01.29.14
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More than Just a taste of Nippon over at Gracepoint, er Oak Bay


Just Matcha Tea Shop
2021 Oak Bay Avenue
Oak Bay, BC
(250) 813-2456

Kissako Green Tea Cafe
2027 Oak Bay Ave, 
Oak Bay, BC
(250) 370-5195

Plenty of green tea flavours can be found over in Oak Bay. Practically next door to each other are Kissako, a green tea cafe, and Just Matcha, a store that specializes on that particular brand of tea. I was in this municipality to watch the filming of Gracepoint, a US remake of BBC’s Broadchurch and I’m always keen to learn from the pros by careful observation from afar.

I have the educational background to know what I’m doing in a newsroom, but as for a film/tv set, I feel I’m not not quite there yet.

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01.23.14
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You Don’t Need To Be A Japanophile To Like Shiki

Shiki Sushi
1113 Blanshard St. 
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 381-8622

E: I’ve been to Shiki Sushi more times than James has with his attempts to get out to Sidney. But in a miracle of miracles, to convince him to head here when dinner options were minimal within a certain square block was not too hard. I didn’t realize there were a few new menu items, and for once, I didn’t do all you can eat.

J: I really wanted to visit the Noodle Cart after we failed to dine at Pinoy. Ed said Shiki was “pricey.”

I was trying to find excuses not to go in and Ed was offering to pay for 1/4 of the bill. That’s a Scotsman for you. My first impression was its dimly lit interior. Perhaps it was because of the daylight or maybe I still needed time for my eyes to adjust.

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01.14.14
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Sookjai: The Gem of Antiques Row

Sookjai Thai
893 Fort St.
Victoria, BC 
(250) 383-9945

E: Sometimes it’s difficult to find appetizing food from the southern Asian region. When the choices are basically Vietnamese, Malaysian or Filipino, Victoria does have the gambit covered. But James and I wandered up north, along Fort Street, to find a gem of a restaurant, Sookjai Thai — and one cute waitress too.

J: Go for the food, stay for the waitress, huh?

Sookjai has been on the scene since 2003 when the restaurant switched owners. The previous occupant (using a different business name) ran the place as an Italian restaurant.

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12.31.13
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King Sejong: Downtown’s Korean Greasy Spoon


King Sejong
650 Yates St.
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 382-1289

J: It’s always nice to have dinner and a movie when one is planning an evening in the greater Victoria downtown area. On this particular night my friend Ed and myself were highly anticipating a movie we planned to review for Otaku no Culture. But it only made sense to eat at a simple diner rather than spend almost $20 on overpriced theatre snacks. And since I can never drag Ed into Sushi Plus ever again, I chose King Sejong, a Korean restaurant on Yates across from the ol’ A&B Sound building.

They call this a restaurant but I would call it more a diner. It’s a greasy spoon in every detail right down to the booths with customers’ initials carved on tabletops.

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12.12.13
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Yami: Sidney’s Little Sushi Stop


Yami Sushi
101A-9775 4th St.
Sidney, BC
(778) 426-0100

E: When James goes trinket shopping at the charity shops, I go food spotting, and instead of going down a straight line, we took the side-streets of Sidney to reach one particular destination. We never got there since my insatiable appetite for sushi got in the way. I yam what I am when it comes to wanting to try fresh raw fish.

J: On this trip to Sidney we learned to look off the side streets of Beacon Avenue to find those interesting places like Lolly Gobble Sweet Shop or Yami Sushi. I was determined to reach the Beacon thrift store but Ed’s determination overpowered mine. If we were trained in the ways of the force, I would’ve been choked with ease. The sushi is strong in this one.

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12.04.13
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Yoshi’s Sushi

#604 – 771 Vernon Ave 
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 475-3900

Yoshi Sushi is one of Victoria’s hidden secrets. I’ve been here a few times before and they have never disappointed. When I’m here for a lunch with a new friend, I had to find that prawn cocktail that I tried before and only saw that it had been replaced with a sashimi cocktail ($11). I was not disappointed, as the former meal had a sharp tanginess that could have been brought down a notch. With this new variant, the intensity is only as strong as the diner wants it when its dipped in a mix of soy sauce and wasabi. With various slices of tuna, salmon, sweet shrimp and scallop (lightly coated with roe) presented over a bed of radish noodles and seaweed salad, I thought the presentation was impeccable. The only thing missing is what I believe is a tomato that their online menu illustrates.

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