Qoola Frozen Yogurt - Thumbs up!

Homepage of Qoola


I heard about Qoola from some friends and was a little sceptical about frozen yogurt in the winter. Boy, was I wrong! Located in Uptown Mall, Qoola is on the main floor, diagonally across from Futureshop and visible from Saanich Rd. Like many of the vendors in Uptown, the decor is bright and lively and the staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about their products.

One of the cool things about Qoola is that the customer can choose any combination of flavours and toppings  because you pay-per-gram. So there are various flavours in self-serve machines, much like Slurpees at the convenience store. I believe the flavours were: Peach mango, raspberry pomegranate, regular yogurt, green tea, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry banana,and blueberry acai. Toppings ranged from fruits, nuts, candies, granola, to sauces. When your paper bowl is loaded to your liking, you just take it to the cashier and weigh your container to figure out how much you owe. For $5, you can get a generous portion with lots of toppings. Filling up the entire container goes for about $8 I believe.

Wannawafel

Wannawafel

 After hearing so much about this place with it's recent stint on Dragons' Den, I just had to check it out! Wannawafel is a small Belgian waffle shop located on the perimeter of Market Square (Johnson St. side). Soon as I turned the corner to enter Market Square, there was a lineup outside the restaurant. The aroma pumped out of this little place is divine, so the lineup was no deterrent whatsoever. When I finally got inside the restaurant, they have a large menu board posted right above the till. One can order either a Brussels waffle, or a Liege waffle, with various toppings available. The toppings available are: icing (free with your waffle), whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and fruit compote. Waffles are $3.50 and toppings range from $1.00 to $2.00.

Pig revisited

Sorry it has been so long since our last update. We've definitely got some catching up to do!
Many of you may already know, but Pig BBQ Joint (formerly on View St.) has moved to The Atrium on Blanchard St. Immediately, the face-lift Pig has had is apparent. The restaurant has upgraded from a little hole in the wall to a corner location that can seat 20+ diners, and has extended their hours 11am to 10pm, 7 days a week.

The menu has expanded beyond their 3 sandwiches and sides, offering mains, daily specials, and is now licensed to sell alcohol. I can't remember if the prices have gone up, but currently their delicious pulled pork sandwich is $6, while their pulled brisket and chicken sandwiches are $6.50.

On my last visit, I was ecstatic to learn I could get an evening snack from them, as they used to close much earlier in the day. That evening, they also had deep fried twinkies, and BBQ spaghetti on special. As tempted as I was, I went for the tried-and-true pulled pork sandwich, remembering it as one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. The service was friendly, and it didn't take too long to get my order.

But how did the sandwich hold up to memory? It should be said upfront that I went home before eating the sandwich (about 20 minutes), but the sandwich was less tender and less flavourful than I remember. It should also be mentioned that the restaurant had only been in their new kitchen for a few weeks, so perhaps they were still working out the kinks of the new environment and the extended hours. I suspect having the restaurant open later and the larger location may have forced them to increase production, sacrificing some of the quality.

Pig is still a great place for a delicious pulled-pork/brisket/chicken sandwich for an affordable price. I just hope that that first amazing sandwich I had from them is confined to just my memories.

- Mr. Pink

Smoken Bones Cookshack 3.85/5

Smoken Bones Cookshack Restaurant Info

Summer weather, good company, and a craving for fall off the bone, tender, juicy meat brought us to the Smoken Bones Cookshack for lunch. We have heard many things about this place from friends and friends of friends so it was about time we did a review of our own! The Smoken Bones Cookshack is a restaurant establishment that is in the heart of Langford just off of Veteran's and Goldstream intersection area. It was previously a run-down Chinese restaurant that a few years back was taken over by a local owner and revamped into a now popular southern barbecue joint. Smoken Bones not only serves old fashioned barbecue foods but also does catering for events (i.e. Dragon Boat Festival) and they also sell their own dry-rub for local barbecuers.

Pho Vy 4.50/5

Pho Vy Restaurant Info

The location is somewhat small and cramped, and has an odour of fish sauce in the air when you walk through the doors. The décor is old, and the rest of the interior isn’t all that attractive; however, don’t let the appearance fool you, Pho Vy is one of the best Vietnamese noodle restaurants in Victoria. It has also been one of the longest standing Vietnamese style restaurants in downtown, for good reason!

Of all of the Pho restaurants we’ve tried, few consistently produce pho noodle soup, vermicelli, noodle and prawn spring rolls and deep fried spring rolls as delicious as Pho Vy. On top of that, the portions are generous and the price is quite reasonable. Time and again Pho Vy has hit the spot in our tummies and does it just right every time. 

Bon Sushi 4.35/5

Bon Sushi Restaurant Info

With yet another craving for Japanese food, we decided to check out a small sushi restaurant located in Oak Bay called Bon Sushi. At first glance, we weren’t sure what exactly to expect. The establishment sat approximately 20 guests, and that is a generous estimate. The décor and tables were basic, and the place had a sort of “mom and pop” feel to it.

Once entering we were greeted by friendly staff and seated at a somewhat cramped table. It took a little while before our beverages were served (there seemed to be some confusion amongst the servers). The menu was a pleasant surprise - they served different fair from typical Japanese restaurants in Victoria. There were the usual sushi rolls, but there were also deep fried rolls and combinations. We decided to order the combination for 3 to 4 diners.

Green Leaf Bistro 4.45/5

Green Leaf Bistro Restaurant Info

Feeling the need for comfort food on an overcast Saturday, Mr. Blue and Mr. Pink felt it was a good day for pho. When done well, there's nothing quite as satisfying as a big bowl of noodle soup. Today we decided to try Green Leaf Bistro, located on Blanshard near Fisgard.

Upon entering the bistro, we were greeted by friendly staff. The restaurant itself has been recently repainted and slightly renovated making for a clean environment. Compared to some of the other Vietnamese restaurants in town, the decor and table settings were quite a bit cleaner and well presented.

L&C Bubble Tea House 4.45/5

L&C Location

After eating out at Seto sushi both Mr. Pink and Mr. Blue were feeling a little thirsty. It was recommended to us to try L&C Bubble Tea House (formerly known as L & G Bubble Tea House). Not only do they have fresh fruit in house but also with a VIP card you can get large bubbleteas for only $3.00. What a steal if so for blue collar connoisseurs if not only it tastes fresh and good, but is also of great value! Mr. Pink had the fresh red grape fruit juice with tapioca pearls and Mr. Blue had the fresh lychee fruit juice with tapioca pearls. We were both delightfully surprised and will definitely come back for such great deals.

Ratings:

Taste: 1.90/2.00

Value: 1.00/1.00

Atmosphere/cleanliness: 0.75/1.00

Service: 0.80/1.00

Overall: 4.45/5.00

Seto Sushi 4.05/5

Seto Sushi Homepage

While in Vancouver (Richmond) both Mr. Pink and Mr. Blue decided to try out a local sushi restaurant called Seto Sushi. We had been here before for dinner, however, it has been a while since then. We came with a group of friends so we were able to see and try many more dishes than if it were just us two.

Med Grill 4.40/5

Med Grill (Royal Oak) Restaurant Info

For a special occasion Mr. Blue and Miss Violet were invited to have a meal at the Med Grill restaurant in the Royal Oak area of Victoria. We have been here before, however, we have never officially done a food review on the place! There is no better time than the present.

Because of the occasion, we were provided the opportunity to have a set dinner menu for the evening. This is a four course meal for $23.97 (before tax). We decided to take full advantage of it as the descriptions sounded very delicious. We started off with an antipasto which was toasted Nan bread served with basil pesto, caramelized red onions, brie cheese, and balsamic reduction. Very tasty and very fresh, although we wished there were more. I guess that's what the complimentary bread basket is for! Following the antipasto came the salad or soup dish. We decided to try the Butternut Squash Zuppa which is a soup garnished with a nutmeg infused creme freche. Very creamy and warms the stomach through and through with that hearty home kind of feeling.

Hernandez 4.05/5

Hernandez's Homepage

On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Pink and Mr. Blue decided to try out a Central American restaurant in Victoria named Hernandez. The restaurant is located on the ground floor to an office building between View and Yates street. Our first impressions on a walk-by was it was a petite eatery with seating on the outside of the establishment. We picked up our own menus and then went up to the cashier to order. We decided to order food such that the both of us could share easily... and that ended up being four different orders of tacos! The bean, pork, and chicken tacos came with 5 tacos per order, whereas the beef tacos came with 3 tacos only. Here are our group reviews below. We'll breakdown what we thought of each taco and then give the score summary at the end.

The Pink Bicycle 4.30/5

 

Pink Bicycle Homepage

On Saturday night, Mr. Pink, Mr. Blue, and Miss Violet decided to head off and try the well-heard gourmet burger joint, The Pink Bicycle. This restaurant is renown for using fresh local produce in all of their burgers and boasts that you really can cook spectacular burgers if you use your local resources. Not only were we hungry, but we are 100% behind the motive of boosting the local economy. The restaurant is a decent sized establishment on the south end of Blanshard St. in downtown Victoria. There is a pink bicycle parked outside, in tribute to the name of the restaurant. Here are the reviews:

Pig BBQ Joint 4.50/5

Pig BBQ's Homepage

Today we decided to try a more inexpensive luncheon sandwich place that is a locally run business. We have heard about Pig for some time now and have been meaning to do a food review on the place! Mr. Blue and Mr. Pink dropped by at lunch time, as they are only open for lunch, and Pig'd out on a couple of different sandwiches. The restaurant is your basic hole-in-the-wall type with enough room for about 3 tables, a condiments area, and the counter. The place was very clean and the best you could expect for such an establishment. So, due to limited space we relocated with our sandwiches to a nearby coffee shop called Mirages. Mr. Pink had the Beef Brisket sandwich while Mr. Blue had the more infamous Pulled Pork sandwich. Here are the reviews:

Fireside Grill 4.30/5

The fireside grill, judging from the name, paints a picture in your mind that you'll be sitting next to a crackling hot fireplace while awaiting a very refined savoury meal. The restaurant boasts character as a higher class eatery so one would expect that the dishes should not only be like home cooking but also be refined into something that is really astonishing. We stuck to the Dine Around Victoria menu, but entrées on their regular menu started around $20 and went up from there.

The restaurant has a very nice, warm atmosphere with gentle yellow candle lights and it does have at least two gas fireplaces that you can sit next to. The place was very clean and has been kept very well after being established for so many years. They also have a patio outside that is open during the summer. The service was above par and had it not been for a lack of explanation on some of the meals they would have had a perfect score. We also noted that our server took awhile to return with drinks after the entrées were served.

Both Mr. Blue and Mr. Pink ordered from the Dine Around Victoria $20 menu…