend, I showed up early enough to beat the crowd, but not early enough to beat the growl in my stomach. By the time I reached Johnson Street, most breakfast options were still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Maybe I should’ve wandered over to Broad Street instead. Le Croissant Chaud on the 1300-block might have been the smarter call, but Cocobella was right there. When a lot of corner eateries don’t seem to last long before a changeover to another food operation, I think a lot of areas are just “cursed.”

Since I didn’t expect anything on my comic list to quickly vanish, I figured I had time. That confidence started to wobble once my order at this Indian-inspired café began dragging its feet. A fully cooked sandwich can take up to ten minutes and I get that. Not every operation microwaves the food like Starbucks. But an iced pistachio latte? At one point, I wondered if they were hand-foraging the nuts out back.

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03.04.26
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An Arcana Food & Spirits Update: Where The Ghosts May Lay, Over Time Not Everything Stays

Ed at Arcana (and Skull)

Arcana Food & Spirits
238 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

During the Fan Expo Vancouver weekend, I returned to Arcana Food and Spirits in Gastown, and they certainly did not disappoint! On the eve before Valentine’s Day, the calm before the storm was certainly there! From the neon glow of a pet parlour in disguise outside to the noir-styled interior, the visit had the Twilight Zone intro play in the back of my mind. 

I was amused that I sat at the same spot as last year, when I first visited. But this time, I had my friend along; Susan and I have gone on paranormal investigations together, and she really wanted to check this place out after I gushed about it last year. And we had a fantastic time admiring the occult decor in closer detail and interacting with Zotar. Although I did not see anyone getting a fortune, I was mildly tempted, but didn’t want to test my fate.

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02.04.26
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Franchised, Familiar, and Forgettable? University Heights Mall’s New Appetite

University Heights MallAlthough University Heights Mall is no longer what it was more than five years ago, if not a decade, the new façade of tall, looming structures stacked over lived-in space feels sterile and uninviting. What replaced it lacks the charm I grew up with: the roundabout staircases, the awkward corners, the small-town feel that made the mall feel human. No, I’m not asking to live forever in some nostalgic loop, but when news broke that the property had been sold to an American firm, my heart sank for good reason.

There used to be smaller brunch spots and a sense of community here, back when Gauntlet Games occupied the space. These were places run by people you recognized, places that felt rooted. Now, as glass-and-concrete buildings near completion and independent eateries quietly vanish, the corporate blueprint becomes impossible to ignore. What made this area distinct is being flattened into something efficient, repeatable, and ultimately disposable. When local businesses are replaced almost entirely by franchise food operations, the direction isn’t subtle. The decision has already been made.

With the arrival of Kinton Ramen, Chipotle, and Ono Poké & Grill in the new centre, brand loyalty replaces discovery. Fans of these names know exactly what they’re getting before they arrive, which is precisely the point. These operations anchor the ground floor, apartment towers stacked neatly above them, creating a self-contained ecosystem where residents are encouraged to spend without ever leaving the building. The smell of hot food drifting upward isn’t accidental; it’s part of the design.

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