Tag Archives: Vancouver Island

04.29.15
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Underclassed and Underdressed at Fireside Grill

Fireside Grill
4509 West Saanich Rd.
Royal Oak District
Saanich, BC
(250) 479-1222

J: When it comes to ghost hunting, Ed never likes to visit a heritage place on an empty stomach. I guess that is why we visited the Fireside Grill.

The tales this building’s owners could tell could make for some interesting pages in a local history book. But I was more interested in the food. Call me uninterested but if we pulled up in the Mystery Van, I would be looking to make myself a hero sandwich rather than looking for clues.

E: Yeah, James can pretty much be like the Shaggy to any Scooby gang should he ever decide to join one. He’s a coward when dealing with spooks but I will gladly try to shake an entity’s hand. Even if I visited a haunted house, I’m willing to bet I’ll find him in the kitchen sooner than later while I go scouting the premises in hopes something supernatural may present itself.

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04.22.15
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Let Me Sing a ‘Fig’aro and I’ll Be Back for More

Fig Mediterranean Delicatessen
1551 Cedar Hill Cross Road
Gordon Head
Saanich, BC
(250) 727-3632

Just where Cedar Hill Cross Road, Shelbourne and Cedar Hill meet is a mecca for lunch, and every regional delight is represented here. There’s 1550’s, Kuma Noodle, Young Young and Fig Delicatessen. The latter is often missed because it’s a deli. Who would’ve thought this market has a huge kitchen inside and the scents is a delight when you’re hungry.

To miss out on this hidden gem will mean hungry students will miss out in the best of what Mediterranean food has to offer. There’s bins of candied fruits, plenty of nuts, a treasure trove of spices, and scented olives to feast upon visually. It doesn’t feel as crowded as Blair Mart Mediterranean Foods downtown, and with this place very close to where I live, I don’t have to travel far when the mood hits me. Nearly all the countries surrounding the Mediterranean are represented here, and yes they have homemade Turkish delights!

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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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