Picnic Too, Downtown Victoria

My first comment to Andrea on Picnic Too was:

"better than Tim Hortons"

This was not acceptable, she said via her Twitter account:

"Saying picnic is better than Timmy's is like saying it's better than dogs*** #obvious #nocomparison"

I followed up on Twitter with:

"For the record, it was MUCH better than Timmies.  Flavour, fresh veggies, proper smooth Americano "

This passed the Andrea test. Or at least she didn't come around my apartment, knock on my door and leave a paper bag of turds on fire on the carpet outside my door.  And that is acceptance if you ask me.

I went back with my brunch crew this morning to go a for second round.   I got there early and hooked up to the WiFi, on the wooden table in the window. The inside space is small and comfortable, with a variety of low and high seating, and walls covered in a maze of wooden slats. The staff are all super pleasant.

I ordered my 'better than Timmies' breakfast of an Americano and Breakfast sandwich again.  Guess what?  It's just as good as last time.  For $8, this a bargain. The Sour Pickle may give you more for your dollar, but nothing I know is this level of quality for under $10. Tasty crisp sandwich with all the right textures and colours melting together.  The pro-tip if that you can double it for a lunch meal.

But even after that, I had buyer's envy.  The plates of full breakfast that came out smelled like home. A home where hot buttered toast and rosemary and eggs and bacon are on the breakfast table. A home where you have awoken from a deep sleep on crisp cotton sheets, and the thickest, most comfortable pillows imaginable.  Breakfast is ready, and you are just refreshed enough to function within twenty seconds of opening your eyes.  You walk to the sunny kitchen table, where everything is ready for you.

It smelled like that.  It looked like it smelled.  I assume it tasted that way as well.  The breakfast burrito was a tightly rolled mass of eggs and meat.  The red potatoes on the side of the platters had been squashed gently, spilling out their white insides into the buttery covering.  The bacon was crisp.  The yolks golden.  The congee was full of greens and 

The Empire doughnuts they sell are stuffed to the gunnels with fillings. They are not a sorry sad affair, with a squirt of fake jam into a defrosted sugary lump that has been made two thousand miles east. 

I need to go for a run again down Fort Street soon, and then go and eat at Picnic Too again.  The next time I will go beyond the sandwich.

Ground Control Cafe, Downtown Victoria

I am now a digital hobo.  I've started in business for myself, and part of that will mean working in various coffee shops and wi-fi friendly cafes, as convenient places to dock up between meetings.  Or to have meetings in.  Expect this blog to be covering convenient lunch spots for the mobile knowledge worker over the coming weeks.

The Ground Control Cafe resides on the first floor of Fort Tectoria, ViaTec's new space for IT entrepreneurs and go-getters.  ViaTec promotes Victoria as a place for technology, and use the space to incubate start-ups and early stage companies.  Their sponsorship with Shaw means they have access to some of the fastest internet in town, and they share it with anyone using the cafe space.  The space is a little dark, with the only external light coming through the front doors.  But it's comfortable, with plenty of space, multiple desks for working at, and a comfy sofa area as well for more relaxed working.

The Cafe itself is a small booth at the front entrance.  Jill, the owner and operator, runs the shop with a big smile and friendly demeanour.  She makes a good Americano, which got my gears working last Friday, while I struggled with working out how to do my books for the last couple of months.  There was a great soundtrack playing of 60's Americana, or you can easily stick in your own headphones if that's not your thing to work to.

For lunch, I ordered up a second cup of coffee, straight from the filter this time, and a large grilled chicken sandwich.  The panini was prepped earlier and taken fresh from the fridge into the press.  Once ready, it was brought out to me by Jill, two halves cut to show off the sliced chicken deli meat and the rich red peppers.  This was a good meal, with the pesto flavours working well with the chicken and the crisp, warm bun.  $6 well spent.

So, good spot to work from, good food, good service.

The Parsonage Cafe, Fernwood, Victoria

So, on a quick whim, I suggested the Parsonage Cafe for breakfast with my friends this Sunday. Immediately a debate started as to if the coffee sucked (Andrea was on the yes side, others on the no or unknown).  This obviously meant it was worth a visit so we can find out for sure.

The venue is just of Cook Street, near Logan's and had an eclectic bunch of people outside drinking coffee, chatting and petting their dogs.  One wolfhound, one pug, one bull terrier and a mongrel of inter-determinate parentage were all hanging around outside... with their owners.  This was not a cafe protected by a pack of wolves, ensuring the hipsters, homeless and hippies behaved.

Inside, there's a lot of varnished plywood.  A lot.  Everything is made from plywood, it seems.  The tables, the chairs, the cash register and the coffee machine.  It's a small space, crowded in with a line almost to the door surrounded by three booths, a snug area, a window bar and two tables.  The tables are constantly loomed over by the queue of patrons waiting for coffee and snacks.

I started out with an Americano.  They use Fernwood coffee,  which is not surprising, as Fernwood Coffee own the place and are housed just next door. It was good. Smooth, dark and just roasted enough for me.  No complaints from me, though Andrea's London Fog was a little odd tasting.  Not the worst fog ever but had a weird bitterness to it.  Better than a mouth full of razors blades, she told me.  A low bar for a cup of hot beverage to cross, but it sailed over.

My best friend and her partner (who is also among my top all time people in BC, just so he doesn't feel left out) then turned up, looking for some respite from the sun.  They went up to order while we chatted and then swapped over to order.  Bit awkward of a shuffle, but this place is tiny and doesn't really need a server.  I went for the Breakfast Sandwich and a round of toast. My stomach was groaning from running off the excesses of the week around Oak Bay. But that, and a another Americano was still under $12 with a tip.  Bargain.

The toast was a huge pair of doorsteps, with marmalade containing chunks of rind from three different citrus fruit. Good wholesome brown bread, toasted and buttered so you have that soft buttery taste rocking out with the crisp brown edges.  Mmmm.

The sandwich was bagel with a good slice of thick bacon and a egg done omelette style and a dose of mayonnaise. That might be a turn off to some, but I loved the creamy mouth feel with the bacon.  It added a little tang to the meal.  The cheese was melty on top, getting into the pores of the bagel.  You can get it with creamed spinach and tomato if you want, but that was far too much vegetables in my breakfast.  A solid breakfast.

Andrea devoured the lox bagel she ordered, so I assume it was good.  I haven't had text messages from her complaining of stomach cramps, or cursing my name for choosing such a stupid venue.  I class that as a success.  The huge veggies sandwich ordered was only half eaten. On account of it being huge, I think.  And the frothy coffee was served with a fancy fernwood leaf design on it. So that was good too.

Overall, it's good and cheap.  It's not the most comfortable place in the world, and in this hot weather was feeling a bit like a sweat box sauna by the time we left. However, as you can get it all to go, you can even solve that problem yourself.

Sue's Place, Campbell River

About twenty kilometres north of Campbell River on Highway 19 is a sign, brightly advertisings Sue's Place for coffee and baked goods.  Plenty of those sorts of places on the highway, and you'll drive past most of them.  But, having been there once before, two years ago on my way south with my parents, I pulled off the road again for a snack on my way north.  I knew there'd be a good welcome and good food.  Or at least I hoped nothing had changed.

Open from 5am till 3pm, I caught the last half hour of service, but Sue seemed as cheerful as the last time I'd been in.  I ordered a grilled ham and cheese and sidled up to the counter to eat.  The restaurant has two sections: a dining room sized nook at back, and a small counter with a booth at the front.  And a sliding window to sling coffee and baked goods out to those not stopping for long.  You look right into the kitchen, with a big aluminium grill, organized Tupperware and racks of baked goods.  The cinnamon buns are big, and glisten with sugary icing, cake slices are generous and the cheese top rolls (from past experience) are a rich, savoury bun with plenty of sharpness in the cheddar.

Sue was running the place on her own, and got busy with my order while making a couple of cappuccino's for another order.  These were met with much happiness from the lounge on delivery.  I assumed that they'd also ordered a grilled ham sandwich too given by the heaping tong full of meat placed onto the grill... but no.. that was all mine.  A veritable doorstop of a sarnie.  Melted cheese oozing just-so over the hot meat, encased in a thick brown bread wrapper.  Fresh bread, that has that bite when toasted, that crunches and crackles and you chomp through it. That warm, grilled and browned flavour you only get from being on the grill itself.  Perfect road fuel to get you going again and through to the Ports (McNeill, Hardy and Alice).

I chatted quickly to hard working Sue who apologized for not recognizing me from two years ago.  Which seemed like nothing to apologize for... apart from my English accent, I don't think I really stand out that much, and given the number of truckers, tourists and locals who stop by, I am quite happy to be called 'honey' like everyone else.  Such a bright, happy welcome after a ten hour shift, though I think she has help in at other times.  Still, this retirement project seems to be a lot of work, but I am thankful it's there.

My only complaint was Sue takes Sundays off.  So, no coffee and sandwich on the way back south.  Otherwise, avoid Campbell Rover if going all the way north, and stop here for food.

A Tale of Two Coffees

It was best of brews, it was the worst of brews.
It was the age of smooth, fresh java, and it was the age of old coffee grinds.
It was the epoch of belief in something
It was the epoch of incredulity of what yout go.
It was the season of light, well prepared beans.
It was the season of dark, sour rough Americanos.
It was Bubby Rose's Cafe.
It was the Cornerstone Cafe.

In the Cook Street area, we have the well respected Bubby Rose's Bakery Cafe.  Friends of mine rate their bread and bread product very highly.  While the egg salad sandwich I had there probably didn't do the bread justice, the coffee was excellent.  Smooth and well (but not over) roasted, prepared well just to get that punch of a caffiene you want, but not so fast and furious your conversations turn into mad gabbled words. And when one sits down to Coffee with Andrea, one needs to have your wits, least you be found wanting.

The cafe is just a few steps away from Fort Street's antique row.  A a few blocks from Cook Street Village. But close enough if you know where it is, and friendly enough it's worth the visit on a sunny day for a slow coffee on their street front seating.  I also like the dresser which hides the milk, cream and sugar.



Fernwood.  Once the low rent area of Victoria, or so people tell me.  Full of young people renting small garrets from landlords who barely kept their places free from the rain and snow.  At least thats the tale I've been told.  I have no idea, I've not lived in Victoria when Fernwood gained a reputation, that I am sure is undeserved.  Now, it has the Fernwood Inn, Stages, two hugely active resident's associations and the Cornerstone Cafe, a hub for community arts.  A real coffee shop serving the locals, providing space for someone outside to do tarot readings for their friends, and inside for one eccentric old boy to take a nap between the frantic scrawls he's sketching out.

On that score, it's a great place.  I've been down for an open mike night in the past, and a Elvis themed night, where people sang or talked about the icon.  Arts and culture on the low, easy going scale.  Brilliant, except their coffee was terrible when I went in again this past weekend.  Dark, rough and tasting like it was made with grounds recycled, or over used.  It was nasty.

Still, I got to sit outside again, in the sun, and have a pleasant conversation with the aforementioned Andrea.  She likes to be mentioned, so I did it twice.  Hopefully this means she'll link back to me now...



The coffee crawl will probably return this summer... so any suggestions to try out that I've not been to before, fire it away.

Tree House Cafe, Ganges, Salt Spring Island

Final report from the New Year's trip to island.  And we'll end where I started, in Ganges, with friends kicking around for something to eat before going for provisions to stock up at the cabins.  Provisions makes it sound like some sort of expedition into the unknown.  Though, for this urban Victorian, three days on Saltspring is as adventurous as it gets most of the time.

So, we walked into the Tree House Cafe, by virtue of it being open and nothing much else looking open and selling sit down food.  The cafe is wrapped around a tree near the marina in the heart of Ganges.  It's a crammed in, twisty little building, with an inside and an covered outside.  Imagine Bilbo Baggin's house, if he was more into trees than underground holes.

We got seated outside, on top of some heaters at first, but moved inside once tables became free.  Outside was a little chilly, but hot coffee cured most of our ills, and we were out of the wind.  But space is at a premium here, and the staff have to duck, twist and shimmy to get to the customers, not helped by people waiting standing around aimlessly in the corridors.  It was a busy day, and getting to the toilets from the table was it's own adventure.  If you don't have many adventures...

Ahem, so out came the lunch menus.  They offer a variety of sandwiches, burgers and Mexican derived dishes. All seemed to have a touch of the local produce, or be suitably pepped up with something wholesome like sprouts or home made salsa.  I went for the Bean Burrito, after discovering the Vege-burger was a fake meat veggie burger rather than a vegetable bean ensemble.  Just a preference

I did question their description of the burger as 'our famous homemade beef burger'.  I'm not sure what level of fame you need to have to call your food famous, but I'd consider more than the local populace needs to know about it, and rave about it to be called famous.  It's something I've seen many places describe their food as, but I'm struggling to think of any 'famous' food from a small diner cafe.  I'm sure I can be proven wrong, or I don't read enough food blogs...

With that debated among us, we then dissected the food.  The bean burrito deserves to be at least well known.  Maybe open a summer fair on the island, and get a small walk on part in a movie.  You know, have a chance at famous-ity.  It was delicious.  Spiced beans, cooked just right so you get that savoury mushy goodness, that at once feels healthy but decadent.  Cheese melted over the tortilla obviously adds to that feeling of happiness, while the cilantro and salsa wave in some vegetables and clean flavours to liven it all up.
Washed down with good coffee, I was ready to hit Thrifty's.  No hunger shopping for me.  My friends all seemed to enjoy their meals, but I didn't get too much into their individual thoughts.  It wasn't a trip for introspective food criticism.  Or even analyzing new brunch joint we'd go back to.  But if I do go back in the summer, I suspect I'll be back for more.

Rock Salt Restaurant, Fulford Harbour, Salt Spring Island

So, the advent blog challenge is over, Christmas is over and a New Year is upon us.  One thing I learned from posting daily is that I can keep writing if I do regularly, and it is an enjoyable exercise.  I gain something out of trying to express myself clearly, succinctly and trying to be interesting.  Even if its a better vocabulary and more being observant about the food I stuff in my mouth.

So, I agreed with Andrea (@RunnerChicWC on the Twitter) to go for on blog post a week.  Fifty-two entries, which is only twice as many as I have just done.  With much less time pressure, so hopefully a better quality of writing, and more on topic.  But I will let the dear reader be a judge of that.

We'll start with a recent New Year's trip to Salt Spring for some inspiration, and the firstly with the last stop there.  The Rock Salt Restaurant and Cafe.  Stuck right next to the ferry terminal at Fulford Harbour, this place has a great view down the inlet. Perfect for waiting to see your ship come in.  But no need to rush when it does steam around the corner... you've got twenty five minutes before it docks, to finish up pay, and walk the 100 yards to your car.

I'm guessing they do a great trade with the ferry riders.  They certainly took no time to serve us, and were quick and efficient at getting out coffee and taking our orders, despite thirteen of us arriving all at once.

The coffee was fantastic.  Maybe it was the fact it was New Years Day, when any coffee will taste great.  Or perhaps it was great coffee.  I suspect the latter, as there was not much of a hangover and just a little lost sleep.  I was fully awake having stupidly run into (and quickly out of) Cusheon Lake a couple of hours earlier.  My group was spread across 4 tables, but close enough to keep the conversation going, even more shocking as we'd had 3 days of each others company already.

Still food came out quickly. My Wild Benny was done perfectly.  Nice chunk of salmon, covered in the right amount of Hollandaise, with eggs medium.  Quivering brightly, just enough runny yolk to mingle with the bread and the lemony sauce.  The opposite of my long aversion to eggs-in-egg sauce which put me off benedicts for years. However, the side of home fries was a miss for me.  Stodgy lumps, neither crisp-fried, or boiled to a lovely moist consistency or roasted, or any of the ways I like my spuds.  Just sitting there.  Making weight. Slightly embarrassed to be there.

Still good coffee, good eggs, good view, good friends.  I'll take it as a good start to the new year.

Day 6 - Interactivity Board Game Cafe

There is no chance that this review is objective.  My friends Jak and Bill opened this place recently, and the old Board Game store on Fort Street has many good memories. Not least because 90% of my social life when I moved to Canada came out of the store and playing board games there.  So, if your looking for a reasoned, independent review, I am sure one will be along soon.

In the mean time, there's this.

I love this place.  I love their decent fresh coffee, their range of loose leaf teas from Silk Road.  I love meeting people over a board game, sitting there until midnight playing games.  I like the atmosphere of openness they promote.  Paying $5 to borrow a board game and drink it over a reasonably priced cup of tea with friends, or strangers is a wonderful experience.  They also serve fresh made ice cream and milkshakes (that I've been told are the best ever by at least one ten year old, which is a fine recommendation).

I like the fresh sandwiches.  The Salmon is my favourite. Salmon, with Arugula, Chipotle Sauce and Brie, smooshed into bread and toasted in a panini iron. Occasionally it needs a little longer in the heater, but it's a solid winner for me.  It gets a blend of gooey cheese, smoking fish and tangy bite. Served fast, with a few chips.  $8.  Jobs perfect.

The Mediterranean is a close second.  Piles of humus, tomato and feta cheese with olives.  Toasted just long enough to warm the bread up, and I'm sure it's far too healthy.  Shouldn't they be serving high fructose corn syrup drinks and deep fried lard balls?

Well, yes, if you want the stereotypes.  But the mix of people in the cafe is not all your stereotypical gaming geeks arguing over the rules (that's just me) and socially awkward guys hiding behind comic books.  It's all sorts. The college kids trying out a game for a beer-free night out, the family of four playing Mouse Trap, the game nerds digging into the latest mega release from Essen, the pre-club crowd looking to hang out somewhere before down town clubs open.  Don't judge, the (game) play is the thing.

Coffee Crawl, Downtown Victoria - Part 2

Part 1 of the crawl left our heroes about to exit Sitka on Yates. Rapidly. We continue here with two more spots and a round up.

Solstice Cafe - 529 Pandora

The heart is starting to pound bit heavy in my chest, and everything is really beginning to speed up. The effects of three medium coffees in 2 hours is beginning to let itself known, but we power on, like freshers on a beer crawl, determined to see it through.

We stumble in the Solstice Cafe, a haven for some. But today it's busy and playing prog rock. The counter is manned with three server/baristas and i'm not sure whose serving who, but between the minor third chords I order up another Americano and retire to the bathroom to make room.

On my return, there's one mug ready to go, which I think is mine. I take it, add a spot of milk and sit down, ready the pages of a comic over one girl's shoulder while my friend collects his drink. The first taste is good, but there's a slightly sour flavour in there. Several more sips later, and I wonder if I've got the yoghurt and milk mixed up. We decide later that the milk jug and the soy jug might have been mixed up, but it kinda of put a damper on things. Otherwise, this is a good space, with what seemed like good coffee. The prog rock turned into singer/songwriter, so life was more bearable.

Another friend arrived fresh from foreign parts, bearing games played with rare earth magnets. So we played, supped coffee and caught up. I think I might have caught up veryveryvery fast though.

Coffee - $2.50, Overall Rating - 5/10


Discovery Coffee - 664 Discovery
A fast walk into the car park burnt of a little of nervous energy and we piled over to Discovery for the final coffee of the day. Life is moving fast now, with a hyper-realism I don't enjoy. I am reminded of Terry Pratchett's knurd : "The opposite of being drunk, its as sober as you can ever be. It strips away all the illusion, all the comforting pink fog in which people normally spend their lives, and lets them see and think clearly for the first time ever." My sanity was preserved over all, and we rocked up in the 60's kitsch rooms of Discovery Coffee.

They are playing the Rolling Stones, they got old couches in one lounge area, with a coffee table that would have been second-hand in my parent's first house. There's a faint smell of old fabric and worn out stuffing, but this is the first place I've felt actually relaxed. If I wasn't heading for the ice hockey afterwards, I'd probably have hung out longer.

The coffee is good. Smooth, not bittered by over roasting or scalded in the espresso. It tasted a little weaker than I would have liked it, but lets face it, after 4 others, I didn't need a strong coffee. I loved the two areas, and the long list of local events they are doing. A comfortable, friendly place.

Coffee - $2.75, Overall rating - 8/10

And with that I headed to the Poolside Inn for a large beer before the game. I was hoping the alcohol would counteract the coffee. It did for a while, and a fine game of hockey was enjoyed. But by 1am, I was wide awake again, and the mind was still spinning. The caffiene hangover... not quite as dangerous as the beer one, but I'll be cutting my consumption if I do this again.

Summary

Well I had been told to check out 2% Jazz, Street Level and Picnic as well. Plus Cafe Fantastico (at the Parkside) I have been to since, but these will be for another day. Or days.

But for now, I'd rate them overall as follows:

Best for Coffee - Habit
Best for a first date - Mirage
Best for not going to ever again - Sitka
Best for sitting around all day with a cosy mug of coffee and good friends - Discovery
Best for watching people knit and read comic books - Solstice

Union Pacific Coffee, Old Town Victoria

The owners of Union Pacific also run Jam Cafe, just across the street.  But the two places serve very different markets. Jam is going for the all day, west coast breakfast crowd. Union Pacific is going for the social coffee house with food. Lounging in one corner as we entered was one java-jockey, piles of paper and the obligatory Mac Book, working on... something. Next door is Dragon Alley, home to some fantastic live/work spaces, so people wanting that casual working vibe will feel right at home.

A massive wooden bar takes up one corner, protecting the kitchen staff from the wandering public.  A display of baked goods covers most of the bar front, but there is one space to order.  Order at checkout then take your seat food to be delivered.

The Brunch menu is short and to the point.  Steamed eggs in bread. Three versions of the eggs : with Montreal Smoked Beef, with Bacon or with Tomato and Harvati.  Three types of bread : toast, bagel or croissant. Or there is yoghurt parfait or a huge fruit cup. But I don't like fruit for breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner.

So one Bagel full of eggs, smoked meat, dijon mustard and swiss cheese was ordered.  They don't skimp on the eggs, and a lovely pile of fluffy eggs with just enough meat and mustard to impart a tangy, sharp flavour to the proceedings.  It's not huge, but at six bucks, it's a great brunch, or lighter lunch.  The coffee isn't bad either, slightly too bitter for me, but that's being overly fussy.

The location has lots of table space to spread out, socialize over a coffee, and the staff are all smiles... they seem happy to be there every time I've been in.  The building has brick, beams and dark wood everywhere, with a few pieces of art and some old artifacts.  I've no idea what the building used to be in Victoria's past... from the name I'm guessing some link to the Union Pacific Railway or Shipping lines. If you have any information, let me know.

Final Bill
16oz Americano - $2.50
Smokin' Egger - $6.00
Total :  $11 with taxes and tip
Phone : 250-380-0005
Address : 537 Herald Street, Victoria, British Columbia
Website : http://www.unionpacificcoffee.com/

Coffee Crawl, Downtown Victoria - Part 1

A while back I asked for suggestions of places to try coffee in Victoria.  So one day, with a couple of friends, I headed out to have an Americano at five different places.  I had a medium Americano at each shop, with a splash of milk and no sugar.  This is because I like my coffee that way.  The purist may claim that Americano is the worst possible beast for coffee (watering down an espresso! Sacrilege!). I say bugger off to the purist, and say take your drinks how you like them, but don't be afraid to experiment.

I'm splitting this report into two parts.  I recommend anyone else drink 5 coffees in 4-5 hours doesn't and splits it into two halves as well.

Habit - The Atrium, 808 Yates
One of the more interesting buildings in Victoria is The Atrium.  Curving glass on one side, a deep well of light in the centre and plant life around the building to separate it from the roads.  It's also hope to a series of achingly trendy places.  There's the men's barber (Victory) where one can be artfully manscaped with a straight razor, cookculture for high priced culinary ware and Poppies artful flower arrangements. These are the sort of places I'm glad exist, but have no need of ever visiting. I mean, I love the idea of a 'proper' razor shave, but not at the prices offered ($45, even if they promise to restore my masculinity).

Having spread to another location away from the Lower Johnson hispter crawl, Habit coffee takes the curved glass walled space over looking Yates and Blanshard. The same coffee, a more open plan space, but the same simple idea : one type of coffee, one machine, some baked goods, efficient but slightly standoffish baristas. I'd call it the acceptable face of the hipster movement. Doing one thing very well, even if no-one knows quite why you do it the way you do.

The coffee is excellent. Smooth, with a up front taste, but no bitterness or burnt roast flavour. Everything here is precisely prepared, and laid out. The space itself is good for meeting one-on-one or in small groups, or lounging and reading while downtown. Except the music choice today sounded like one-third speed dub-step played through a long steel tube. The low, dull throb made me think I was in the engine room of a BC ferry.

Coffee - $2.75, Overall Rating - 9/10


Mirage - 1122 Blanshard
Mirage is a more bohemian than Habit.  This location has bare brick walls, covered in bright renaissance styled art.  They were playing a variety of new age music, hardly imposing on the conversation, as here we were joined by another friend and her visiting parents.  The cafe is in a U shape, with one arm being the counter and the sales room for various coffee devices, and the other arm for tables and chairs.

What makes this a good spot is the quiet.  It's feels more intimate than other places, so it's not a bad place for a first date, where you can have a conversation without anyone over hearing.  Just make sure they know which Mirage you mean (there are 3 in the down town core of Victoria).  Not that has ever happened to me...

The coffee.  An assertive cup, with a rougher, more roasted flavour. Bitter, not undrinkably bitter, but still there, and it feels like it a much darker roast.  The iced teas my friends had weren't worth the effort.  Astringent and over brewed.  Not the refreshing glass they were expecting.

So maybe not a good first date place after all if your date likes iced tea or a mellow cup of coffee.

The caffeine buzz was beginning to come in now. So time for a walk to the next place.

Coffee - $2.95, Overall rating - 6/10

Sitka on Yates - 538 Yates
My first mistake was assuming that a place selling surf boards and casual activity wear could make a decent coffee.  My second mistake would be assuming they care.  If they did care about their coffee, this place would implode under a weight of ironic hipster-dom and be replaced with a large can of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Yeah, so they were playing surf music, and hand acres of heft varnished oak.  They also had piles of unwashed dishes and coffee mugs right next to the cash register (this is not conducive to me wanting food or drinks).  The staff were disinterested, slow and suffering from a heavy bout of ennui.  The coffee is apparently from Discovery Coffee (see part 2).  I suspect this is true... direct from the waste bin.  Weak, bitter, stale tasting with grittiness like the grounds had leak through the machine.  I managed half a cup and left.  I apologized to my friend for going against his knowledge, and paid for his coffee as well.

Coffee - $2.75, Overal rating - 1/10