A "Driggers" E.'s Profile

"I don't need to avoid gluten," you say.  Well I said it too, but I am a curious monkey, and here is what I discovered.

First of all, this place is loads nicer than the "Chemical free wrap joint" that used to occupy the same space (see my review of that one).  They now have soft background music, a couch to sit on, as well as tables and chairs, and art on the walls.  The owner is very friendly, and eager to accomodate, since they are trying to establish clientele.  She is the mothering european type, who makes you smile as she fusses about your comfort.

The owner says she wants people to spend the day drinking coffee and working with the free wifi.  I didn't see anyone doing it, but it didn't seem like so bad a place for it.

The food, yes yes, the food!  The menu is brief, and written in coloured chalk, on a board installed on the wall.  There is a focus on Gluten Free, but the food can also be made Vegan.  There is a case with small quiches and pastries, and personal pizzas that are heated to order.  In addition, they make delicious wraps.  The coffee is provided by Fernwood Roasters (a reputable supplier, but not as good as Café Fantastico's, a half a block away), and it tasted fresh.

I ordered a Vegan wrap, which has tofu and Daiya (a delicious vegan cheese with no soy or gluten, that melts like real cheese).  The food portion was a bit small, but it came with a side of salad and the taste and healthiness made up for its size.

They also sell a few Vegan and Gluten Free items, some of which can be found across the street at Fairways.  It is a good place to ask about V and GF cooking.  I recommend Santé to anyone curious about V or GF food, and to people wanting a working coffee shop with healthy  and delicious food choices.  (needless to say, you should check it out if you are a celiac).

I did find, however, that the food took a while to make (it was only a wrap), and that they need some bigger items on display.  The gravy train is going to come from people stepping in to grab lunch while at work, or on errands at Quadra Village, and if they see nothing but tiny quiches, and dietary restricted food, they might not even stop to try it.  And then when they order something larger, they won't come back if it takes 10 minutes and they are still hungry after they leave.

Wow!  I went there on Yelp's recommendation today, and it was wonderful.  Had a seafood soup, medium spicy, and everything was perfectly cooked.  Not over, not under.  The coffee was not very good, however, but the balance of flavours in the soup - spicy, tangy, sweet - was wonderful.  

The atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious.  The restaurant has a piano in the corner, and various Sri Lankan souvenirs and art litter the walls and floor.  The owners appear to be there making food, and the staff is friendly, showing an affection for the place.  

It is part of a larger building just off Fort street, and is easy to miss because of that.

I recommend it!  They have a website too: http://cafeceylon.ca

I love Swan's for the same reason I love coloured food sprinkles.  The pub's dance floor can be seen (and heard) from the indoor patio, through glass windows.  This is the perfect recipe for watching people of all ages swing dance their butts off.  Seeing a 60 year hold sweating and giggling and laughing, and proclaiming that they have not had so much fun in 20 years, is like watching the happiness of coloured sprinkles leak their dyes onto delicious vanilla cupcakes.

It is a brew pub, and I like their beer (but I'm not a connoisseur), and they have yam fries.  

The patio is great for conversation and people watching, while the inside is good for dancing.  

They have an attached restaurant, hotel, and private eating/meeting rooms.

The service varies, but doesn't present anything out of the ordinary.

I shop at this store at least once a week for all kinds of things, from marine gear for my mini trimaran sail boat, to acrylic sheets for making sculptures.  The staff is quite knowledgeable about plastics and glue, and they are almost all very willing to help me plod through my latest project with me, and explain how to do things.

They have many things that regular hardware stores simply do not carry, like 10 or 20 types/brands of epoxy and fiberglass resin, not to mention every glue you could want for gluing plastic.  They also have various generic (foodsafe) containers and acrylic display cases.

This store is a must see for any do-it-yourselfer, because they have products and ideas that you won't find at a general hardware store.

This place is consistently FANTASTIC.  I have never had a bad cup of coffee here, the people are fun to watch, the art changes frequently and is entertaining, the baristas are nothing short of drink-making experts, the furniture is fun and full of character... I could go on but before I bore you with a long list I must say something about the roaster.

Watching through the door to their roasting room, I could see a clean cut, slightly retro-styled man of about thirty in front of the coffee roaster.  He wore a pair of ear muffs to protect him from the noise and he was bent over the roaster's dispenser, scrutinizing output with a bright light.  Taking beans out, smelling them, separating them etc.  It made me feel almost as if the $15 a pound I pay for espresso there is too little!  I had been told that their roaster was meticulous, but this was beyond what I had imagined.

Lastly, they have some Jamaican Blue Mountain peaberry beans for about $50 a pound.  I haven't tried it, but it's good to know that fancy stuff is available.  (fyi, coffee beans are usually two halves but about 5% of them are not.  These rounder berries, called peaberry, are selected more carefully and supposedly roast more evenly because they roll around better.  Jamaican Blue Mountain also happens to be a particularly fine bean.)

Open 'till 3am!

They lost a star because they have televisions in the restaurant and they are lacking a stylish feel that you get from, say, a late night Richmond chinese restaurant.  Also, their bubble teas are not fresh fruit (at least not in the winter).  Some of the food was a bit bland.  Okay, they get 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Their menu is incredible, full colour pictures for every dish.  Very fun to browse and many options.

Maybe I'll flesh this out a little later.

When I moved to Victoria I had to find a place before seeing it and arrive part way through the month.  I was able to do all this with OI, using my credit card.  Since it was the off season I could get a monthly rate.

OI is managed and maybe partly owned by the owner's son.  I suggest you ignore the paradox there and read on, because I'm not going to fix it.  The owner's son, named Kevin is a medium short, light olive skinned man in his late twenties.  The top of his head is thickly carpeted with well tended black hair forming loose curls which would bounce a little for anyone's walk but his.  His narrow, serious looking expression is adorned with thick framed square spectacles which slip on the sweat that forms under them as he agonizes over the placement of the latest decoration or sign.

But all of this pays off, because OI is a very organized and clean hostel in a cool old building.  Some rooms are big, some are small, some are shared and some are in an elevator shaft.  No joke, my friend lived in one of these for six months.  The shaft-rooms have storage under the bed with just enough space to open the door.  This may seem complicated, but all the rooms are described with their prices on the very good OI website http://www.oceanisland.../.  The decor (other than the masks) and colours are pleasing with their asian statues and green and pink motif.  All decorations, paint and signs look new and shiny.  The staff is very helpful and friendly (including Kevin, once you talk to him).

The gas-stove kitchen is very large and gets cleaned every night.  Beside it is an eating area, a café and a little bar.  These things being in the same place makes it easy to meet new people (a thing most travelers want to do), but at the same time some corners are more quiet and perfect for sitting on a comfy couch and reading a book.

Three more things.

1.  They offer a work for stay program.  3 hours of cleaning gets a you a dorm room.

2.  The wifi is expensive and it sucks AAAAAAASSSSSSSSS  (and that is where they lost their star).

3.  They are very strict on alcohol and/or smoking and partying in the rooms.  If you do this and someone complains against you, they will kick you out after very few warnings.

bringing them back to three stars.  after the story I told in my last update, they wrote to me and apologized.  So, at least the management cares...

Such a gem!  We unwittingly walked in at closing time to find that they were happy to have us to buy and eat there even while they closed up shop.  The first thing that I noticed is that there is a play area and the decor is painted by children.  There were also several people with their children.

The tiny cupcakes are enormously cute with their giant gobs of floofy icing piled in a a couple of different creative ways.  They have the perfect size and look to be very appealing to a child.  The shop serves silk roads tea.

I'm glad I stumbled across this place!

The place has a very low profile.  The kind you would miss walking by it 100 times.  I went here to see a jazz quartet with some friends and was greeted at the door by a kind man wearing a smoking jacket and a frilly peach vintage shirt.  After a few words with him about his fantastic attire I went in and sat down.  

The tables were filled mostly with middle aged adults enjoying conversation and listening to the jazz.  The interior consists of pleasant bricks framed by large beams of wood, decorated with various pictures and musical instruments.  The lights, of course, are dim and the place has a full bar.  

There is no pretension about fancy evening wear or smarmy, pushy young waitresses in black mini skirts.  Instead, there is one middle aged waitress who doubles as the bartender and an older man to help her.  My first drink could would have come faster had the place not been so full, however, I was content with the bartender's demeanor and friendliness when she did eventually come to our table and the drinks themselves were satisfactory.  I had a gin martini and a santa isabel cabernet.  They tasted fine but I should say that she didn't cool the martini glass and the wine was a bit chilly.

The pub fair appeared to be standard.  I had nachos with a delicious spinach and artichoke cheese dip.

Beside us was a group of 15 italians celebrating a birthday party.  The bar tender brought them a cake and kept them well lubricated and finally the whole bar, including our table, sang happy birthday to them.  I liked this scene.

I would recommend this pleasant place for a group or a date or just a jazz listener.