Fox & Hounds - classic UK pub in...Ladysmith!

A British pub....in Ladysmith....in the old hardware store.
Yep.
Really.
The Fox & Hounds in Ladysmith has all the makings of a real British pub - dark tudor decor, ordering at the bar, bangers & mash on the menu....

It's quite unassuming  from the front - so keep an eye out for the pub sign on the building or the sandwich board on the sidewalk.

But once you're inside...

Mosi - Breakfast, with a side of Italy

Another revolving restaurant door is about to stop with the opening of Mosi on West Saanich Rd and Prospect Lake Rd/Sparton Rd.

If you long for the fabulous'ness of the original La Collina (remember pizza and pasta nights at the original Cedar Hill location?) - then you'll want to head out for breakfast or lunch at Mosi. It's run by the same family.

Their Italian roots are authentic - there's a photo on the wall of the owner's grandmother....

The Ruby - breakfast at the Zed

You've probably noticed the brightly repainted Hotel Zed across from Mayfair Mall on Douglas...well, now there's a great new restaurant on the property - The Ruby.

They may not be the Corner Gas version with Lacey & her chili dogs…

Mamie Taylor's - YVR Chinatown brunch, hold the dim sum

Breakfast in the big city - Vancouver to be exact, in Chinatown - but hold those dumplings. This feast had nary a shui mai or har gow....

Only the address of Mamie Taylor's would make you think the food would lean towards Asian - once you're inside. There are certain hints to suggest what lays waiting for you.

Keep your eyes peeled for it as you stroll East Georgia....

Wheelies Motorcycle Cafe - high-gear it over

Located in unassuming Rock Bay 'hood (between the garages, office furniture warehouses and fastner outlets) sits Wheelies Motorcycle Cafe.  Previously an actual garage (home to an honest mechanic who worked on my car), it's been, well, transformed into a cafe-come-custom-garage-come-general-cool-moto-hangout.

Cafe on the right, custom-garage on the left.

At the cafe you can saddle up to the barstools, tuck into the booth or, if the weather is stellar, get sun-baked on their patio. Inside the space the walls are covered in rough cut wood and decorated with vintage posters, magazines and helmets. And on one wall: a small screen, with classic motorcycle movies projected onto it (think Easy Rider and the like).

Empress Hotel Bengal Room - Curry buffet & all the trimmings

The Empress Hotel is really a stunning setting for meals - whether you're in the tapestry laden tea lobby for afternoon tea, the dark wood-paneled formal Empress room for dinner or in the British Indian decorated Bengal Room for a fancy cocktail and a light (or more substantial) bite to eat.

Bengal Lounge entrance

The interior is has a library or reading room feel to it, with a touch of safari....

TUC Craft Kitchen - make friends with the new(er) kid in town.

Another Vancouver trip....another great restaurant to eat at. It's a tough hobby, but someone's gotta…well eat and talk about it.

TUC is a new'ish restaurant near Gastown on West Cordova St. (they've just marked a year in business). Sandwiched in between the Army & Navy and the Woodward's condos.

The space is very "loft" feeling - with high ceilings, exposed pipes, reclaimed wood and neon sign art (think cool, partial cafe sign, not eye-rolling MillerTime).

Bao Bei - Dim Sum Tapas & some fabulous cocktails

Another Vancouver entry - to a place we've been wanting to visit for a while....Bao Bei, located in Chinatown in Vancouver - on Keefer St, about half way between Columbia and Main St.

French brasserie meets Chinatown.

The Chinese part has some cheeky cards in the restaurant to help you with…

But they are serious about the food, the space and the cocktails…

Rathskeller Schnitzel House - it's Oktoberfest every day!

You've driven by, probably a million times.

You may have even eaten there…. YEARS ago.

It's still the same - a traditional German restaurant in food, decor and hospitality - which they've been doing for over 40 years at the corner of Quadra & View.

And if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This is a place you'd call "classic"...

Tre Fantastico - fantastic cubed.

This is not a coffee review - I will leave that to the professionals out there.

I'm all about the food.

And this is all about the breakfast.

A short and sweet review for a small & sweet place.

Most people that I mention Tre Fantastico to, have either a) been and loved it or  b) don't believe there's a coffee-house there and fire-up Google street view. But don't be frightened - it's easy to find, just surprising to some that it's there.

Tre Fantastico is located in the Parkside Resort on Humboldt Street - where their cosy patio is shaded by huge trees and their view is across to the gardens and buildings of St. Ann's. You'll easily forget you're half a block from Blanshard St.

Yes, that's it…..Tre Fantastico!

Building on the strong base of Caffe Fantastico coffee and their coffee-houses around town - this location is licensed and has a small kitchen that cranks out great food. You can stop in for coffee & a muffin, a local brew & grilled sausage, a glass of peninsula wine & a charcuterie plate or….well, the list goes on (and there's gourmet popcorn too!)

Fiamo Italian Kitchen - it's Dine Around again!

We're coming to the last few days of Dine-Around and have landed at Fiamo Italian Kitchen.

A nostalgic stop, as this was one of my first blogging entries…but I digress.

Even though I'm making this recount fast and short (and there's only a few more days to take advantage of Tourism Victoria's Dine-Around promotion) it's not like Fiamo's is going anywhere - so use this dinner review the way Dine-Around is intended - get your interest peeked (or your memory jogged) about eating out at one of the great restaurants that this city has.

Now onto the food.

Catalano - and let there be brunch

Catalano Restaurant and Cicchetti Bar is located in/beside the Magnolia Hotel at Courtney St. and Gordon St., just a block up from the Empress Hotel.  Many restaurants have graced this space ($teak, steak, pub, etc) so it was exciting to hear that two veteran restaurants (Ferris' Oyster Bar & The Tapa Bar) would be partnering to open up something new and different. Touches from each restaurant can be found here at Catalano.

The interior has been spruced up - the entrance is more open and the bold coloured paintings & wood finishes give a warm feeling throughout.

North 48 - modern diner, no hat required

North 48 Restaurant is the recently opened reinvention of The Black Hat Bistro. Tucked away at the corner of Langley and Broughton - just a block off Government - it's open six days a week for dinner and four days for lunches.

North 48 at Langley & Broughton

The space is still decorated in dark warm tones and the leather chairs and thick wooden tables have been joined by a few banquettes in the middle of the room that break up the space nicely. There's a well stocked bar at the back…

Stage Wine Bar - tasty little Fernwood bites

Stage Wine Bar is a lovely little small-plates restaurant tucked away in Fernwood (and as a foodie sidebar - this small intersection of Fernwod Road and Gladstone Avenue has some incredible noshing destinations: Ca Va, Norte, Stage....but I digress).

Stage Wine Bar on Gladstone Ave

Four of us dropped into Stage recently for dinner before a concert nearby. The inside of the restaurant is simple with high ceilings, a large bar near the front and several tables along both the long brick wall and the half kitchen wall.

Jam - they're worth the wait

Jam Cafe in Victoria is a great little breakfast spot on Herald Street.

It's no secret though....

When you arrive, it may look like the picture on the left....or, if it's the weekend and you're arriving at peak brunch time - you may take part in the photo on the right.

All quiet on the Western front (aka 8am)

An eager crowd awaits, 8:05.....kidding (more like 9:05)

Once you're inside - great things await you...

Portlandia - Toro Bravo....Bravo! Bravo!

We have set off on a road trip.
And we are eating well.

Portland, here we are. We have missed you. Your food trucks. Your donuts. Your fabulous biking culture. But back to the food.

This stop for us in Portland doesn't target the famous food trucks (sometimes one needs to check brick & mortar places off the list as well). Our first meal is dinner and we're lucky enough to be staying within walking distance of Toro Bravo, a Spanish tapas restaurant, brought to us by the same folks who run Tasty & Sons and Tasty & Alder. First night walk by posed a 90min wait for an inside table and a significant amount of 'table-shark' hovering for the 1st-come-1st-served outside stools. We return the next night a few minutes after opening to scoop a lovely spot on the sidewalk (our seating target, inside, already filled minutes after opening with the first diners lining up 40 minutes before opening...!). We kept our whistles wet while perusing the ample menu with a Spanish beer and glass of sangria.

Toro Bravo Crowds

Estrella beer & Sangria on the sidewalk

All items on the menu sounded amazing and made narrowing down from "feeding an army" to "dinner for two" a bit of a challenge. But we persevered and shortlisted the octopus a la plancha, meatballs, toasted almonds, grilled corn and salt cod fritters.

YVR - Kishimoto - lighting my sushi fire!

Another meal in the Big Smoke of Vancouver while visiting/businessing. We had targeted either Mexican or Sushi and my niece was in a sushi mood....so off we went to try Kishimoto.

Tucked among a million other restaurants and stores on Commercial Drive, Kishimoto can easily be found by the line-up out front. We (being newbies) were not versed in the customs, but didn't fare badly (meaning - when you get to the line-up, go write your own name on the list found at the front door; fortunately, we didn't lose our placing by missing this rather important step).

Once seated inside the bustling room we ordered some drinks and a few different items to share together. The menu is large with selections of sashimi, sushi, inventive rolls & box sushi, donburri, tempura and a whole lot more.

We started off our little buffet with a dish of agedashi tofu - piping hot and delicious....and the picture may be missing a piece as we dove in right away....

The first sushi plate to hit our table silenced us with it's sheer presentation. A cucumber roll.  Yes, a simple cucumber roll. Not sure if they fancied the plate up because it was for my niece, but it was stunning (and then closely followed by our platter, with more stunning garnishes).

YVR - Bestie - the wurst doesn't get much better

Road trip! (well, Ferry trip! at least)

We have popped over to Vancouver for some visiting and socializing (which should actually read, targeting restaurants and dragging friends and family to them, but who's splitting hairs?).

First stop is Bestie, a new sausage restaurant in Vancouver's Chinatown, that's bringing the taste of Berlin to the west coast of Canada: currywurst, my friends. Currywurst is a Bavarian sausage cooked, sliced into small rounds, set atop fries and covered with a curry-ketchup sauce.

Nestled into a storefront in Chinatown, complete with the existing signage from a few of the previous tenants, is Bestie. Neon sausage outline to beckon you, stylin' oranage seats to get comfy if there's a wait.

Currywurst: it's a big thing in Germany's capital city - they even have a museum dedicated to currywurst....

Ca Va Bistro Moderne - Tres Tres Bien!!

Tucked into Fernwood, across the square from the Belfry Theatre, an array of restaurants have come and gone from the tiny store fronts. Some were/are just take-away, but one spot allows for a sit-down restaurant with cozy patio seating that has been home to some nice, but apparently temporary, food establishments.

The latest to lay roots is Ca Va Bistro Moderne (and if the lunch crowds when we were there are any indication...these roots have spread deep already!).

Ca Va Bistro Moderne in Fernwood Square

My "ladies-who-lunch" partner and I decided to try out Ca Va on a weekday for a late'ish lunch, we arrived around 1:30 and claimed one of the last remaining tables. The lunch service was in full swing (running until 2pm).

The lunch menus arrived at our table along with a bottle of water and a nicely rounded out wine & drink menu - so we ordered some...

India Bistro - bringing some spice to Wharf Street

India Bistro has recently opened in Victoria; although they're not new to the restaurant scene (with several other Vancouver restaurants in the family, including a sister 'India Bistro' on Davie Street), they're new here on the island.  Located at the corner of Wharf Street and Yates Street - you can settle onto a comfy leather chair inside or a patio seat outside.

India Bistro corner of Wharf St & Yates St

I'm not an expert on Indian food (having only recently begun to elevate my spice-tolerance), but a friend (who does nosh-out on this and other spicy cuisines regularily) had recently been and quite enjoyed the meal. So onto the hit-list it went.