Category Archives: Food

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

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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12.24.11
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Burgers on the Industrial Side of Esquimalt

Bimo Burger Stand
878 Viewfield Rd.
Esquimalt, BC
(250) 360-2955

By my count, only a few months have elapsed since I said that I’d visit Bimo Burger Stand. It literally is a shack, owned and operated by a friendly-looking Chinese couple, and if I wanted some Chinese fast food to go, yes, that option is available.

But that’s not what this operation is all about. They serve burgers street vendor style, and they’re reasonably tasty ones at that. Although it doesn’t have the greasy joe’s feel, what I ate was a touch on the dry side. It doesn’t dribble when you’re eating and walking at the same time. When that’s put in a nicely warmed whole-wheat Kaiser bun, it left me satisfied for several hours. I only opted for the $5 piece just to see how their basic product fares.

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12.15.11
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Bobbing for Burgers at Bin 4

Bin 4 Burger Lounge
911 Yates St
Victoria, BC
(250) 590-4154

E: Bin 4 is a new burger parlour in town, and they’ve only been open for a couple of weeks. They are located in the spot where JB’s Cafe used to be, and I can easily see myself visiting Harris Green Village a lot more often.

The scents coming from there are very inviting, and just how many places can I say offer fine dining with a burger experience? I met up with James here to find out.

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12.06.11
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Going Mandarin or Japanese with Oranges

Sun Japanese Mandarin Oranges
Available at Costco and Thrifty Foods.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat but I’m eating something different. Do I mean chasing after some chocolate? No, I have some delicious traditional Mandarin oranges to suckle on. In all of my life, I’ve only ever tasted the Chinese products.

But today, I spied with my little eye the product from the Land of the Rising Sun. Could this particular box make for a better grown product? It’s red and it screamed “buy me!”

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11.26.11
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A Taste of West Africa: Le Petit Dakar

Le Petit Dakar
711 Douglas Street
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 380-3705

J: There is more to a Friday night than getting fall down drunk. If one walks about this great city of ours one could have an enjoyable evening for very little money. After a trip to National Geographic’s IMAX theatre for a viewing of The Wildest Dream, seeing that frosty topped mountain gave me the ice cream urges … to Beacon Drive-In it was for our fill.

We weren’t prepared to do any reviewing this night. On our way home, the moon was shining our way to the nearest bus stop. But before we reached that destination, Ed and I did the mid-step pause. There was a new establisment in the old Crystal Gardens building. It looked small and the bright neon open sign was inviting.

E: Le Petit Dakar beckoned the both of us in. This little eatery was a perfect way to end the day, and I couldn’t decide on what spicy delight to partake in. After looking at the menu, I got the sense that most of the tastes are from the north western to north eastern region of Africa (but I could be wrong), and after James said the magic word, I took a chance at the Saka Saka ($8.75) to shake the cold away. I asked for hot sauce as a side while James didn’t go for any.

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