Category Archives: Uncategorized

06.20.12
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Cleopatra’s Happy Hooka

Cleopatra Hookah
and Coffee Lounge
732 Broughton St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 590-7240

E: Very rarely will I ever have the eyes of a hawk and spot a new establishment offering, of all things, something Egyptian.

James and I were leaving the downtown library when the arms of Cleopatra embraced me. Like Marc Anthony, I was drawn to her mystique, and this shop offered more than just coffee.

J: Cleopatra must like to leave furniture in places customers least expect. I was soon to learn this after almost tripping over a foot stool as I entered. The place was cluttered but the decor of red painted background with framed Egyptian art on papyrus was a nice touch.

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10.30.11
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Sidney Walks, Shops Talk

If there’s one thing one learns of Sidney’s shopping district is that it works. It’s a self sustaining quaint little community that if ever a Walmart was dropped into the middle of it, Sidney would forever lose its slice of life image.

Independent shops, restaurants and food markets are the life blood of any community, and I marvel at the diversity when I shop in Sidney’s version of a High Street (Beacon Street). Places like the multi-faced Lunn’s would consider itself lucky to last 5 years in an area of empty shops and few jobs. They’ve been satisfying the appetites of the local community for 35 years.

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07.19.11
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Nevermore My Arse!

Raven Street Market Cafe
321 Fernwood Rd.
Fernwood
Salt Spring Island, BC
(250) 537-2273

J: Raven Street Market Cafe is a 8½ km bus ride north of Ganges and it’s well worth the trip. With fantastic views of the north side, blue herons and the salty air, Ed and I arrived earlier than expected.

We were met by a kindly staff member who went above and beyond what’s considered good service. To occupy our time until the kitchen finally opened, which is at noon, we explored the beach off Walker’s Hook Road.

The late morning exercise put us in the mood for a satisfying meal.

Since I was unable to harvest any of the huge shellfish along the shore (they were poisonous), I felt I deserved some finer reward.

E: James found a beautiful piece of rose quartz that he gave me (what a pal), and the reward he was waiting for rested within the cafe. I bought an appy for us to share.

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05.08.11
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Sushi on the Go in Whistler

Fuji Market
204-4000 Whistler Way
Whistler, BC
(604) 962-6251

Sushi Village
4272 Mountain Square
Whistler, B.C.
(604) 932-3330

I do take out sushi all the time at Fujiya’s at Shelbourne on those days where I’m in a rush. With a video editing project to finish for next day, I wondered where I could find that kind of equivalent here in Whistler, BC.

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05.01.11
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Yokohama Blues

Yokohama Japanese Restaurant
980 Blanshard Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 384-5433

2016 Update: This operation has since closed and become Xiang Rui Chinese Restaurant.

The Yokohama Japanese Restaurant has been around since ‘79, but that doesn’t mean anything in terms of quality. Especially in regards to the quintessential ingredient that’s used in Asian cuisine—rice.

At dinnertime, their “Regular Sushi” was priced at $13.95, $2 more than what’s listed on their lunch menu. Let’s hope that wasn’t a misprint. Both came with a bowl of shabu soup. The soup arrived quickly, and I gulped the flavourful broth down in nearly no time. When I was examining the ingredients in this soup, I wondered about the other flavours. The carrot slivers tasted like they came from the outer skin than the core, and the mushrooms were nothing special. Normally, I’d expect to have shitake than white, so I was left with mixed feelings when the bowl sat empty.

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02.18.11
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Victoria’s Best Pizza my Foot!

There won’t be many times where a contest has raised my ire. Jack FM 103.1 has one that’s calling upon their listeners to rate the city’s best pizza as selected by them.

The slices that are in the running are Domino’s Philly Cheese Steak, Pizza Zone’s 420, Oregano’s Pizza & Bistro’s JJ’s Special, Pizza Hut’s The Stuffed Crust, and Palagio’s Pesto Chicken.

I see a huge problem here: why is this radio station including two major corporate players in the list for listeners to choose from? And in what I have to say, I’m most likely opening up a can of worms.

With names like Pizza Hut (to which I’ve had terrible experiences with, including home delivery) or Domino’s (which I never found flavorable), I’d rather eat gummies instead. At least the other places have their own following for the western style kind of pizza.

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