Tag Archives: Beverages

07.19.11
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Swinging on By to the Tree House

Tree House Cafe
106 Purvis Lane
Ganges
Salt Spring Island, BC
(250) 537-5379

J: People may have thought Ed and I were enjoying a holiday on Salt Spring but nothing could be further from the truth. We were there to sample the finest of what Ganges had to offer and in the spirit of things, test our gastronomical boundaries.

It was hard work lifting those strawberry cremes from Embe Bakery or digging for delicious noodles at the Salt Spring Noodle Bar & Curry House. After a hearty day and with sweat on our brow, it made sense to sample some drinks at the Tree House Cafe.

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06.28.11
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Fernwood Bites Back

Fernwood Bites 2011
Fernwood Square
Victoria, BC
June 26, 2011

E: At the rate I was flying on a Sunday, the early evening couldn’t come any sooner. Expectations were very high between James and I for Fernwood Bites, and I must say, we weren’t disappointed. It helped us identify what the best of Fernwood is all about: locally grown products and innovation.

Aubergine Speciality Foods, a quaint grocery store, was our first stop and we were greeted with rustic tomatoes and Cherry Coke from Great Britain!

J: I was keeping my eyes on the groceries from the UK, the locally grown produce and those South African teas. But let’s not forget the baked goods and fair trade coffee. Mmmm, cookies with macadamia nuts.

I walked away with something for almost everyone in my family. My dad loved that Heirloom tomato.

While Ed rushed off after forgetting his wallet and apparently his pants too (he was flashing knees in khaki shorts), I took my mark near the Fernwood Bites starting line.

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06.28.11
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Boylan’s Natural Root Beer

Available at Aubergine Specialty Foods and the Market on Millstream.

If I have to describe Boylan’s product in one word it would be “delicious.” But I don’t have to and if I did, it’d make for a very short article and this company deserves better. I discovered their brand of old-fashioned soda on a trip to one of the well-known local eateries, the Little Piggy.

Jersey’s Boylan Bottling Company is located in the area of the Hackensack River Watershed (a funny Jersey name) in the small town of Moonachie (which even sounds funnier). Their product was registered a year before Coca-Cola (1891.) And there are other good things that’ve come from New Jersey, such as the Four Seasons, Kevin Smith and Abbott & Costello. And if you believe the Moonachie locals, the Berry Creek Restaurant.

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09.13.10
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I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles in my Tea


Culis Market
#153 – 2745 Veterans
Memorial Parkway
Langford, BC

(250) 478-8831

I had my first taste of Bubble Tea ($3.75 plus tax) today courtesy of Culis Market. When stores, restaurants and cafes started carrying the Thai drink, I didn’t buy into it. When Chek 6 News did a segment years ago about the popularity of Bubble Tea, I wasn’t moved to tears.

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08.27.10
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The Quest for the Perfect Cup of Tea

Tea India
A Harris Tea Company

Chai or in this case, Indian orange pekoe, has long been enjoyed by people from the Indian sub-continent. Promoted heavily by the British owned Indian Tea Association in the 1900’s, their campaign encouraged factories and businesses to give their employees tea breaks. It not only boosted the sales of British owned tea companies but also introduced the pleasure of tea to the uninitiated while creating a new social environment among the working class.

My first attempt at brewing ended up with a weak tea tasting like mud water (which I had not the pleasure of since I was a child). And a second chance was definitely required. I must’ve fouled up somehow. So I did what many males dare not to do; I read the instructions. Sure enough I corrected myself. The tea bag needs to be in the cup before the hot water was poured. I added milk and my usual spoonfuls of sugar to offset the stronger taste. The end result was a nice steady tea. I usually have trouble with higher caffeine teas, especially black but this one is manageable. It’s definitely not Red Rose by any means but it’s still a pleasant cuppa.