Category Archives: Reviews

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

12.08.15
by

Tasting the Times at The Breakwater Cafe & Bistro

Breakwater1

The Breakwater Cafe & Bistro
199 Dallas Road
James Bay
Victoria, BC
(250) 386-8080

J: It seems I can’t get my hands on some decent tea. Instead of sitting in the Fairmont Empress drinking tea from a nice China cup, having a tea-pot and all the amenities that it brings, because of a parking issue with our photographer’s car, I’m drinking tea from a mug with coffee creamers on a side plate. And instead of the Empress’ own blend or even some British created tea bag, its English Breakfast from an American company called Harney & Sons. Oh how we’re living it up now. Pinkies raised, pinkies raised.

Continue reading →

11.24.15
by

One Man Star Wars Does The Dark Knight Parody!

Dark-Knight-web-imageNov 27 & 28, 2015
Intrepid Theatre
1609 Blanshard St #2
Victoria, BC, Canada

Feb 18 -21, 2016
Waterfront Theatre
1412 Cartwright St.
Vancouver BC, Canada

Charles Ross, the One Man Virtuoso of the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (LotR) stage has a new act! In One Man Dark Knight: A Batman Parody, he will be presenting his take of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy into a reduced format that will play out for an hour. Trying to figure out what trilogy to tackle next was difficult for this performer.

“It took a lot of time to figure out what I wanted to do as my next show. I wanted to find another Star Wars / Lord of the Rings type of film to adapt, and Nolan’s take on Batman was the only one that for me — pound for pound — I was really happy with,” said Ross.

In a prior interview with me for Absolute Underground (revised and reprinted here), he revealed what the story comes down to is about a disenfranchised person who’s least able to affect much change in his station in life. Like Frodo, a guy that lives in the Shire, or Luke Skywalker, a kid from a farm on the planet Tatooine, adventure comes to their front door. It whisks them away.

Continue reading →

11.05.15
by

Can Victoria’s Foo(d) Compare to Vancouver’s Ramen Scene?

FooRamen1Foo Ramen Bar
762 Broughton St.
Victoria, BC
(778) 432-4366

J: When it comes to ramen I’m obsessed. I can eat ramen anytime of the day. When Foo decided to open up a ramen shop, I was excited. It is the next step in their evolution and I wanted to be a part of it. Yet it took me over a year to finally bring myself to their door. There are very few places that serve ramen in the greater Victoria area, Zin Sushi and Noodle, Sushi Plus and Kuma Noodle off the top of my head. And of those only Kuma is the place I return to over and over again. For this review Ed and I were in need for a quick refueling before we were to see comedy legend Billy Connolly grace the stage for what may be the final time.

Continue reading →

10.28.15
by

IFCon to Arrange Refunds over Cancellation

ifcon-preview-unicorn-logoIt’s been roughly 24 hours after the official cancellation of Victoria’s Island Fantasy Convention (IFCon) and already the con’s spokesperson Ken Twyman is moving forward with plans to refund ticket sales. After IFCon’s founder Bill Code was admitted to hospital a week earlier, he is still in intensive care. Unable to carry on, the con’s committee cancelled the event days before the convention was to take place. Today Ken Twyman posted on IFCon Victoria’s Facebook page the following statement:

“This specific post is about the following issues:

Lyle’s Place
They will issue a refund to those that have purchased a ticket (s) from them. I would assume your receipt of purchase would be required to make this a stress free refund. They are happy to accommodate you.

Continue reading →

10.28.15
by

IFCon Victoria Cancelled, Founder Hospitalised

Originally published on Otaku no Culture

IFCon Preview - Unicorn logoIFCon Victoria which was to be held at the G. R. Pearkes Recreation Centre over the Halloween weekend has been cancelled. An announcement was made today on IFCon’s Facebook page by Bob Lynn, a long-time friend of executive convention producer Bill Code:

“My name is Bob Lynn – I have been a friend of Bill Code for 27 years and I have been asked to post this notice and the following information.

For the past 16 months, Bill has dedicated all his time, effort, energy and every cent he has earned into this project to the tune of over $ 84,000.00.

Last Sunday, Bill collapsed on the floor and had to be rushed to the hospital and admitted to Emergency. Today, he has been transferred to intensive care and will be taken into surgery later today. He is fighting for his life.

Continue reading →

10.24.15
by

In Saanich for Evil Acres — Take 2015

1607035_386482928176879_630313543971803379_nfrom 7 to 11pm daily
continues to Oct 31st
10375 Wilson Rd.
North Saanich, B.C.

In the month of October, some residents of Victoria, BC make a ritual out of going to Evil Acres, a haunted attraction located near Victoria Airport. Part of the joy is in entering the Slaughter House. This spooky abode has changed from what I remember last year. There’s a room that is truly dark, and you have to feel around to find the way out. There’s no joy in going through this home alone (although you’ll get the best experience out of the ‘solitude’ of the situation; some of the best horror stories involve divide and conquer) and I had to wait until two buddies of mine had time so we can go to this spookfest together.

I’m rarely disappointed, even though my stoicness is tough to break. When my writing partner James Shaw is tough to entertain in a concert, I’m harder to freak out when it comes to these walk-through tours. Yes, I can be startled but to get that creeped out feeling, it better be 100% real. That’s just one of the many reasons why I became a paranormal investigator. Although I know most ghosts can not harm you, the feelings you get when something happens and your logical mind can’t figure out, the spine-chilling feeling will just not go away!

Continue reading →