Category Archives: Reviews

Read along as we seek out the best of what the British Columbia coast (and beyond) has to offer.

11.03.10
by

A Penny for Your Thoughts?

Penny Farthing
Old English Pub
2228 Oak Bay Ave.
Oak Bay, BC
(250) 370-9008

J: Penny Farthing is one those great British style pubs that seems to be the local social for all that is middle class. Nestled deep in the heart of the Oak Bay shopping district, which is in itself a slice of England, Oak Bay could be described as a place where old stiff upper lip society meets the new and trendy.With the Edwardian styled shop of the The Blethering Place co-existing near the more nouveau Bon Sushi, Oak Bay’s my slice of heaven.We were joined in company by people locally and from the far away land of Alberta. From Alberta were Bill Bracher, owner of Bullseye Bill’s Trading Post, Naomi DeBruyn, proprietor of Callaway Cafe and Robin Poirier, tech wizard of ReStart Computer among many other good friends.

Luckily for Ed and myself, appetizers were half price that night, which suits my Scottish purse just fine. The Crab and Lobster Dip was the first to land at our table.

Continue reading →

10.28.10
by

Halloween Treats and Eats

Rocky Mountain
Chocolate Factory
1225 Government St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 382-8811

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it’ll be the cream filling that’ll keep dentists drilling if Halloween has any say.

Upon leaving Absolute Underground’s new digs in Trounce Alley today, dropping off my video edit of an upcoming Fun Guys episode—where I went mushroom hunting and cooking with my pal Brydon Parker—I walked by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s display of Halloween themed caramel apples. And oh boy, it did more than stop my heart.

I paused long enough and decided to go in to ask how much those monster-sized treats cost. As the image will show, I had to put a ruler next to the apple just to show how big they are. And At $11.99 before taxes, I thought why not? I’ve always wanted to take a bite back at all those zombie infested dreams I sometimes get.

I grabbed an apple that was plumper than my own fist and like a kid coming home with a large haul, I immediately nipped at this apple.

The caramel had a great smooth consistency that worked well with the delicious granny smith apple. While their chocolate is as good as Victoria’s own Rogers Chocolates, I wasn’t here to compare. Their cute use of white chocolate as a ribbon surrounding the apple was a nice touch, and I tasted combinations of dark and white at each bite.

And this is one apple I can’t finish off in a night. Well, that’s assuming I want to sleep at all. Maybe it’ll be candied apple dreams tonight.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

10.21.10
by

Fairway Lovers Unite!

Soda junkies can now get their fix of the best drinks from all over the world at Fairway Market. There was a time where it was only sold at Westshore Town Centre and James would often tease me about it. Much to my chagrin, I wasn’t quite ready to make any regular pilgrimages there. But I did start inquring at the other Fairways asking if they carried the product.

Now imagine me jumping in delight and doing cartwheels when I found the Fairway on Shelbourne dedicating an aisle to international foods. Although this pilot project has been going on for months now, I can only assume more stores will soon be doing the same by the end of the year.

I can go to Fairways and buy my Cherry Coke and try other imported favourites. I thought the Tizer tasted like a fruity ginger ale, and after my Scottish adventures in a highland field, I’m glad Irn Bru can be found nearby. If I wanted to venture south, there’s even a taste of Mexico to be found.

Made by Jarritos, I tried their strawberry fresa. It was very nice, and it went down like a natural cream soda. The only difference is that the strawberry taste is artificial and the natural sugar compensated for what’s missing.

And hoping from one side of North America to another, I just have to wonder how many coconuts have to be cracked to make one can of coconut water? I liked this drink marketed by Grace Foods. Even though they have a less than inspiring name, Coconut Water, it gets attention. But instead of jelly, I’d love it if it was actually bits of coconut left over from the extraction process.

The one thing I’m wary about is all the claims the marketing department is making. But on a hot summer day, I can certainly see myself slurping this stuff down more than Arizona Iced Tea. After my road trip, I’ve found the Canadian flavours to be very limited. There’s an original brew that I found State-side that I’m in love with, and it seems I have more than just Voodoo in might whenever I head back down.

I just can’t enjoy the Canadian manufactured Arizonas anymore. Either they’ve changed their formula to accommodate mass production or it’s not as enjoyable anymore. Nowadays, I’m preferring my green tea home made (minus all the preservatives and sweeteners they put in). It’s cheaper in the long run.

10.21.10
by

Harping over to Vic’s Steakhouse

Vic’s Steakhouse & Bar
345 Quebec St
Victoria, BC
(250) 480-6585

Tucked away to one side of Victoria’s Inner Harbour is Vic’s Steakhouse & Bar—and for seals like me in the area, waddling over there was a no brainer. Sometimes it’s a tough call in where I want to go and with no James around, do I go begging for fish or beef?

There’s other nearby restaurants claiming to serve good meats, like Milestone’s (on the opposite side); one screwed up order there hasn’t seen me return in a long time.

At Vic’s, it’s a cozy place to dine in even during the lunch hours.

Continue reading →

10.01.10
by

Foraging for Hedgehogs

Cakes Etc.
2821 Quesnel Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 360-2390

Dare I say it? Well, the day after, what lays before me in a secretive box is not a furry or spiny beast that I trapped from Cakes Etc. It’s what I’m going to discover in a chocolate treat that’s said to be hand dipped in chocolate, rolled in oat crumble and lightly drizzled in white icing and chocolate lace.

Better known as a Hedgehog ($1.50 per), what I dug my fork into was tough to break into. It’s not easy to simply jab the rotund cake to life. It’s hard exterior is equally matched with a meaty interior, meaning it’s a thicker product to consume.

I’m a fan of lighter deserts than something heavy, because after one forkful, I’m ready to fall over like a log. It’ll take me time to enjoy this dessert in its entirety, and I could very easily nibble on it all day than to let it go.

Okay, I’m sadistic. Given the amount of sweets I’ve been having lately, tis better to have small amounts than to eat it in one go. At least I’ll be able to burn off the calories faster.

3½ Blokes out of 5

Cakes Etc. on Urbanspoon

09.30.10
by

Cakes Etc.

2821 Quesnel Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 360-2390

This week has been nothing but a series of good things. Another year rolled around for me, I received a glow-in-the-dark Ghostbusters T-shirt, and Ocean FM’s VIP Platinum Club sent me an automated email with a gift certificate of $5 to try out Cakes Etc.

Now no birthday is ever complete without cake, and the next day, I charged out of the classroom, down Hillside, and to what’s basically a bakery in the oddest of all areas—an industrial section of town. I was expecting something more eat-in than take-out; there wasn’t enough space for me to surreptitiously grab pics.

Continue reading →