The Victoria Film Festival (VFF) started their week of movies with a series of food-related shorts that I couldn’t resist going to see. I could have paid to participate in the Feast and Film program, where movie-goers are treated to a meal at Spinnakers (that I’ve reviewed a few years ago) and a movie, Azul Intangible, a film about oceanic life in the northwestern part of Mexico. Fortunately, I had the willpower because I do need to start saving my money.
Category Archives: Reviews
Read along as we seek out the best of what the British Columbia coast (and beyond) has to offer.
Ebizo’s Worth the Wait
Ebizo Sushi
604 Broughton St.
Victoria, BC
250-383-3234
J: Nothing says hungry like a magazine launch party at Belmiro’s Restaurant & Lounge when Ed and I show up too early. To be honest, I ate very little in expectation of us consuming mass quantities of hors d’oeuvres and fine wines at the Niche Magazine Red Carpet Gala.
My back up plan was to wander the streets of downtown Victoria using our eyes and noses to locate good eats.
E: And that usually means trouble for two hungry walruses like us. We were not quite the blokes tonight. I pointed out the nearest place was a Japanese restaurant that we often pass by, but always arrive at the worst possible timing.
We finally arrived at Ebizo, Victoria’s quaintest place to have a bite of Japanese cuisine!
Movie & Food News & Reviews: Godzilla’s Alive! And Uchida Keeps the Tradition
Uchida Eatery/Shokudo
A22-633 Courtney St.
Nootka Court
Victoria, BC
250-388-7383
In a mad rush to a Springboard Lecture to launch 2013’s Victoria Film Festival, a quick bite was needed. Inside Nootka Court, I lucked out at seeing that Uchida was still open. I remember this place used to be Daidoco, but this operation closed before James and I could return to weigh in at more of the tastes this Japanese diner offered.
GT’s Kombucha for the silver-tongued?
Fermented tea? With a drink called Kombucha you betcha! And with a variety of brands sitting in many a health food store and Fairway Markets over a year now, I finally made the decision to try this concoction.
GT’s Synergy brand seems to be leading the crowd, and this carbonated drink is not for the weak of heart. Simply put, the drink is highly carbonated and sour. I tried to polish one bottle off over a few days, taking a sip each day, and I did not get that far.
No matter what the added flavour is, this particular style of a fermented drink is not for everyone. This brew is nothing like beer. Try as I might, I didn’t get used the bitterness of this drink at all. I can see the drink working as a mixer to help balance out the acridness, but as for the health claims, the evidence is not there. I’m better off brewing my own mixture of herbs, fungi and bark prescribed from a traditional Chinese medicine man to mend my ailments away.
Ironically enough, that’s where this drink comes from. The origins of this kombucha drink can be traced back to ancient China where it was considered a “remedy for immortality.” So if the drinker wants a short life, he should sip this liquid? That’s a twist.
Another tale tells of how a Korean physician, Dr. Kombu, gave it to a Japanese Emperor as a healing tonic. Seriously, I think this drink is a product of folklore and many a Wild West tale. If readers remember all those travelling physician carts purporting to carry cure-it-all medicines, I’m willing to bet that kombucha was one of them.
This Clay Pigeon Can Fly
The Clay Pigeon
1002 Blanshard Street
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 590-6657
J: They say two birds in the hand are worth three in the bush. But it only took one bird, the Clay Pigeon, to be worth 3 food lovers. Ed and myself were accompanied by none other than Donald Kennedy of the Victoria Burger Blog and were more than glad to have his insight. Ed and I were finally able to relax in the atmosphere that is the Clay.
Our server for the night, Darion, was smart and had wonderful taste. Her knowledge of the menu and the ingredients involved in our meals astounded me. I should’ve tipped her more because her services in my opinion are worth double.
Perhaps I shall return with a “tip part 2” in a marked envelope. I knew this place was class as we were served glasses of water with small wedges of lemon bobbing about.
E: Her friendliness was what made the Clay Pigeon experience worthwhile. James and I heard of the food quality, but to finally be there with friends is what made this particular visit even better. And I finally got to try the crispy fried pig’s ear.
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to La Fiesta, Episode Three .. or is that Four?
La Fiesta Cafe
G-12 1001 Douglas St.
Sussex Building
Victoria, BC
(250) 383-6622
E: I sounded off before on how I like La Fiesta on the corner of Douglas and Broughton, but very rarely can I convince James to hit a favourite place of mine. Not only that, they are open super late at night to make seeking out a quick bite possible.
J: Yes, they are now open Fridays and Saturdays until 3am for the bar crowd and late night/early morning walkers like myself. Yes, it is just after the holidays but downtown Victoria still closes early even on Saturday nights. It might be one of the reasons Victoria businesses suffer financially. Why go into town for a movie at the The Vic Theatre when you know almost everything will be closed after the film credits roll. Unless you want to drink ’til intoxication, there is little to do.
