Category Archives: Food

01.28.12
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From Downtown to Small Town, Cook Street Village

2015 Update:
This operation has permanent digs at: 1017 Blanshard St
Victoria, BC
(250) 889-5803

E: Our rainy day in Cook Street Village wasn’t over. And even though I was technically filled, I can always make room for tacos! At $2.50 a piece, La Taquisa has won both my heart and my wallet. As pricy as one piece sounds, it’s worth it. They press each soft shell right there while you wait, lightly heat it up, and put a good heap of filling on top. I opted for the Okanagan Valley beef and I savoured the taste.

I could have bought more, but I was simply craving a simple dessert.

J: I was more worried about the rainwater dripping off the roof onto the press. I think a pool had formed and our tortillas were being mixed into it. But mother nature did me no harm that day. Perhaps if I was in Los Angeles.

E: I’ve been to as far down as Anahiem to sample a few of Mexico’s signature dishes. But until I see cactus listed here, what this location offers is B.C. raised, if not grazed, products. For the most part, I’m really liking it. Even two tacos makes for a typical lunch. But next time, I’m going for their $10 meal deal.

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01.28.12
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Big Wheel, Fast Food or No?

Big Wheel Burger
341 Cook St.
Cook Street Village
Victoria, BC
(250) 381-0050

J: My latest adventure with my roly poly compadre, Ed, brought me to the gentle little community of Cook Street Village. The area is known for Beacon Hill Park and for the tidy little shops that dot the Cook Street scenery. I managed to come away from this excursion with a bottle of Old Tyme pancake syrup (a product I used with frequency in the 1980’s) from Oxford Foods.

I also obtained fresh produce from Cook Street Market (established 1986) and I would’ve rented a British comedy DVD or two from Pic-A-Flic but I lacked the credentials.

E: We wound up in this area at the suggestion of Erin, who posted on our blog, suggesting we should review Big Wheel Burgers.

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01.26.12
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Not all of Thrifty Foods’ Sushi Measures up

The quality of the take-out sushi at Thrifty Foods is going to vary store-by-store. After two epic fails at the Shelbourne and McKenzie branch, I finally explored my options at the Hillside location. While I’m rarely out in Royal Oak, I do get tempted, and as for James Bay, they don’t even try.

The Tuscany Village location is slowly slipping off my radar in terms of quick bites. They still do a very mean fire oven roasted pizza when its fresh out of the fire, but with sushi, there are two other locales to sate my craving: Fujiya is about 1km down the road and the other Thrifty’s (at Hillside Mall) an extra 1.5km further.

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01.21.12
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Fatburger Thoughts

1209 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 590-4142

Fatburger finally opened its doors in Victoria, and now a month past its grand opening, just how does it fare? For those hungry burger eaters who do not want to venture far from the offices, they’re better than their direct competitor that lies directly across the street. And competition will be stiff between them and Burger King.

When time is tight and I’m wanting to sate a burger fetish, these are the only two places I’d consider going to.

Against the gourmet burger joints, there is no comparison. Bin4, Jackalope and Mafia are safe from the invasion of the big corporations. They have tastier choices to support their product over the franchise operations.

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01.06.12
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Examining White Teas

I’m making the switch from green to white tea not only because of the lower caffeine count, but also because of the health benefits attached to it. Instead of rating what I’m sampling from two major chain operations, I thought I’d give my impressions.

At David’s Teas, they have the Bai Hao Yin Zhen and the Spring White Pearls; and at Teaopia, the White Butterfly, Pai Mu Tan, Silver Needles and White Pearls. Of course, I went for the most expensive deal to see what they’re like and the result? I find myself really liking the flavour from the Spring White Pearls. With no surprise, both operations import the product from two different provinces so the operation is forcing the consumer to decide. Their marketing write-up for each product is as follows:

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12.29.11
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Going Zen for Sushi

Sen Zushi
940 Fort
 Victoria, BC
(250) 385-4320

Sen Zushi needs to be a restaurant I should frequent more often. Not only do they have a decent seasonal menu, but also they have one of the better tasting experiences in town. I was here over a year ago, but with Victoria having more Japanese eateries every few blocks, to decide which place I want to return to on a regular basis is tough.

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