Category Archives: Reviews

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

01.08.20
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[Seattle, WA] Surfing Over to Nijo Sushi Bar & Grill

83 Spring St
Seattle, WA 98104

Hours: 11 am to 11 pm
Phone: (206) 340-8880

I should not be surprised that Seattle is becoming much more like Victoria, BC at every new visit I make. Yes, I’ve been spending my holidays here and that’s because this city is easy to reach, and not all that expensive to get there. The food can be pricey at times, but the less I spend on transportation, the more can be explored with various operations here. I feel more Japanese eateries exists in this city per square block than any other. Competition is stiff, and I don’t feel the need to return my go to places when there’s more to discover every visit.

Nijo is a comfortable place to have something old and something new. I had dishes which were not the staples for many a meal. Yes, I can get tired of tuna and salmon fast.

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12.18.19
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[Seattle, WA] Dethroning the Crawfish King

The Crawfish King
725 S Lane St
Seattle, WA

Hours: 12:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
Phone: (206) 623-3622

Eating too much fried food, as anyone will tell you, is bad for your health. With The Crawfish King, my advice is to be prepared for a lot of exercise in the week after dining here. On one side of the menu is tons of crispy goodness. The basket allows for one main course and two sides (thank god they have soup and salads). On the other, a boil, has a lot of seafood offered up somewhat Louisiana style. I should have gone for that instead. When my plus sized friends love their grease, the smell was almost overwhelming but it gave me an opportunity to try nearly everything this operation offers.

Sadly, the menu does not list prices. Anything from the sea is based on current market value for such goodies as crawfish, shrimp, lobster and etc. It’s easy enough to ask, but was I prepared to pay more than $50 for a meal? Sure, if I was sharing with friends. On my own, I could do it, and have leftovers for the next day. Next time, that will be my plan.

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12.04.19
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[Seattle, WA] Katsu on a Feeling

Katsu Burger
Multiple Locations
Seattle, Washington

Hours: 11:00 am to 10:00pm

Hamburger patties can flame grilled, air-cooked or microwaved (for those in a rush). Frying it in a vat of oil is not altogether strange. That’s what make certain innovations interesting. Katsu Burger is a Seattle-based chain offering deep fried hamburgers. It’s supposed to be one of the latest things coming out of Japan, but one look online shows they are lightyears ahead with other innovations–like adding lotus root, fried noodles or using rice-based buns to a classic fast food dish.

The idea using fried bread is not above me. The thought of a protein patty sandwiched in between Indigenous style bannock is going to have me experimenting.

In what makes a Katsu katsu is with breading the meat before getting deep fried. With pork or chicken, the meat is pounded until it’s suitably flat. Though with ground meat, that’d be tough to do. Slabs of beef can be buffeted with honey to have a shine, and it’d certainly change the flavour profile.

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11.20.19
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A Touch of Home at Red Brick Cafe in Sidney, BC

Red Brick Cafe
2423 Beacon Ave #106
Sidney, BC

Phone: (250) 655-1822
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

When I’m in a rush to the BC Ferries Swartz Bay terminus to my next great adventure (which I’ve been doing a lot more of lately), not a lot of options for a quick stop for a meal exists. When trying to make the first ferry of the day, it’s nearly impossible to grab a warm breakfast. I could pay more and charge into the Pacific Buffet lounge on the boat–which is what I often do–but I was with friends this day and they were on a tighter budget than I was for what to grab to eat.

A taste of home-made and no thrills can found in the early mornings in Sidney, BC. That was the consensus with the pals I was with. We enjoyed the morning sea breeze, chatted about our plans for the geek fest we were headed to while sipping fancy coffees–varying from lattes to expressos to basic (for me, anyway).

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11.06.19
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[Seattle, WA] Come Sail Away with me at Sushi Kashiba

Sushi Kashiba
86 Pine St #1
Seattle, WA

Phone: (206) 441-8844
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

During the busy holiday weekends in Seattle, my advise is to make reservations if you want to insure getting a seat to dine at Sushi Kashiba. This port city is known for many things, and despite what anyone says about Pike Place Market, it’s home to many secret delights. I’ve known about this particular dining establishment for a while and keep on getting sidetracked when I discover something new. Even though I had a special fund just to dine here, it can get spent fast on other delights.

When considering Chef Kashiba trained under Jiro, a sushi master, I knew I’d be in for a treat.

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10.26.19
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A Victorian Theatrical Halloween Guide 2019

Looking for some last minute things to do in the days leading up to Halloween? Ed published his guide on our sister site: otakunoculture.com and it’s republished here for your convenience.

Ed Sum's avatarOtaku no Culture

nullBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Halloween has become synonymous with humanity’s once in the year obsession with all things occult. Whether that’s with ghosts, the macabre or fantastic beasts, folks celebrate it in myriad ways as part of this season’s tradition.

Not on this list are the traditional staples–ghostly walks, haunted fun houses and public ghost hunts–and I’m going for unique one offs. Included are theatre productions that are not rinse and repeat. Yes, while we all love to get our Rocky Picture Show on, and Atomic Vaudeville deserves special mention for putting on two different productions.

The call is out there for theatre groups or organizations with an event they wish to have listed that is not on here. Please check the contact us section to email or reply with your event!

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