Category Archives: Reviews

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

12.15.21
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One Visit Isn’t Enough for Ghost Ramen

20211027_183151Ghost Ramen
1609 Store St
Victoria, BC

Hours: Weds to Sat 11:30am – 10pm
Phone: (250) 590-9821
Website: ghostramen.ca

DK: We were primed from the minute we sat down. This was not just any ramen joint. Not just any noodles. No, this ramen was the result of worldwide wanderlusting and the serendipitous discovery of handmade noodles in a small island city. I haven’t a clue what sort of noodles other ramen joints in town use, but the story we heard at tableside certainly made Ghost Ramen sound unique. 

The noodle recipe comes from former engineer, accountant and filmmaker turned restaurateur Greg Masuda. He operates a shop in Courtenay and noodles are shipped from there to Victoria. After trying ramen all over the world, Ghost Ramen co-owner Jason Chan says Greg’s noodles are some of the best he’s ever had. So, like I said, Ed and I were primed to feel like we were about to eat something special.

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12.01.21
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A Return to Miku and Extravagance

20211102_211550Miku Restaurant
200 Granville St #70
Vancouver, BC

Hours: 11am to 10pm
Menu: https://mikurestaurant.com/
Phone: (604) 568-3900

During the pandemic, Miku Restaurant really scaled back. They limited the amount of items available to order, and depending on what the latest regulations entail, this can mean them becoming a mostly take-out operation or closing their doors. The plan is to offer a wider variety of choices as patrons become comfortable dining out again. The present menu is scant; not even three dishes out of the twelve or so item list is enough to fill me up.

I finally ventured off the rock because it was needed. When A Filthy Lot, a film studio, invited me over to see what they’re all about, I was excited. They’re an online streaming content creation entertainment company with an immense love for Dungeons and Dragons and pop culture. They have three different channels to distinguish their material. The main one focuses on nerd culture, second on gaming and third on comedy. Some talents are from Victoria too!

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11.17.21
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When Cravings Are Tough to Satisfy at Cinnaholic

20211027_173335Cinnaholic
#102 – 535 Yates St
Victoria, BC 

Hours: Sun to Sat: 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
Menu: cinnaholicvictoria.ca
Phone: (778) 265-2564

ES: Don’s the real Cinnaholic between us, and when a operation (technically, it’s a franchise) opened up in town, we pondered when to sample their wares. They boast freshly made cinnamon rolls which can be decked out anyway you want. I counted more than a dozen possibilities, and all I can say is wunderbar! Or should that be cinnabar? Okay, so the joke doesn’t work….

It’s often cold and wet in Victoria these days. To nibble on anything warm is required when out on the town late at night.

DK: Cinnamon buns are like cars, as soon as you drive them off the lot they start to lose value. A bun can be a 10/10 fresh out of the oven, but a 3/10 by midday. Also if you park a cinnamon bun in a bad neighbourhood you want to make sure not to leave any change lying around in the frosting.

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11.03.21
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Come Back Anytime… for Ramen

Come Back Anytime (2021) - IMDb

To find local showings, please visit the official website.

Next screening:
Doc NYC Nov 12th, 2021

Masamoto Ueda is a ramen master in the documentary Come Back Anytime, and this title is perfect to reflect his attitude and love for his regular customer base. He’s the owner/operator of Bizentei, a shop located roughly between Shinjuku, Bunkyo and Chiyoda City (municipalities of Tokyo). It’s not too far off the beaten path, and he gets his regular customers and the occasional newcomer.

Ueda became a legend in the forty years since he’s been in business, and when he’s not tending to the shop, he’s gardening. Everything he offers in the diner is handpicked by him. From pears to bamboo shoots, he’s very particular. And this documentary is an excellent profile. It doesn’t reveal his cooking secrets, but instead shows just how loved he is by the local neighbourhood community. We get to see what he does in his spare time, and this look only rounds out who he is. He’s sometimes a grand father too.

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10.22.21
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[Interview] The Mission Behind Tanagokoro: A Culinary Portrait

BushwickFilmFest I Home Plays with the Feature Film, Come Back Anytime

Location: Online
Date: Sunday, October 24, 2021
Time: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Price: $15 – Buy Now

Long time readers of this blog will know that I love sushi. After watching Tanagokoro: A Culinary Portrait, I don’t think I can look at many local Japanese restaurants the same ever again. The practice of Ikejime is not everywhere and this short documentary really extols the virtue of what it means to be an ethical chef. That is, to harvest the food in a way that won’t stress the product so that you’ll get the best flavour hitting those taste buds. In this work’s case, it’s all about how to best catch that fish, keep it alive and slaughter it before hitting the dinner table.

Victoria Fistes and Masashi Nozaki are both the directors and producers of this work. They produced an excellent look at the man who’s trying to revolutionize an industry, one country at a time. Victoria is a filmmaker who has worked on commercials, short films and documentaries. She’s best known for “Being Ernest,” which shares the experiences of a young blind boy. More recently, she has worked as an Assistant Producer on the documentary “Misha and The Wolves“ and as a Production Assistant on “The Reason I Jump” which won the Sundance Audience Award in 2020.

Masashi has an immense passion for culturally connecting Japan and the world. He is a producer/director who provides consultation to national companies and collaborates locally on projects with creators.

I had a chance to correspond with the team about this work:

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10.20.21
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Chiliheads to make an Impact at Devour!

Download Chiliheads, fous de piments forts (2021) YTS Movie & Chiliheads, fous de piments forts (2021) YIFY IN HD ON , (2021-03-15 , )Location: Al Whittle Theatre, Wolfville, NS and Online
Date: Oct 21, 2021
Time: 5:30 pm – 6:50 pm

Price: $15 – Buy Now

Chiliheads is a fascinating look at the love for the hot pepper. Julien Fréchette created a very insightful documentary that features people from different walks of life who are obsessed with this fruit. From its roots of being a very regional plant to its pollination around the world (mostly because of trading from the Portuguese traders), it’s growing everywhere. Each variant has its own flavour profile and heat level. A lot of information is densely packed in this 73 min work, and it’s certainly worth watching again just to learn about why it’s become part of certain cultures’ cuisine.

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