Tag Archives: Vancouver Island

06.21.14
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Victoria’s Foodie Friday Recap with The Race for the Golden Scallop

Victoria 2nd Annual Foodie Film Festival
June 20-23

The Oak Bay Beach Hotel‘s fabulous Chef Ian Rennie prepared a delectable taste-testing extravaganza with mini fried fish cakes that was very tangy to the senses and some excellently made mini-portions of halibut and fries (accented perfectly with cilantro). Both are to die for. These were not fries, but frites! These thinly slices morsels had all the right soft and crispy textures to define a fried potato. And the fish was fresher than catching it out of the ocean yourself.

These morsels helped kickstart the later evening of Victoria Film Festival’s Annual Foodie Film Fest. The first film offered was Jadoo: Kings of Curry, and one festive film monger couldn’t want and previewed it through VoD for a teaser for what’s to come. With this show now into its second year, this summer program is definitely going to be a delightful annual event.

Today, three more films (none of them sold out at time of press) and mouth-watering foodie delights will soon be offered. If last night was any indication, yes, even the Two Hungry Blokes may need a third stomach to handle everything that’s offered. Sadly, even we need a break but will return to look at the final day of the festivities.

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06.17.14
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Victoria’s 2nd Annual Foodie Film Festival, Jadoo, Kings of Curry

84min

David Foster Foundation Theatre
Oak Bay Beach Hotel

June 20 at 5:30pm

The Simpsons can learn a thing or two about how to repair old familial wounds in Jadoo: Kings of Curry. When a feud splits two brothers — two professional chefs — and their respective families apart, just what will it take to bring them back together? A marriage.

Shalini (Amara Karan) and Mark (Sleepy Hollow’s Tom Mison) are in love and Shalini’s hope is to have a large wedding that both her dad, Raja (Harish Patel), and uncle, Jagi (Kulvinder Ghir), can cook together. But when they are accusing each other of treachery, just exactly what they are angry at each other for is as mysterious as the country that they hail from: India.

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06.07.14
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Victoria’s 2nd Annual Foodie Film Festival, Zone Pro Site: The Movable Feast

145min

David Foster Foundation Theatre
Oak Bay Beach Hotel

Saturday • June 21 at 5:00pm

Plenty of hilarity and nostalgia can be found in a theatrical culinary odyssey that looks at the “catering” business in Taiwan.
 
Zone Pro Site: The Movable Feast shows how a good nostalgic soundtrack can highlight the silliness that’s found in this film, and when this film has a zaniness of a classic Stephen Chow movie, perhaps Taiwanese director Chen Yu-hsun (陳玉勳) should pair up with him to show what two well respected visionaries can do. The only difference is that Chow has recognition outside of China. He’s known internationally for films like Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. 
 

Their two styles are similar as both filmmakers have a perchance for creating the absurd. Yu-Hsun may not be as well known outside of his home country, and as long as word of mouth continues to praise Zone Pro Site, he may start to get recognition on this side of the Pacific.

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06.05.14
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Jon Favreau’s “Chef” Cooks Up a Delightful Family-Bonding Film

Writer/Director/Actor Jon Favreau certainly has a knack for creating whimsically hilarious movies. He does a better job at films like Swingers and Iron Man than he is with Cowboys & Aliens. But perhaps, that’s because some titles are more ready-made for mass appeal than others. His latest film, Chef, cooks up a delightful tale about Carl Casper (Favreau), a renowned Los Angeles chef who prefers to create gastronomic delights over following the rules.

When he is often challenging restaurant owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman) about what to offer in every night’s top menu selection, he is eventually going to lose his job. When he blows up in front of top food critic Ramsey Michel (nicely played by Oliver Platt), he’s going to need a new line of work.

Thanks to television programs like Eat St. to show foodies where to find fantastic food, the revolution is with chefs who prefer to work their own magic through the window of a food truck. Some do not have the finances to run a proper bistro, so that’s why being portable helps. This film is making its rounds to festivals and theatres around the world to show that touring is a better option.

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04.15.14
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You Take the Hylands…

Hyland’s Fish and Chips
10153 Resthaven Dr.
Sidney, BC
(250) 656-4435

E: Sometimes a random trip to the middle of nowhere in the town of Sidney is good. James was given a tip about where to find some good seafood chowder, and we had a bit of a problem finding Hyland’s Fish and Chips.

Fortunately, in this township, the free Wifi along the main strip made our hunt easier. We are not excellent trackers by any means, so one Google Maps search later, we located our destination and it was only a couple of blocks away from the main drag.

J: Ed could’ve fooled me with the way he kept asking me if we were there yet. I should have left him cold and hungry on a Sidney street corner, for some granny on a scooter to drive over him.

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03.18.14
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Going Back in Time with 1550’s

1550 Cedar Hill Cross Rd
Saanich, BC 
(250) 472-0047

E: 1550’s is one of those cozy bistros which will send diners back in time and if Back to the Future fans will recall, that’s where George McFly met his son, Marty, and he would not attempt to date Lorraine Baines until Marty dressed up as a nuclear suited version of Darth Vader.

Interestingly enough, on the drinks list was a drink of the same name. Coincidence?

J: At first I thought it was an alcoholic drink so strong that it would give you a force choke. But there is no such luck because it doesn’t contain any alcohol. It’s similar to a Shirley Temple and has fruity ingredients, hardly a drink for a Sith Lord and more suitable for a Hollywood child star with curls.

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