Post Punk Kitchen Forum

My sister and I will be in Victoria for a few days in mid-June for a race. Anywhere we must eat? Where's good for breakfast? My post-race ideal is a burrito the size of my head; is there somewhere I can get a monstrous burrito? How about cupcakes or other baked goods? (I've spent lots of time in Victoria but only maybe once since I've been vegan, and have mostly eaten brussels sprouts boiled to within and inch of their lives by my grandmother, may she rest in peace... I'm hoping for better this time around!)

For burritos the answer is only and always Hernande'z. It's not the size of your head, but it is one of the best burritos you will have. My musts are Pink Bicycle (gourmet burgers! With vegenaise!) and Mo:Le. Mo:Le is great for breakfast/brunch or lunch. I love the roasted yam wrap (or whatever) but it can be really hit-or-miss depending on who's in the kitchen that day. I also love The Joint for calzones the size of your head. For sweets I would go to Green Cuisine. Their chocolate cake in the buffet is yummy, some of the ones in the pastry case can be a little too sweet. I like a piece of cake and a scoop of sorbet. Ahhh, I miss Victoria!

HELLO! Firstly, you must hang out with me. Secondly, Mo:Le huevos rancheros for breakfast. Victoria is great for food these days...there's lots of new stuff! When are you here? Dubz has some good suggestions!

I don't think burritos are that great in Victoria, but they are okay at Hernande'z and La Taquisa.

Thanks guys, that all sounds much better than fries and a salad at Milestones (speaking of, does anyone know if the veggie burger there is vegan? It's probably inevitable that I will get dragged there at some point.)

Vijita, we will be there from Friday the 14th through Monday the 17th. We'll have to go to a pre-race meeting and bike drop-off Saturday afternoon and race day is Sunday, but other than that nothing is planned. So if you're free for dinner Friday or something on Saturday I'd love to get together with you. I don't know what time we'll be leaving on Monday, but my sister likes to sleep in so we probably won't be in a big hurry; lunch Monday might work too.

The veggie burger isn't vegan. Milestone's sucks (my aunt always drags me there)! Maybe suggest Ferris' instead? At least they have decent vegan/veganizable options.

I'd love to get together! I could do dinner on the Friday. I work till 5:30 and I have a 20 minute commute into town, but I'm more than happy to come hang out/eat! Same goes for Saturday evening.

Want to tentatively plan on Friday dinner? My mom and/or aunt may and/or may not be coming over for the race, which means they may be there by Saturday dinner (unless they decide to come over on Sunday... can you tell they are indecisive?) So I might be having that obligatory family dinner at Milestones on Sat. :/

It's in my calendar!

Yay! Where should we go?

My favourites are Ethiopian, Vietnamese, and Indian, but there is a fantastic pizza place that we chose for my wedding rehearsal dinner (Pizzeria Prima Strada) that has two locations and does some fine vegan pizza/mezze/salads. I also like Cafe Ceylon (Indonesian-ish), and the Tartan Toque for vegan tofu ribs!

As Dubz mentioned, the Pink Bicycle is good, and if you want vegan Chinese we can go to Lotus Pond. There's lots of pretty good options for sushi too. Options!

Oh and Solstice Cafe does fabulous vegan baked goods!

We're heading over to Victoria, too! Vijita, what's your favourite at Pizzeria Prima Strada?

If you call in advance they will make you a vegan mushroom risotto that is amazing. But the marinara pizza with added mushrooms, olives, and fresh garlic is to die for.

sounds great. thanks. If you could only eat one meal (maybe two ;-) in Victoria, what would it be?

Also, what would you recommend in nanaimo or qualicum beach areas?

Eeek, tough question! We mostly go out to ethnic restaurants for dinner...Blue Nile has become a fave. For 100% vegan I'd recommend Lotus Pond. I never used to love it until I found some choice options off of the dinner menu. For breakfast, Mo:Le or Shine. For lunch: Rebar! The fancier restaurants are also all good about making something vegan and delicious with notice, except skip the Bengal Lounge. Cafe Ceylon is lovely, and I like Sen Zushi best for sushi. Kissako Green Tea Cafe is also an adorable sushi place in Oak Bay.

I am not helpful!

If I had been away from Victoria for any length of time and only had two meals, I'd probably choose Rebar and Blue Nile. Rebar seems unassuming at first, but I make a huge meal out of sides and their ponzu and peanut sauces aka the best sauces ever.

I have been waiting for the expendable income and occasion to try Ulla for ages. They always have a vegan entree and I've heard great things!

thanks! very helpful

"Huevos" rancheros are Mo:Le was really good! And filling! And good!

Don't know if you've already come and gone or not, but if not, I know places in Nanaimo/Qualicum. Namul, the Korean Teahouse in Nanaimo is fantastic. Their bibimbap is vegan, and there are two other options that can be vegan as well (forget which, I think one is a soup, maybe kimchi jjigae.) Delicado's is pretty good for burritos and the like, though I haven't been recently. Sukkho Thai makes awesome food. Let them know you are vegan, and they can help you out. If you hit Nanaimo during the day, the Thirsty Camel (downtown) is awesome. Their falafel is great. They serve Mediterranean fare, and there are tons of vegan things there, including cookies for after! Aladdin's is nearby there too, and they also serve falafel wraps. There are tons of raw places (four in Nanaimo, one in Qualicum), so if you want a smoothie or something healthy/fresh, those are good options. The macaroons and cheesecakes at the Qualicum raw food place are great. Can't think of anything else, but that should get you started! (Oh, and if you make it to Parksville - near Qualicum, if you're unfamiliar with the area - there is a vegan tamale/taco cart!)

We're back and didn't leave Victoria. We just had a few days and were perfectly content to hang around Victoria. We had a great time. Lots of great morning runs along James Bay, Dallas Drive and Oak Bay. Walked from downtown to Oak Bay to marina and back again.

In Oak Bay, we went to Kissako for sushi and really loved it. Great avocado and shiitake roll and avocado and tofu salad. We really loved it. In Victoria, we went to Rebar (of course!) and Ulla! We had a great night at Ulla. They had a great chickpea fritter type thing (like polenta squares) and a main falafel dish. Really great flavours and presentation. We stayed at the Magnolia hotel and ate at their restaurant, Catalano, and they were really accommodating. They have some great small plates (including yummy polenta fries, fancy frites, chickpea fritters, olives etc). One night we had this great chickpea fritter sandwich. Crispy chickpea fritters with veg and arugula in a toasted ciabatta bun. Really great---oh, and a white bean spread with warm pita.

We had a great weekend and look forward to maybe getting back in October for marathon weekend. Thanks for your suggestions.