Category Archives: Reviews

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

02.10.15
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Breakfast at The Village is a Must!

The Village
5-4517 West Saanich Rd.
Royal Oak District
Saanich, BC
(778) 265-8898

E: Every time I hear someone refer to The Village, I start humming along to a tune from the 60’s classic mystery spy thriller made famous by Patrick McGoohan. That’s the nerd in me coming out. Once at the restaurant, I do realize that this place is in no way influenced by the classic show. However, I do wonder if there is a chance of escape.

The variety to be found in their menu will certainly have me wanting to try it all. In this case, multiple visits will have to be made to taste the various sandwiches, bennies, and soups offered. In what drew James and I out to the Saanich location (I’ve been to the Estavan place before) was the Fat Chef special. I came out feeling thin. For James, there’s no denying he was looking rounder after our sojourn to a quieter side of town.

J: I was thinner when I went in but it was not the fault of the Village that I ended the day a few pounds heavier. The two latkes, double smoked striped bacon, garlic sautéed spinach (they ran out of kale), roasted red peppers, crispy onions and poached eggs with hollandaise sauce may sound like a big meal but Ed and I are trained professionals. This meal was just an appetizer.

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02.09.15
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[VFF’15] Is the Food Tennis Pro Ate Big in Japan? A Review & Interview

bij_POSTERLittle known Seattle-based rock band Tennis Pro is having problems back home and in what they realize is that they are not getting the attention that they deserve. When Alex Vincent (AKA Alex Shumway) of Green River fame takes notice and offers them the chance to pursue recognition in the land of the rising sun, perhaps their fame will truly be “Big in Japan.”

This rockumentary blends actual concert moments with a fictionalized narrative to tell the story of what guitarist David Drewery, drummer Sean Lowery and bassist Philip Pearson faced while in this country. From total culture shock in not quite realizing where they are to showing off what this trio have to eat, perhaps it’s best lovers of Japanese food should not attend this film with an empty stomach. It will get some people wanting to try an ice cream hotdog or to attempt a ‘dangerous’ round of sushi roulette themselves.

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02.06.15
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[VFF’15] “Gone South” to Look at the Rise of Hollywood, A Review

GoneSouth-Poster-11x16.75Feb 6 • 6:00pm
The Vic Theatre

Special Guest in Attendance: Director Ian Ferguson

The documentary Gone South: How Canada Invented Hollywood is a very informative and tongue in cheek look at a different kind of invasion that’s still infiltrating the entertainment industry today. It’s only fitting that this movie is part of the opening night of movies to start the 2015 Victoria Film Festival. This movie is part of the Canadian Wave program.

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01.28.15
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-[Roast]- Me A Swine & I Will Do the Hula

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Roast Meat & Sandwich Shop
#6 – 1701 Douglas St
Victoria Public Market
Victoria, BC
(778) 433 – 6639

In my many sojourns into the Victoria Public Market, I’ve always walked by Roast with all those lovely pork rinds prancing in the corner of my eyes. I can pick up a Chicharrón (a dish with nothing but these rinds) or get a sandwich with this garnish, but I always pass it by. Yes, I have a weakness for those crunchy delicious delights. When I should watch my weight, resistance was lost to me this day. I finally gave in and ordered their Porchetta sandwich ($9.95). Yes, it’s pricey for a 5″ sandwich but oh the flavour!

Unlike the BBQ Pork that I have from Chinatown, which is basically a rib cage dipped in a vat of hot oil, this one took its time to cook. The herbs added to it while it cooked braised all the way through from the skin, through the fat and into the meat.

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01.21.15
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Going Down on the Corner to River Roads Specialty Chocolates

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To say that River Road’s Specialty Chocolates will cause euphoria is an understatement if their honey mead truffle is any indication. I love a sinful delight now and then, but for the best piece of chocolate to cause my knees to buckle and have tears well up in joy would entail certain details with fantasy lovers too x-rated to say in this blog. At least, in my sampling of the various products this chocolatier offered as James and I wandered the Victoria Public Market one day, I was sold.

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