Vagrant Foodies Swag

Chicken 649, Victoria BC

Chicken 649 Stark white walls, Simple black lettering on the outside of the building. Looks and feels like a fried chicken joint. So what is all the fuss about? When D and I walked up to Chicken 649 which was a bit out of the way from our usual haunting pattern in Victoria, my first thought was… really? I have learned though never to judge, some of the best things I have eaten have come from very dingy little places. We took a table in the corner and I ordered the classic recipe 8 piece chicken with a corn salad, pickles, and a dipping sauce. First of all the chicken came in a pizza box presentation which I thought was really neat, pieces lined up in a row and below them the sauces and the salads, the pickles were Daikon! This thrilled me as I have an unhealthy addiction to the stuff. It is hard to say much about fried chicken other than it is either good or its not, This was great. The batter was crunchy, had been fried for just the right amount of time as to be dark not

Tidal Taco Shack, Qualicum Bay, BC.

This taco joint has been on the Vagrant Foodies “Must Try” list for some time now. We have been hearing good things for a couple years now. We waited 45 minutes for tacos at a beach-side parking lot, on a hot day with no shade to be found. To be fair, the wait is always long, and they have a sign posted right near the window stating the wait is usually 30 minutes to an hour. It’s a popular place. It’s truly a shack. A tiny shed like structure with a dozen or so picnic tables out front of it. We stepped to the window and browsed the menu which consists or six or so tacos, all of which can be made into burritos or salads as well. We decided on four tacos between the two of us: one prawn, one fish, and two beef. When we got there all the tables were occupied, so we sipped Mexican soft drinks and sat on the rocks and watched the ocean surf. It’s quite a beautiful location. Although it it a busy place, I was struck by how slowly they get food out. In that

Nubo Japanese Tapas. Victoria BC

Chef D and I are believers in the golden rule of food. The locals know where to eat better than the internet does. In the case of NUBO , the locals and the internet agreed. I was personally a little nervous about the idea of Japanese tapas, wondering about the description we had read which was vague. Japanese style tapas. That was really all we could find. There seemed to be a huge menu online to look at and most of it sounded excellent. So, we made a reservation for a late dinner and walked the 10 blocks or so from our hotel to try and find this place. The neighbourhood looked very residential, there was construction and apartment buildings, and seemingly out of place there were two Japanese restaurants side by side. We will talk about the other one another day. My first impression of NUBO was that it reminded me of MOMOFUKU noodle bar in New York. Very long skinny dining area and a seated bar surrounding the chefs who were working in the open. I liked the vibe but it did

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