Spinnakers

I really shouldn’t be updating my site with pictures of the food at Spinnakers while I’m sitting on my hostel bunk where I’m not allowed to eat food and I haven’t had breakfast yet. But, here I am trying to make use of my last day of internet here (I paid for one week’s worth) and salivating over the thought of Spinnakers.

Part of the New Victoria for New Media tour hosted by Coast Hotels & Resorts included a feast at Spinnakers in Victoria.

Each dish served was a new experience, and every time I looked at another table I wanted what they were eating too (despite already being full to the brim). Everything smelled and tasted so good and the way they were able to pair each dish with the perfect wine was very impressive. I felt like Remy in Ratatouille when he describes how food should taste. Even if you’re not a foodie, you will appreciate this restaurant.

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Oyster Shucking

A Little Background:

The 15th Annual BC Wine & Oyster Festival was hosted by Coast Harbourside Hotel & Marina in Victoria BC with proceeds going to the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation. Ang and I got to attend as part of the New Victoria for New Media tour hosted by Coast Hotels & Resorts.

And Why Can I Really Shuck?

Here are just two reasons:

1. The Festival took place on June 19th and it’s taken me three weeks to get these pictures up. :S
2. I got to shuck an oyster at the festival!

If you ever attend one of these festivals,  you should note a few things:

1. Almost everyone will be dressed up
2. Napkins are your friend if you plan to eat oysters (especially if it’s as windy as it was this year)
3. Come early! Within a half hour the Cheese and Chocolates tables were devoured. They made sure to bring more oysters and wine than could be consumed though.

The event was really well put together and you could tell Coast Hotels & Resorts had been doing this for a while. There was so many tables of different wines and beers set up that I did feel a little bad for sampling only three. Ang and I were more interested in the Oysters, having just come from an incredible cider tasting at Sea Cider.

By the way, the oysters were DE-LISH. We ate so many big oysters, small oysters, cooked oysters, plain oysters, oysters with tabasco (which really burned my buds and all I could do was wash it down with more oysters and white wine), and oysters with lemon and other sauces that we were pretty full before we even left for dinner at The Noodle Box.

Here are some pictures from that night:

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New Victoria for New Media

It’s been an incredibly fun day! This is the first time I’ve ever met our Vancouverite bloggers in real life and I gotta say, I wasn’t quite ready for the onslaught of picture taking and video filming that was to take place today. LOL

We met up at Coast Hotels & Resorts at 8:30am where introductions began. I got to meet all the bloggers on the guestlist and their guests as well, in addition to the fab Coast clan (Sherry, Danny & Elisa). Everything was just like a normal pre-tour meet-and-greet until Lorraine and April arrived with about three cameras all going at the same time (video, picture, and picture for live updates). I felt a little self-conscious and wondered if I should’ve dressed up a bit.

Once we started boarding the bus, cameras were going off left, right, center, and every place inbetween! When April saw a squirrel on the sidewalk I heard “Oh SQUIRREL!” followed by several clicks of the camera. I’m not joking!! Bloggers it seems are crazy serious about getting footage of EVERYTHING — which is why I was too afraid to doze off on the bus. I kept nodding off and waking up suddenly with the fear of being caught on tape or in a picture with my mouth wide open. Hahahaha

They’re a great bunch! Trigger-happy like I’ve never seen, but a great bunch! I’m looking forward to what tomorrow brings:

Saturday’s Itinerary

8:30am Group Breakfast at Blue Crab Bar & Grill

9:30am Royal BC Museum

11:30am Victoria Harbour Ferry

12pm Lunch at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub

2:15pm Afternoon Tea at The Empress — Ang and I are really looking forward to this!

Sometime in the afternoon BUG ZOO!!

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Sea Cider Sampling

Tongue twisters are always great fun, especially when they’re paired with nine different ciders and oh-so-yummy cheeses and chutneys!

Our first stop on the island today was Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse run by Kristen & Bruce Jordan.

Kristen gave us a tour of the place, including a run-down about how ciders are made. It’s a fairly simple process in theory (take apples, squish them, and ferment the juice), but learning about the history of the farm and the barrels that the cider is made in makes it that much more impressive.

The Sea Cider farm was once a logan berry farm, and then a sheep farm, but five years ago the Jordans bought the place and planted 1,000 apple trees to start their organic cider business. They brew several different types of ciders using both Canadian and European apple varieties, and experiment every once in a while with things like bourbon infused barrels to create cider varieties like the Rumrummer (damn that thing is strong). Most of our group voted for the Rumrunner and the other “sweet” varieties, but of the nine that we tried, I think Ang and I both preferred the “off-dry” Perry and Pippins. I also really liked the Flagship, but it was a bit too dry for Ang’s liking.

The Taste Testing Lineup

Flagship 8.0%abv brut
A gentle German style cider made from empire and winter banana apples with a dry aftertaste and light bubbles.

Wild English 7.2%abv brut
This is a cider that I think all beer lovers would appreciate. It has a light beer scent with earthy flavours and would probably go great with a steak.

Kings & Spies 8.5%abv off-dry
This was Ang’s favourite before she tried the Pippins. It’s a North French style cider made from Northern Spy apples with a light floral scent. I really liked the smell, but I didn’t like the taste as much.

Perry 8%abv off-dry
OoOoo this one was one of my favourites. It’s made from fermented perry pears from North Saanich and has a very distinct (but delicate) flavour. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s definitely worth trying! Odd fact about this cider though: the fermentation process naturally produces lactose. I wasn’t sure how I would react to it (I’m lactose intolerant), but all was well and both my taste buds and tummy were happy.

Pippins 9.7%abv off-dry
If you’re ever unsure about what cider to buy as a gift, go with this one. It’s the safest cider and very similar to a typical sweet white wine. It’s made with Yellow Newton Pippin apples and really, you can’t go wrong with this one!

Rumrunner 14.2%abv semi-sweet
My taste buds had a shocker with this one, particularly because the Pippins was so calming. Did you know that there’s some weird rule in Kentucky where you have to use new barrels to produce bourbon? Random fact? Not so much. Because of this weird rule, Kentucky ends up with a ton of used rum infused barrels that it sells off to places all over the world, including Sea Cider that uses it to produce this strong rum-like cider. This was a favourite among most of the bloggers on the trip.

Pommeau 18%abv sweet
And this is where I started cringing. This was also a favourite among the group, but I’m just not a fan of brandy-like beverages. It’s a Normandy style cider made from snow apples, caramelized sugar, dried fruit and spices. You can use this as a substitute for a sherry or port.

Cyser 16%abv sweet
I liked the idea of this cider (fermented honey blended with organic cider) but it was also too strong for me and smelled a little too much like nail polish. It was a favourite among the other bloggers.

Pomona 16.2%abv sweet
Made from frozen crab apples, this last “sweet” cider was just as strong as the last three and equally unfizzy. It is paired well with aged cheeses and sweet desserts.

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My last trip to Victoria — I can be such a tourist sometimes

Wanna hear something really cool (for me at least)? I’m going on my very first FREE “new media” trip to Victoria today!! Seasoned media gurus may not find this all that impressive, but I’m ridiculously excited!

I got a message through my website contact page a few weeks ago that had an invite to a new media event called “New Victoria for New Media.” I was skeptical at first because I’ve never gotten an invite for a free trip before but part of me really hoped it was real, so I RSVPed right away. Well, it’s real and I’m going right now! YIPPEE!!!

The Guestlist

and me

Today’s Itinerary