Category Archives: Food

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

03.25.15
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The Service Is Lacking Its Bloom at Purple Garden

Purple Garden Img_1080

Purple Garden Chinese Restaurant
#138-1551 Cedar Hill X Rd.
Saanich, BC
(250) 477-8866

E: There are times where I wonder if finding a good Chinese style buffet is even possible. I have memories of going to Raymond’s Restaurant and Szechuan City, Both are decent. With Purple Garden now added to the list — which has been doing buffet for just as long — is it even possible for the quality to go lower? Must I order dishes just to get some awesome sauce?

J: I think the problem for Ed and I is that we arrived near the end of the lunch rush. The food tasted old. That’s to be expected with barely any new food put out. The service was even lacking.

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03.21.15
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When Pulling Into Harbour, You Leave the Sailor at Sea

Harbour House Restaurant
607 Oswego St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 386-1244

E: I could get used to dining at the swanky Harbour House. One benefit for tourists is that it’s barely a hop, skip and a jump away from The Clipper and the nearby hotels in the bustling Inner Harbour of Victoria, BC. If I’m sounding like an ad, then yeah, that’s the purpose. Forget the Old Spaghetti Factory. Come here instead!

J: Harbour House has been providing fine dining in Victoria for 37 years. Their motto at the door is “We dress up so you don’t have to” and it couldn’t be closer to the truth. Our server was dressed in a tuxedo with bow tie for the finishing touch. If he had said “walk this way” and then waddled like an adelie penguin I might’ve walked the same manner due to the posh interior of the restaurant. But don’t worry, the prices aren’t as posh as one would expect.

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03.11.15
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Cowichan Bay Seafood: Food Prepped Before Your Eyes

Cowichan Bay Seafood
#12 – 1701 Douglas St.
Victoria Public Market
The Hudson
Victoria, B.C.
(778) 433-4385

E: Yes, I know where I want to retire should I ever strike it rich. Cowichan Bay is the home to beautiful scenic views and scrumptious foods. I’ve been up there a few times to enjoy the former, but for the latter, the trips were not long enough to find where the good eateries are. To see Cowichan Bay Seafood in full operation at the Victoria Public Market, selling products from this region, has me salivating in delight. Oh, all those spot prawns … or should I say Dungeness?

J: I was fortunate enough to visit Cowichan Bay, it’s a sleepy little town that I bet gets sleepier during the winter. It has a great close-knit community that I can’t ignore. I could see this community being a possibility for retirement. I could learn to love the peace and quiet and the great shops along the waterline. But for now I’ll get acquainted with the local food by eating Dungeness crab in a sub with chipotle aioli. This research is very hard work.

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03.03.15
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Tracking GottaCon’s Foodie & Game A-Fair? It’s a Deadbeetz.

GottaCon has shifted in direction for the 2015 year, and that’s to make use of all the available spaces as possible for their gaming fair. For such a dramatic shift, I’m surprised they did not have a huge banner across the Victoria Conference Centre to say we are here. I really like the design of their new logo in their program guide, and I was sad to not see this plumage advertising this event to this city at large at this building or across the street at the Crystal Gardens.

Although my interests for this show have faded, to wonder if they chose wisely for which food trucks to bring can make for some interesting allusions. Do gamers need more grease for those late night munchies? When I didn’t spot or smell these operations running on a Friday evening before Geekenders‘ Star Wars Burlesque Show, I suspect not. They might have been running, but there was no spotlight on them to let curiousity seekers know. The same can be said for GottaCon’s presence. Without a huge banner, many passers-by will pass them by. Sandwich boards just will not do. Not many people really take a bite at that kind of street advertising.

During a beautiful sunny day (Saturday) when the air is crisp and I was nearby, my nostrils certainly wanted to sniff out the operations. Thankfully, the trucks were advertising their hours. But I did notice a particular trend: of the three trucks, two of them were serving mostly burgers. Thankfully, James and I provided a more robust listing of various eateries around the area so attendees can grab sandwiches or sushi if they wanted to.

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02.26.15
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Looking for Sea Life at Ocean Garden

568 Fisgard St
Victoria, BC
(250) 360-2818

It’s not often that I’d swim with the fishes at Ocean Garden in Chinatown. If I want authentic Chinese, I’d go to China or ask my family elders to cook for me. But for tourists and many a local in this area, this establishment is a mainstay of the Victoria scene. Between this and four other places on this side of the road, just where I really like to go depends.

After watching the lion dance and kung fu demonstration to really kick Chinese New Year off to start in the “first” weekend of the lunar year, I was feeling a bit peckish. My friends and I thought a visit to the Ocean was required and while I pondered what I should grab from the sea, the choice ultimately boiled down to Deep Fried Prawns ($10.50), Beef and Broccoli Chow Mein (10.50) and a Seafood and Vegetable platter (8.95).

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02.22.15
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Gung Hay Fat Boys 2015: Don Mee Strikes Out

Don Mee Seafood Restaurant
538 Fisgard Street
Chinatown
Victoria, BC
(250) 383-1032

J: As a friend recently told me, Don Mee isn’t for Chinese, it is for Caucasians who like western style Chinese cuisine. Perhaps there is a ring of truth. After Ed and I had finished dining there for Chinese New Year, what we ate wasn’t close to authentic. He’s been to Shanghai and sampled the cuisine around this region.

Back in Victoria, however, I’ve heard there’s food you can order off the menu but perhaps if I had prior knowledge, It would’ve made for some wiser decisions.

My parents first came to eat here back in 1975 and I was to follow them 30 years later. I’ve had lunch here to some extent but never dined. On this occasion I was flying blind. Both Ed and I failed to notice the poster at the front door and the sign on our table advertising their new year’s special. But was our choice to go with a regular dinner for two (and an appetizer plate) the best choice to make?

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