Tag Archives: Saanich

09.07.16
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The Stubborn Chef 拉麵館 changes the Ramen Scene ‘Round with AsUsual Cafe – 老地方

stubborn_chefStubborn Chef – 拉麵館
AsUsual Cafe – 老地方
3960 Shelbourne St
Victoria, BC
(778) 432-3818

Only James can think Kuma Noodle Japan has the best ramen all around Victoria. He’s most likely right, but he’s not had the complete Japanese experience (I had it in Japan, a place he has yet to travel to). Yes, I’m relentless in teasing him about this fact and one year, we will visit the Land of the Rising Sun to sample the food together. Back in Victoria, in the meantime, competitors eventually will emerge to challenge my buddy’s statement.

Trying to schedule his willingness to go out with my Pokémon GO adventures (I need to fuel up somehow) is like dragging a closet gamer out of the comfort of his own home to see the light, er sun.

We have tried a few places together. Foo Ramen Bar has been running for a while and unless you know which Japanese restaurants to go to, they will have this common staple buried along with the Udon and Soba. Next to the Victoria Public Market downtown is Ox King Noodles. In Gordon Head, The Stubborn Chef specializes in a variety of noodles. James finally checked out this place during one of his rare departures from Langford. By then, I’ve been here for the third time. Interestingly, the chef is a third generation noodle-maker. He’s been trained by the best and I’m glad he’s settling into the Gordon Head culinary landscape. The folks who ran this operation used to operate out of Chinatown in the past five years. And when it was sold a few years ago, I’m assuming the change of pace is because this municipality is closer to home. There’s less distance to travel. I’m thinking the owner/operator is taking a cue from James’ book. Why travel far when you can enjoy the comforts of home?

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08.26.16
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[Victoria Fringe Festival 2016] SMUS Shake It Up with Disney’s Camp Rock!

CAMP-ROCK_4CLOCATION:
St. Michaels
University School
3400 Richmond Road
Saanich, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Fri Aug. 26 – 7pm
Sat Aug. 27 – 2pm
Sat Aug. 27 – 7pm

Sometimes it is tough to decide on what to take on as the first Victoria Fringe Festival presentation for the 2016 season. This year, the decision was a no-brainer and I had to see the results of what St. Michaels University School (SMUS) Summer Musical Theatre program produced. The folks involved always deliver a quality educational curriculum to teach the next rising stars the basics while having fun at the same time. On opening night, they put on the musical version of Disney’s Camp Rock.

This show highlights the musical stylings of bands like The Jonas Brothers and the modern sounds of the past decade. Like ’em or not (every generation has their favourite musicians), those who grew up with them had a rollicking time with this production. Opening night was not without a few chuckle-worthy moments, gaffes included; the group was able to roll with it and continue on. They also helped each other out on stage when lines were forgotten and I believe that’s the heart of what this program extols than to provide a higher calibre show other local professional theatre schools like Canadian College of Performing Arts works on. I’ve seen their production of Little Shop of Horrors years ago, and that was a memorable show to which I grinned like a Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland when rubber bands were shot towards audiences!

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03.03.16
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Saigon Char-Broil’s Slow Sizzle

Some Chinese Place IMG_20151208_162203543

Saigon Char-Broil Vietnamese Restaurant
3710 Tillicum Rd,
Tillicum Centre
Saanich, BC
(778) 432-2000

E: To have a dinner and a movie altogether on the same day is not easy in the area of Tillicum. I somehow managed to convince James to see a horror film (a genre he doesn’t care for) and we both wanted a healthy option beyond popcorn and soda. Saigon Char-broil was very close and we didn’t have to cross the highway to get to Cineplex’s Silvercity Tillicum Location.

J: Ed, like me doesn’t like going to the movies on his own. It’s much more fun with a friend but you’d be surprised at how many people want to sit in front of a computer rather than get out of the house, even if you offer them a free pass. Stopping for a meal at a restaurant (including Saigon) makes more sense then spending roughly the same money or more on junk food at the theatre. I’ll have a snack if I’m at Vic Theatre, Sidney’s Star Cinema, or even UVic’s Cinecenta but if it’s a big corporation owned movie house like Silvercity, I put my money where I think it’ll do the most good, with the mom and pop food operations.

E: Mind you, that doesn’t stop James from getting sweetened yogurt from within the theatre operation. One large bowl of pho’ later, he was on dessert faster than I could swipe my SCENE card to see a film for free. That’s including trying to hear him say yes to my offer to treat him to the movies for the night. Mind you, when it comes to the drinks from this restaurant, I can go through a glass of pineapple juice in no time!

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02.03.16
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Buffing Up at Szechuan City Restaurant

IMG_20150530_200442390Szechuan City Buffet
110 Burnside Road East
Saanich, BC
(250) 386-2288

J: I’m always raving about May Gold Village at every opportunity, their food ranks from average to above average and the service is great. But when it comes to my own personal experiences with buffets, there are others more experienced than I. Hope Key is another one I like for their friendly atmosphere (and their loft I can escape to when I want some privacy) but neither of them can compare to Szechuan City on a Saturday night.

Ed and I hit this place at night one hour before their closing all because of a co-worker’s obsession with chicken balls. This man I am sure is on a never-ending quest for buffets with decent helpings of the chicken kind. He’s snubbed May Gold for lacking what other buffets provide but he loves Szechuan City because they serve really good chicken balls. I swear my co-worker’s knowledge on the subject must rival Forest Gump‘s Bubba Blue’s knowledge of shrimp.

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01.30.16
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Local Tsukino-Con Reveals Kensho Ono as Japanese Voice Guest

Originally published by Otaku no Culture.

KenshoOnoVictoria’s local anime and cosplay convention has managed to obtain a Japanese idol for their guest list. Last night Tsukino-Con announced on their official Facebook page that voice actor-singer Kensho Ono will be attending their event.

Ono has already racked up an impressive number of credits to his resume. Muggles will know Ono as the Japanese voice over for the lead character of the Harry Potter films but anime fans will know Ono as Tetsuya Kuroko from the series Kuroko no Basket. In the more recent animated series Ono has voiced Souji Okita on Bakumatsu Rock (where he also sang the series opener), Slaine Troyard of Aldnoah.Zero, and Mikaela Hyakuya in Owari no Seraph.

Ono has also appeared in a number of Japanese films and television programs including Hôtai Club (2007), Dive!! (2008), Kujira no Ita Natsu (2014), and Fuji TV’s Senjou no Yuubinhaitatsu (2006).

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01.21.16
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Tsukino-Con Announces Voice Actress Sarah Anne Williams!

Sarah_WilliamsWith all that has happened in 2015 it is good to see fandom on Vancouver Island can still rely on Victoria’s annual anime convention Tsukino-Con. And when it comes to experiencing a weekend escape I believe Tsukio-Con knows all too well what kind of distractions their con goers want. That could be why they have announced the addition of special guest, voice artist Sarah Anne Williams.

Williams has worked as a voice artist for English dubs of Japanese animation and video games since as early as 2009. Williams’ first title was as Ayumi Tokita from Shinryaku! Ika Musume. Her other anime credits include Sayaka Miki in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Kozuki ‘Niko’ Yuniko in Accel World, Lisbeth in Sword Art Online, Nonon Jakuzure of Kill La Kill, and Sayu Hisanuma in Nagi no Asukara. Williams’ video game works include Jinx in the League of Legends, Angel Death in Wasteland 2, and she’ll be voicing Aaa in the upcoming Freedom Planet 2.

Tsukino-Con will be held on the grounds of the University of Victoria from February 12 – 14, 2016. To purchase tickets, please visit Tsukino-Con’s official website here.

Originally published on Otakunoculture.com