01.26.12
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Not all of Thrifty Foods’ Sushi Measures up

The quality of the take-out sushi at Thrifty Foods is going to vary store-by-store. After two epic fails at the Shelbourne and McKenzie branch, I finally explored my options at the Hillside location. While I’m rarely out in Royal Oak, I do get tempted, and as for James Bay, they don’t even try.

The Tuscany Village location is slowly slipping off my radar in terms of quick bites. They still do a very mean fire oven roasted pizza when its fresh out of the fire, but with sushi, there are two other locales to sate my craving: Fujiya is about 1km down the road and the other Thrifty’s (at Hillside Mall) an extra 1.5km further.

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01.21.12
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Fatburger Thoughts

1209 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 590-4142

Fatburger finally opened its doors in Victoria, and now a month past its grand opening, just how does it fare? For those hungry burger eaters who do not want to venture far from the offices, they’re better than their direct competitor that lies directly across the street. And competition will be stiff between them and Burger King.

When time is tight and I’m wanting to sate a burger fetish, these are the only two places I’d consider going to.

Against the gourmet burger joints, there is no comparison. Bin4, Jackalope and Mafia are safe from the invasion of the big corporations. They have tastier choices to support their product over the franchise operations.

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01.06.12
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Examining White Teas

I’m making the switch from green to white tea not only because of the lower caffeine count, but also because of the health benefits attached to it. Instead of rating what I’m sampling from two major chain operations, I thought I’d give my impressions.

At David’s Teas, they have the Bai Hao Yin Zhen and the Spring White Pearls; and at Teaopia, the White Butterfly, Pai Mu Tan, Silver Needles and White Pearls. Of course, I went for the most expensive deal to see what they’re like and the result? I find myself really liking the flavour from the Spring White Pearls. With no surprise, both operations import the product from two different provinces so the operation is forcing the consumer to decide. Their marketing write-up for each product is as follows:

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12.29.11
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Going Zen for Sushi

Sen Zushi
940 Fort
 Victoria, BC
(250) 385-4320

Sen Zushi needs to be a restaurant I should frequent more often. Not only do they have a decent seasonal menu, but also they have one of the better tasting experiences in town. I was here over a year ago, but with Victoria having more Japanese eateries every few blocks, to decide which place I want to return to on a regular basis is tough.

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12.24.11
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Burgers on the Industrial Side of Esquimalt

Bimo Burger Stand
878 Viewfield Rd.
Esquimalt, BC
(250) 360-2955

By my count, only a few months have elapsed since I said that I’d visit Bimo Burger Stand. It literally is a shack, owned and operated by a friendly-looking Chinese couple, and if I wanted some Chinese fast food to go, yes, that option is available.

But that’s not what this operation is all about. They serve burgers street vendor style, and they’re reasonably tasty ones at that. Although it doesn’t have the greasy joe’s feel, what I ate was a touch on the dry side. It doesn’t dribble when you’re eating and walking at the same time. When that’s put in a nicely warmed whole-wheat Kaiser bun, it left me satisfied for several hours. I only opted for the $5 piece just to see how their basic product fares.

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12.15.11
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Bobbing for Burgers at Bin 4

Bin 4 Burger Lounge
911 Yates St
Victoria, BC
(250) 590-4154

E: Bin 4 is a new burger parlour in town, and they’ve only been open for a couple of weeks. They are located in the spot where JB’s Cafe used to be, and I can easily see myself visiting Harris Green Village a lot more often.

The scents coming from there are very inviting, and just how many places can I say offer fine dining with a burger experience? I met up with James here to find out.

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