Tag Archives: Vancouver Island

04.15.15
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Tea Amongst White Heather’s Hoi Polloi

WhiteHeather1White Heather Tea Room
1885 Oak Bay Ave.
Oak Bay, BC
(250) 595-8020

J: Ed and I were returning to one of my favourite municipalities, Oak Bay, and in this municipality is one of the jewels of the many locally owned businesses, the White Heather Tea Room. I wanted Ed to experience their service, the food and the atmosphere of what had wowed me before. I stopped for tea with sandwiches and pastries last year. And though I didn’t review the place, I couldn’t say one bad thing against this establishment.

With Ed in tow, I thought it deserved scrutinizing under the eyes of the Two Hungry Blokes.

E: Quite often, I’d ask James, “So why don’t you move there?”

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04.14.15
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Camosun College’s Comics Arts Festival ’15

Originally published on Otaku No Culture by Ed Sum

CCAF2015PosterCamosun’s Comic Arts Festival (CCAF) is growing, and just what this event does is to put ownership back to the artists who decided to make the visual storytelling medium their career. It’s been used as old as time, since the caveman days, to tell a story on a surface. In Ancient Egypt, the paintings on the tombs can evoke a magic like quality to help the deceased continue on to the Afterlife. The immortality is not just with their souls’ journey but also with how their legacy upholds when their life is told in illustrative form.

Interestingly enough, one of the students, Raphaël Pirenne, takes inspiration from this land, and will be hoping he creates a comic out of it.

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03.25.15
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The Service Is Lacking Its Bloom at Purple Garden

Purple Garden Img_1080

Purple Garden Chinese Restaurant
#138-1551 Cedar Hill X Rd.
Saanich, BC
(250) 477-8866

E: There are times where I wonder if finding a good Chinese style buffet is even possible. I have memories of going to Raymond’s Restaurant and Szechuan City, Both are decent. With Purple Garden now added to the list — which has been doing buffet for just as long — is it even possible for the quality to go lower? Must I order dishes just to get some awesome sauce?

J: I think the problem for Ed and I is that we arrived near the end of the lunch rush. The food tasted old. That’s to be expected with barely any new food put out. The service was even lacking.

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03.21.15
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When Pulling Into Harbour, You Leave the Sailor at Sea

Harbour House Restaurant
607 Oswego St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 386-1244

E: I could get used to dining at the swanky Harbour House. One benefit for tourists is that it’s barely a hop, skip and a jump away from The Clipper and the nearby hotels in the bustling Inner Harbour of Victoria, BC. If I’m sounding like an ad, then yeah, that’s the purpose. Forget the Old Spaghetti Factory. Come here instead!

J: Harbour House has been providing fine dining in Victoria for 37 years. Their motto at the door is “We dress up so you don’t have to” and it couldn’t be closer to the truth. Our server was dressed in a tuxedo with bow tie for the finishing touch. If he had said “walk this way” and then waddled like an adelie penguin I might’ve walked the same manner due to the posh interior of the restaurant. But don’t worry, the prices aren’t as posh as one would expect.

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03.11.15
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Cowichan Bay Seafood: Food Prepped Before Your Eyes

Cowichan Bay Seafood
#12 – 1701 Douglas St.
Victoria Public Market
The Hudson
Victoria, B.C.
(778) 433-4385

E: Yes, I know where I want to retire should I ever strike it rich. Cowichan Bay is the home to beautiful scenic views and scrumptious foods. I’ve been up there a few times to enjoy the former, but for the latter, the trips were not long enough to find where the good eateries are. To see Cowichan Bay Seafood in full operation at the Victoria Public Market, selling products from this region, has me salivating in delight. Oh, all those spot prawns … or should I say Dungeness?

J: I was fortunate enough to visit Cowichan Bay, it’s a sleepy little town that I bet gets sleepier during the winter. It has a great close-knit community that I can’t ignore. I could see this community being a possibility for retirement. I could learn to love the peace and quiet and the great shops along the waterline. But for now I’ll get acquainted with the local food by eating Dungeness crab in a sub with chipotle aioli. This research is very hard work.

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03.03.15
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Tracking GottaCon’s Foodie & Game A-Fair? It’s a Deadbeetz.

GottaCon has shifted in direction for the 2015 year, and that’s to make use of all the available spaces as possible for their gaming fair. For such a dramatic shift, I’m surprised they did not have a huge banner across the Victoria Conference Centre to say we are here. I really like the design of their new logo in their program guide, and I was sad to not see this plumage advertising this event to this city at large at this building or across the street at the Crystal Gardens.

Although my interests for this show have faded, to wonder if they chose wisely for which food trucks to bring can make for some interesting allusions. Do gamers need more grease for those late night munchies? When I didn’t spot or smell these operations running on a Friday evening before Geekenders‘ Star Wars Burlesque Show, I suspect not. They might have been running, but there was no spotlight on them to let curiousity seekers know. The same can be said for GottaCon’s presence. Without a huge banner, many passers-by will pass them by. Sandwich boards just will not do. Not many people really take a bite at that kind of street advertising.

During a beautiful sunny day (Saturday) when the air is crisp and I was nearby, my nostrils certainly wanted to sniff out the operations. Thankfully, the trucks were advertising their hours. But I did notice a particular trend: of the three trucks, two of them were serving mostly burgers. Thankfully, James and I provided a more robust listing of various eateries around the area so attendees can grab sandwiches or sushi if they wanted to.

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