Category Archives: Reviews

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

04.23.13
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Kamei … or Royale?

Kamei Royale
#211-1030 W. Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC
(604) 687-8588

The Kamei Royale is a restaurant that certainly lives up to its namesake, but is it authentic? When there are three locations, I get the sense the upper management wants to franchise out. But in a city as large as Vancouver, to spread the sushi love does need to be done. And this establishment has the decor of upscale dining.

The fashion sense of the architecture is more modernistic than traditional, and the average working man would have to give up two paychecks to dine here for a week. The food is tasty, and just looking at the menu was enough to make me drool buckets. The selection of food is vast and I doubt I could eat the entire maki selection in one go.

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04.20.13
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Going Down Under …

Moose’s Down Under Bar & Grill
Basement 830 West Pender St.
Vancouver, BC
(604) 683-3300

What can you do when a ‘koo is angry and about to give chase? Well, I’m not Steve Irwin and God bless his soul, I hope he’ll forgive me for what I did. I ate Skippy. Okay, that dated television show was before my time, but I’ve caught the occasional episode as I was growing up and my fascination with Australian life does not end there. In fact, I may have to go to that country and make it my permenant residence when considering how friendly everyone was at Mooses Down Under.

With rugby playin’ on the big screen, I thought why not. Watch a bit of the sport while snacking on a ripe ol’ salad and munching on one of this country’s indigenous marsupials. No it isn’t a koala, but I do have to wonder if that’s an animal protected by the World Wildlife Federaton. They’re far too adorable and that’s one creature I will refuse to touch on a dinner plate.

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04.20.13
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Vancouver: Japadog

Japadog
Burrard St. & W. Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC

I can finally say I’ve tasted the best of what two cities can offer for Japanese fusion hot dogs.

Last year, I was in Seattle and found Gourmet Dog Japon a few blocks away from my hotel. In Vancouver, Japadog has a truck right across the street from where I’m staying. While I missed an opportunity on my first night here for Salvadoran food, I still have two days left … if I can tear myself away from Fan Expo.

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04.16.13
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Looking for a Real Taste of India

Real Taste of India
768 Fort St  
Victoria, BC 
(250) 477-8883

E: One of the essential rules of waitressing includes knowing which is which on the menu and being able to know who ordered what. To not know can spell trouble. That can be excused when taking orders from a large crowd, but when James and I were the only two in Taste of India, I can’t be too kind. The food was great, but the service really needs to be worked on.

J: The service was poor and I’m saying this kindly because I want to use a manure reference. Our first server made many fatal mistakes; the first one was with upselling us more food without explaining his reasons for doing it.

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04.15.13
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The Morning After, a Roleplaying Adventure

Medieval Cosplay Day
Sunday, April 14, 2013
12pm – 8pm

J: Many questions have been asked down throughout the years, century after century, driving men’s minds, spanning a millenia. Eternal questions like the daring “does a Scotsman wear anything under his kilt?” or the more thoughtful “Why does fluff appear in my navel?” are raised.

I wonder if Henry VIII asked himself that last question. But one that always puzzled me was “Can a LARPer (Live Action Role Player) party?”

And at the event, held at Victoria’s Brickyard Pizza, Ed and I discovered yes, yes they can.

E: I should warn that anyone standing near them or just hanging out in the tight space at the rear of the shop to be ready to duck or swerve out of the way, especially when those medieval foot soldiers are drunk. In the group that showed up early, they were partying it up at 2 pm. But with a few errands for me to do in town, James and I took a bit of a break, We returned to find the group getting louder around 5:30 pm when the anticipation of food was looming near.

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04.11.13
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Fast Food and the Fickle Finger of Fate

La Fogata Latina
749 View St.
Victoria, B.C.
250-381-2233

J: Like the fickle finger of fate, my stomach is rarely satisfied with one incident and so it was a Colombian-influenced hot dog that was my next call of destiny. Pineapple sauce and crisps (chips for the non-British) is something that wasn’t as appealing as it sounded. If you’ve ever watched Red Dwarf then you’ve heard of Hitler’s infamous banana and crisps sandwich but would Adolf have switched to a pork cylinder in a bun and ruin his perfectly good mustache?

E: Or maybe that Colombiana cola which tasted as smooth as a a cream soda. I knew I had to take James to La Fogata Latina on my next visit to try out the rest of their menu. On my first visit, I tried their Mazorca ($4).

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