Tag Archives: Victoria

02.17.14
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[Victoria Film Festival ’14] Trading an Oyster in for a Film


614 Humboldt St. 
Victoria, BC 
(250) 385-4512

No Victoria Film Festival party can be complete without a trip to the Oyster Bar or Spinnakers. Both have been long time supporters of this show, and sometimes they are the venues for one of the many parties going on, past and present. The brew pub even caters and the hors d’oeuvres I get to try out are always exceptional, but sometimes it’s just the deserts, namely their ice cream in the springtime, that I’m really after. No matter what the treat, these little bites always knock it right out of the park.

And that should be the size raw oysters should be sampled in. The Victoria Film Festival’s Gala Event often serves these tasty treats, but I had to wonder where they came from. I’m assuming the Oyster Bar, and a visit here was definitely on the must hit list.

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01.23.14
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You Don’t Need To Be A Japanophile To Like Shiki

Shiki Sushi
1113 Blanshard St. 
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 381-8622

E: I’ve been to Shiki Sushi more times than James has with his attempts to get out to Sidney. But in a miracle of miracles, to convince him to head here when dinner options were minimal within a certain square block was not too hard. I didn’t realize there were a few new menu items, and for once, I didn’t do all you can eat.

J: I really wanted to visit the Noodle Cart after we failed to dine at Pinoy. Ed said Shiki was “pricey.”

I was trying to find excuses not to go in and Ed was offering to pay for 1/4 of the bill. That’s a Scotsman for you. My first impression was its dimly lit interior. Perhaps it was because of the daylight or maybe I still needed time for my eyes to adjust.

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01.14.14
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Sookjai: The Gem of Antiques Row

Sookjai Thai
893 Fort St.
Victoria, BC 
(250) 383-9945

E: Sometimes it’s difficult to find appetizing food from the southern Asian region. When the choices are basically Vietnamese, Malaysian or Filipino, Victoria does have the gambit covered. But James and I wandered up north, along Fort Street, to find a gem of a restaurant, Sookjai Thai — and one cute waitress too.

J: Go for the food, stay for the waitress, huh?

Sookjai has been on the scene since 2003 when the restaurant switched owners. The previous occupant (using a different business name) ran the place as an Italian restaurant.

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12.31.13
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King Sejong: Downtown’s Korean Greasy Spoon


King Sejong
650 Yates St.
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 382-1289

J: It’s always nice to have dinner and a movie when one is planning an evening in the greater Victoria downtown area. On this particular night my friend Ed and myself were highly anticipating a movie we planned to review for Otaku no Culture. But it only made sense to eat at a simple diner rather than spend almost $20 on overpriced theatre snacks. And since I can never drag Ed into Sushi Plus ever again, I chose King Sejong, a Korean restaurant on Yates across from the ol’ A&B Sound building.

They call this a restaurant but I would call it more a diner. It’s a greasy spoon in every detail right down to the booths with customers’ initials carved on tabletops.

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11.03.13
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Azuma: Busiest Doesn’t Mean Best

Azuma Sushi
615 Yates St.
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 382-8768

E: I think James and I need a TARDIS the next time we plan for having a bite before going to see a theatrical production. We got into town at the right time, but when I was out looking for a collectible Superman coin from the Royal Canadian Mint and James insisted at a stop at Audio Video Reply, I was uncertain if we’d have time to have a proper dinner before going to the Rocky Horror Show.

Within the line of sight, I eyed Azuma Sushi. Now this place is popular … but I have to ask, to what community and who really likes to eat here? I doubt Dr. Frank n’ Furter would want to go here.

J: I think if Ed hadn’t managed to snatch that last silver coin of Superman from Canada Post (it was the display), his night would have been not as bright as it was. Ed brought me to Azuma and I’m going to be honest, it’s not my first choice for dining. It might look busy and the interior looked well designed but as I have learned a number of times before, that means nothing if they can’t get the food right. And for Azuma, it wasn’t just the food.

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10.29.13
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Cart on Over for Noodles!

Noodle Cart
1018 Blanshard St.
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 477-3883

E: For once, James did not lead me astray from finding good food. When he said, “Let’s go to the Noodle Cart,” I had visions of an operation similar to The Noodle Box, which I don’t care much for these days. Well, when considering this operation is run by a franchise operation Little Thai, I did have some reservations.

J: I’ve had previous experience with the Noodle Cart. A quest to grab some eats before a concert at Christ Church Cathedral lead me to sample their food. I was floored. I knew then this place needed reviewing. I don’t care if it’s a franchise, at least it appears to be a local franchise. The decor of this place is amazing. I would love to know who did all the artistry for this establishment.

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