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After what I would classify a horrendous food/service experience at Tigh-Na-Mara’s Cedar Room in 2011, I was slightly hesitate to go back for another dinner. With that said, the Sunday brunch we had a few months ago was absolutely amazing, so there was certainly some hope that a second dinner would go better than the [...]

My partner and I recently celebrated our engagement with family and friends and one of our lovely friends gave us a gift certificate to the Fireside Grill here in Victoria. I was thinking up a nice date night idea and thought that it was the perfect occasion for Brendan and I to use the gift [...]

Yes, food is like fashion. There are some trends that chefs and restaurants have to follow to please their customers trough out the seasons and they are classics that are never to disappear from our tables.  Here is a list of ingredients that I think are mostly “in” the game or are gaining  in popularity. Fact: I am crazy [...]

If you attended Victoria’s Culinaire 2011, you’ll understand why I am so excited about Culinaire 2012, to the extent that I am writing about it before 2012 even starts! 2012 marks Culinaire’s third year and although I only had the opportunity to attend the second annual event, that was enough of an experience to ensure [...]

I know, I’m excited too! I mean, how often can you use the words “Victoria” and “budget” in the same sentence?! So it’s that time of year again – time to start planning various Holiday events. Office parties, family get-togethers… for this article, I have chosen three local venues that I can personally recommend for [...]

After several visits to Tigh-Na-Mara’s Cedar Room, we were really impressed. Unfortunately, it didn’t start that way… While in Nanaimo for a weekend of work, my partner and I decided to treat his Dad and Step-Mom with a nice dinner in the Cedar Room at the Tigh-Na-Mara Resort in Parksville. Brendan and I had never [...]

Morels are strange looking mushrooms. At first glance, most might doubt that they actually are mushrooms because of their dark, honeycomb structure, often described as brain-like. Okay, brain-like does not sound appetizing but trust me, they are so good. Morels have a flavour that is rich and earthy. Their texture is meaty and satisfying, and [...]

The 7th Annual Cowichan Wine & Culinary Festival will be presenting a Wine Symposium at the Malaspina University’s NEW Cowichan Campus on Saturday, September 17th and Sunday, September 18th. The Symposium will feature special guest speaker, author John Schreiner, Canada’s most prolific writer of books on wine. He has written 15 books on the subject since his first [...]

On September 14 – 18, 2011, the Cowichan Valley is hosting the Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival. Twenty-six participants will be showcasing their top wines, beers, or ciders, as well as delicious taste bud-tickling treats. You can either pick up or download a map so you can plan out your epicurean trek through the Cowichan [...]

I was inspired by the glimpse of cold weather we just experienced earlier than supposed (thanks to Irene) to make a classic comfort food dish from Quebec. The “shepherd pie” that we actually call “Pâté Chinois” in French, translating literally to “Chinese pie.” There is nothing Chinese about it and we are not sure where that name came from; [...]