Toro Japanese Restaurant

Toro is a top quality Japanese food experience. They are on View Street, between Douglas and Blanchard. The restaurant has been open for a couple of years now but I only tried it out in the last half year.

The below is an example of a lunch bento box. It contains new things I have not had in a bento box, like bao and eel. The quality in the choices made, different each day, will want me coming back for more. You have to be early though as they only make a limited amount of them.

Here is an example of a supper I ate here. Started with Goma-Ae salad (boiled spinach with sesame dressing).

Because it was cold out, the main I chose was the spicy seafood udon (prawn, scallop, squid, udon noodles with seasonal veggies) with egg added.

If you want a great experience of Japanese food in downtown Victoria, head to Toro.

A Look Back to 2023 and Ahead to 2024

The year 2023, for me, was one of change. I retired from my job of 33.5 years and moved into a non-working life. I hate to say retirement because I am starting classes in writing next week, something I am excited and nervous about which are good feelings to have to go into the future. Here is a look at things done, travelled to, read, listened to, attended, and watched.

Things done: Besides "retirement" there was a wonderful three week trip to Spain, relaxing trip to my wife's parents place with wine tasting thrown in, camping on Hornby, storm watching in Tofino, dinosaur bones and Ankor Wat at the museum, and a relaxing Christmas at my wife's parents place. Tried several new restaurants and revisited old ones. Also saw two performances: Duo Corvi and Charlie Ross's One Man Pride and Prejudice, both excellent. There was also a lot of work; downsizing "stuff", making a more robust will, errands, organizing, repair and maintenance of house, and helping friends. "Retiring" does not equal total relaxation, nor should it as it is a stationary stone that gathers moss. 

Non-Fiction Books Read: Only six non-fiction books read, two less than last year. Standouts were A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaiken and On Writing by Stephen King. Other notables were Landmark: Xenophon's Anabasis, Robert Silverberg's Worlds of Wonder, Sagrada Familia by Gijs Van Hensbergen, and The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers. Also read the magazines Archeology (Jan/Feb 23-Nov/Dec 23) and National Geographic (Dec 21-Jan 23). This year will mean reading more books about writing as I expand my knowledge about that craft.

Fiction Books Read: A whopping 23 books were read, nearly double what I normally read. This is good because a good writer should read a lot, and of different genres too. Standouts were all by Connie Willis (Doomsday Book, Blackout and All Clear). Notables were Agatha H, and the Voice of the Castle as well as The Siege of Mechanicsburg by Phil and Kaja Foglio, Passages and Remake by Connie Willis, The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (my first romance book), and Three Men in a Brummel by Jerome K Jerome. The rest were four Battletech short stories, Battletech: Decision at Thunder Rift,  Mercenary Star, and Price of Glory by William H Keith, Butcher's Moon by Richard Stark, Iron Heel by Jack London, Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, Mockingbird by Walter Tevis, Samurai Mysteries by Laura Joh Rowland; Samurai's Wife and Black Lotus, Shattered Sylph by L.J. McDonald, The Last Man by Mary Shelley, and To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis.

Comic Book Collections Read: Eleven comic book collections were read. Outstanding ones were the Sandman books (Preludes and Nocturns, Dream Country, Doll's House, Season of Mists). Notables were Lady Killer and Mouse Guard (Tales of the Guard vol 2 and 3). Others were Cyborg: Unplugged,

Essential Punisher vol 1, Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys, and Inhuman.

Music Concerts Watched: I discovered some music concerts on PBS, Knowledge, and music video channels. They were nice to have in the background while doing other things. There were also several that were awful, for various reasons (over the hill singers or not well filmed) which I will not mention. Here are the best of the bunch: Come from Away, Depeche Mode: Rock AM Ring, Dios de los Muertos, Elvis Presley: '68 Comeback Special, Linkin Park: Live in New York, Molly Tuttle and the Golden Highway, Queen and Adam Lambert, Sting: Vina del Mar, Willie Nelson: Live in Budokan. The rest were Alice in Chains: Unplugged, Band in Seattle; 30 min, 10 episodes, Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium, Carol King: Home Again live in Central Park, Dolly Parton and Friends: 50 Years at the Grand Old Opera, Doobie Brothers: 50th Anniversary in Radio City Music Hall, Duran Duran through time, Kenny Rogers: 1983, Johnny Cash: Man in Black - Live in Denmark 1971, Roy Orbison: Black and White Night, Santana: Live at the Us Festival, Sting: Live at Olympia Paris, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Live at Soundstage, Willie Nelson: Last of the Breed, Willie Nelson: The Show Must Go On.

Podcasts Listened To: Lots of knowledge and/or insight was gained by listening to knowledgeable folks in 2023 with 363 podcasts. Going to continue into this year. Outstanding ones were Jordan Harbinger and the series The Flamethrowers. Notables were Gone Medieval, Not Just the Tudors, The Ancients, and select (about 40%) episodes of Ideas.  Others listened to were American History Hit, Betwixt the Sheets, Dan Snow History Hit, Debaters, and Rick Steves Spain.

Documentary Length Watched: I like to be surprised by documentaries for what I did not know before or at least made more aware of a subject. Here are the outstanding ones watched: Casa Suzanna, In the Shadow of the Moon, Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History, and Putin's Witnesses. Other ones seen were Georgia O'Keefe: The Far Away, King Tut: A Century of Secrets, Quest for Tonewood, Tupperware, Unzipped, Yvres St Laurent: His life and times, and Zora Neale Hurston.

Non-Fiction TV: Like documentary length features, I like to be surprised or made more aware by topics. Here were the standouts out of 143 programs and episodes of programs: A Nation Soars, Ancient Worlds, Professor Jim Al-Khalili (Beginning and End of the Universe, Gravity and Me, Joy of AI, Order and Disorder, Secrets of Quantum Physics, Secrets of Size), Return to Belsen, Sacred Rivers with Simon Reeve, Stuff the British Stole, Truth and Lies. 

Competition TV: What we prefer for competition TV in our house are shows that make you smile, not the vengeful nor vindictive stuff that is out there. We watched 150 hours worth. That includes America's Got Talent, Amazing Race Canada, Canada's Got Talent, Great British Baking Show, Great British Sewing Bee, Great Canadian Baking Show, Great Pottery throwdown, Project Runway, Race Against the Tide, Top Chef, and Ultimate Challenge Canada. I did watch three episodes of Traitors and although the mechanics of the show are very interesting the people were not.

Films in a Theater: Last year six movies were seen. Spider Man: Across the Multiverse was the outstanding one with special mention to the rest: Dinosaurs of Antarctica IMAX, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor among Thieves, Godzilla Minus One, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, John Wick 4, and Wings over Water IMAX.

Fiction Films: Twenty eight movies were seen at home or on a plane. Standout was Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and Lion in Winter. Other notable films were: Big Night, Enola Holmes 1&2, Glass Onion: A Knives Out! Mystery, Spider Man: No Way Home, Star Wars Saga (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, Rise of Skywalker), and two filmed performances at the Stratford Festival (The Tempest as well as Caesar and Cleopatra).

Animated Films: Thanks to Adult Swim, many cartoon films were seen in addition to other sources. Standouts were Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special, and Justice League: Doom.

Animated Fiction TV: I like well done animated/stop motion programs and the standouts were Cowboy Bebop, Scavengers Reign, and Young Justice: Phantoms. Other notables were Rick and Morty, Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, and Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Fiction TV: A whopping 367.5 hours of fiction TV were watched, of which most were good but few rose to great and near perfection. At least in my estimation. Most were watched by just me over breakfast, lunch, and break days where I binged. This is something that has to change in 2024 so I can concentrate on school, reading, and writing. I will save TV for the stuff I like. The ones that were perfect or near perfect were: Daredevil S1 & S2, For All Mankind, Jessica Jones S1 & S2, Mrs Davis, Punisher S1, Severance, and Ted Lasso. The greats were: Cranford, Doom Patrol, Interview with a Vampire, Luke Cage S1, Luther, Mandalorian S3, Manhunt, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Picard S3, Whose Line is it Anyways.

There was 2023 in brief. Here is to everyone for a better 2024,

Dinosaurs at the Royal BC Museum

The Royal BC Museum has two dinosaur exhibits, one with the best TRex skeleton (Sue) and the other showing a few finds in the province of BC. Both are insightful and wonderful to behold. First some recognizable dinosaurs.

This is Sue, named after the fossil hunter who found it. Over 90% of it was found in mostly large pieces. There are several indications on the bones of past injuries that have healed and diseases it contracted. It also gives an excellent sense of scale that makes one marvel at the creatures of our distant past.

The Sue exhibit is here until the 7th of January.

The BC exhibit has "Buster" in the center. It is an iron lizard from the Sustut river. The room shows finds of the museum's staff of paleontologists. It also shows some of the joys and trials of the team in the field. This exhibit lasts until April 7th.

Ankor Wat at the Royal BC Museum

Recently my wife and I went to the Royal BC Museum to see the Ankor Wat exhibition. The items on display not only show the history and art of the site over time but also the "discovery" of it by the outside world. It has influenced the western world when it was discovered and continues to do so today.

Statues from Prasal Chen.

Buddha on the Naga, bronze, later 1100's.

Adorned buddha, wood and lacquer, 1600-1700's.

One of the exhibit rooms.

A replica of a stone wall at Ankor Wat.

Replica of a harp, made of jackfruit, rose and red woods, goat skin, and nylon microfibres.

Another exhibit display.

Lion and monkey guardians, 10th and 11th centuries.

Lintle from the 10th century made of sandstone.

A three dimensional view of the city of Ankor Wat, using lidar.

Hevajra in a shrine, bronze, late 12th to early 13th century.

Sadashiva, bronze 12th to 13th century, and Ganesha, bronze 12th to 13th century. 

In the 1860's, expeditions from the west arrived with artists and photographers. In 1863, France established a protectorate over Cambodia. This is one of the first western drawings of Ankor Wat that entranced the world.

The exhibit's last day is 14th of January. I recommend a visit.

Tofino - Chesterman's Beach

Chesterman's beach is always a treat to walk on in the morning, afternoon, and night. So much to see and feel while on its wild shore. This is particularly true when it is storm season and this time it was a little more so. Here are some of the pictures taken during this trip so take a walk with us through my pictures.

The view and feeling it evokes always have me coming back. Each step can bring a different view and the multitude of the steps can bring to your heart a journey.

Tofino - Food

 Here are some pictures of the food enjoyed during our stay in Tofino, over Remembrance day weekend. First, Roar at the local Hotel Zed which is a newer place that has become a must attend for a meal or two. The appetizer was the seafood antipasto board which had excellent smoked salmon, marinated octopus, pickled scallops, and flavoured tuna with chips, hot sauce, capers, and pickled cauliflower.

Duck confit radiatori pasta (pulled duck confit, green olive, oyster mushroom + tomato ragout, preserved lemon, shaved parmesan). A wonderful and fun dish with complementary flavours.

One night we had food that everyone had brought to the townhouse we rented. I made pasta earlier in the week as well as a simple ragout sauce.

Shed has an excellent tuna poke bowl that is a favorite for a lunch with lots of nice textures and flavours.

Lastly Wolf in the Fog, which is always a treat to eat here. Started with potato string wrapped local oysters lightly deep fried. We pretty much always order this as the taste of everything combined is a delight on the tongue.

My wife and I shared a seafood salad, another must have when we eat here. Local mushrooms and seaweed, puffed rice, daikon, sesame mayo, miso chili oil. You feel so good when eating it.

Smoked steelhead trout with buttermilk mashed potatoes, beets, chard, salal berry, and juniper. I love trout for the fatty oils inside when it is cooked just right. Combined with the other items it blends wonderfully.

For dessert, apple terrine with crème fraîche, oat crumble, bee pollen tuile, caramelized honey.

Tofino always has great talent making great food. Its always tempting to stay longer to sample more. Not pictured was the chocolate box my wife and I each bought from Chocolate Tofino, another must see and buy things from.

House of Boateng

The House of Boateng is a is a newish restaurant that my I, my wife, and a friend tried not long ago. Chef Castro and his wife Charlotte are the owners and they have an excellent approach to food, as presented in this special meal inspired by places around Vancouver Island. 

The meal was accompanied by music by the Aerie Trio and composed by group member Diane Berry. Different to other meals where there was a musical accompaniment, it occurred in between the finishing and starting of a course serving. It allowed us to enjoy the music that the upcoming course was to represent and give a chance for the kitchen to freshly prepare the course.

To start we had a variety of breads and butters.

Served with the musical piece for the beaches of Fanny Bay, Denman Island, and Hornby, was island fresh Fanny Bay oysters, Rockefeller Denman Island oysters, and Hornby Island herring. 

Served with the musical piece for the Tidepools, was Port Renfrew crab salad, BC Prawns, mussels, Oxeye daisy leaves, preserved lemon, and green oil.

Served with the musical piece for the rainforest, was East Sooke Park Sooke trout, BC mushrooms, fiddlehead, sea asparagus, Kemp miso orange dressing, sesame seeds, and bonito. 

Here is the staff hard at work between courses.

Served with the musical piece for creeks and streams, was Goldstream Park citrus confit salmon, dill pickled cucumber, salmon roe, and parsnip soup.  

Served with the musical piece for Garry Oak meadow, was Garry Oak Meadows venison striploin, porcini mushrooms, herb gnocchi, and wild blackberry jus.

Served with the musical piece for the Rose Garden, was Government House rose gardens rose water curd, raspberries, strawberry crumble, meringue, and edible petals.

Every dish was a sparkle to the senses. My entire tongue was treated to textures and flavours that I enjoyed. This was a meal to savor and enjoy slowly. I would eat one of their special meals again and again.

For those who wish to hire and/or see the Aerie Trio, or the performers in their larger company,   Augmented Trio, go to their link.