The layout is split into two physically separated areas, soft serve ice-cream sundaes in the larger corner space, and hard, scooped ice cream in the smaller adjoining space. Also served are ice cream floats, malts, cookie ice cream sandwiches, splits, and a host of other related treats.

The store sign itself promotes “Olde Fashioned Ice Cream Concoctions” and I haven’t quite made up my mind whether the interior décor is ironic, an avant garde take on retro, or just confused. Old time charm is attempted to be blended with modern design ethics; LCD screen menus are side-by-side with stained glass light fixtures and signs in “Olde English” at the same time that wooden accents merge into bold granite fixtures. Although I have to admit, I am a fan of the uniforms. It’s the hat that does it, really.

I tried one of the more conservative sundaes on their menu. Yes, the drooling beast in the image below would be considered conservative in terms of number of toppings – vanilla soft serve ice cream rimmed with nuts, a Rogers’ chocolate medalion, and finished with caramel, whipped cream, and a marachino cherry.

My favourite part of the sundae was actually the nuts. But I’m an odd fellow who claims his tongue is abnormally full of too many sweet receptors. It wasn’t until after I was happily crunching on my sundae toppings that I noticed a sign advertising cookie ice cream sandwiches. That’s one childhood indulgence that has stayed with me all these years.

Looks like I’m going to have to make another trip to ye olde soda shoppe sooneth.

Rogers’ Chocolates Soda Shoppe
801 Government Street | Victoria
(250) 382-4249
Official Facebook Page

1. Great view
2. Heat source for when the sun sets
3. Good drinks

Anything more is gravy. I’ve already talked about Glo Europub and Grill, so here’s a rundown of a few of my other favourite patios in Victoria.

Canoe Brewpub, Marina and Restaurant

beer @ canoe brewpub by sashafatcat (Creative Commons)

Canoe’s restaurant interior design relishes in the fact that it’s placed within a 1894 heritage building, showing off its exposed brick and timber supports with gusto. But today we’re not here to talk about interiors; today we care about patios.

The outdoor terrace overlooks the marina and is west facing. Making it perfect to watch a setting sun while you kick back with one of Canoe’s microbrews,

The Sticky Wicket Pub & Restaurant

The Sticky Wicket by elwino (Creative Commons)

I admit that even if I did not appreciate the food or drink here, Sticky Wicket would still make this list by the fact that there’s a sand volleyball court on the rooftop patio.

I repeat: a sand volleyball court. On. The. Roof.

Great for large gatherings, the normally drop-in courts can be reserved with a minimum food order of a few hundred dollars.

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub

A brisk walk along the water the West of Downtown Victoria, across the Johnson Street bridge lies one of the best brewpubs in the city. And the view from the top floor? It’s the kind where the wide ocean view clears your mind and your soul.

Or maybe that’s a side effect of the micro-brews. While I’m a fan of their hand-pumped stout, a coworker of mine swears by their IPA.

There are many more great patios in Victoria – a couple of hotel restaurants and a one named after a small, narrow boat immediately come to mind.

Chime in in the comments if you have a favourite patio.

Canoe Brewpub, Marina and Restaurant
450 Swift Street | Victoria
(250) 361-1940
canoebrewpub.com

The Sticky Wicket Pub & Restaurant
919 Douglas Street | Victoria
(250) 383-7137 | 1-800-663-7476
strathconahotel.com/the_sticky_wicket_pub___restau.html

Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub
308 Catherine Street | Victoria
(250) 386-2739 | 1-877-838-2739
spinnakers.com

Glo Europub and Grill

Their smoked gouda pizza (blackened chicken, cashews, asparagus, gouda) is often reason enough alone to make a stop. Add in being a five minute drive from my office and Glo becomes a favourite for after work drinks.

In the summer, their scenic patio opens up along the water feeding your senses with sights of kayaks and dragon boats racing by as you take a trip around the world with their city named martinis. I’ve never quite made it around the world in one sitting, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying!

If the martinis don’t pique your interest, Glo also has an extensive wine list with certain bottles priced at just a few dollars over cost on Wednesdays. By pure coincidence, I assure you, I used to take my project team to here after work on Wednesdays.

Glo Europub and Grill
104 – 2940 Jutland Road | Victoria
(250) 385-5643
gloeuropub.com

Aside from a breathtakingly unhindered view of Victoria’s harbour, with accompanying float planes, boats, and friendly seals (otters?), I’ve only had great experiences with the wait staff here.

Breakfast had always been a meal to skip. Most mornings I’d be lucky to have a helping of cheerios before leaving for work.

This changed when I started staying routinely at the Delta Victoria. My mornings then consisted of the Garden Omlette (egg white omlette with roasted vegetables) with added goat cheese. Melissa, one of the lovely ladies who waits the morning shift, recommended that addition and I’m forever grateful.

Melissa also, unrequested, brought in special teas off-menu in those dark months when I was trying to rehabilitate myself from the hazards of espresso overindulgence. But that’s another story.

The moral of this story? It never hurts to make nice with the hotel staff.

LURE Seafood Restaurant + Bar
45 Songhees Road | Victoria
(250) 360-5873
lurevictoria.com

Year round the weather holds better than Vancouver, and while we may not be 30 minutes away from a trio of ski slopes, with the relatively calm traffic you’re never 30 minutes away from anything.

Of course, being close to everything is all for naught when nothing is open past 5pm.

Not too long ago I was a caffeine fiend; the equivalent of a pack a day smoker by the amount of coffee and espresso my body was subjected to. As such, I was always on the lookout for a good coffee throughout the day, even though most of Victoria shuts down at 5pm.

The following is a photo log re-enactment of one such search.

Bruce’s coffee hunt

It was just after 6pm on a weekday. After grabbing a quick bite from the lounge of my hotel, I hit the streets looking for a quality espresso to accompany what was shaping up to be a very long work night.

During the odd weekend I spend in Victoria I can usually be found at Dolce Vita. It’s one of the few places where when asking for an espresso macchiato, you don’t receive what I’d call a dry cappuccino instead. What you get is a nice pull of espresso topped off with delicate microfoam and a chocolate wafer on the side.

Unfortunately, Dolce Vita was closed.

Known for their latte art, Caffe Artigiano was a regular haunt for a close friend and me back when we both worked in downtown Vancouver. Remembering that a location had recently opened up in Victoria inside the Bedford Hotel on Government street, I made my way over.

Unfortunately, Caffe Artigiano was closed.

So where to next? I loaded up my trusty GPS enabled smart phone searched the review sites. As it turned out, just down the street was Murchies, a coffee house that I had not yet been to but had good reviews.

Unfortunately, Murchies was closed.

I looked around and realised I was near a cafe called Macchiato, where I a very nice espresso not too long ago when some friends from the lower mainland visited on their way to a conference in Victoria.

Unfortunately… well, you know the drill by now.

Long story short, let’s just say it’s a good thing my body’s acclimated to just a single early morning coffee with possibly a second in the mid afternoon. Things are much simpler this way when you’re in Victoria.

If you know anywhere in Victoria where you can get a decent cup of coffee / espresso past 5pm, let me know in the comments.

Aside from it being the gracious thing to do, you may also be treated to surprise items like this:

I’m known for an inherent lack of a sweet tooth, but that’s not quite accurate. My sweet tooth is just long lasting. And after this, I was good for a month.

Before you ask, no, I didn’t end up spending my birthday in the hotel. I was only there the day before.

My actual birthday was spent at the dentist!

I assume my friends at the hotel considered it my ‘last rights’ meal before going under the drill.

The Gra Tong Taung (golden cups) appetizer – crispy batter cups with a ground chicken and caramelized onion filling, topped with cilantro – is a perennial favourite to share. Try them with only the slightest drop of the house plum sauce.

The Guay Teow Kee Mao Gai (flash fried rice noodles with chicken, egg, onions, red and green peppers, chilis, and sweet basil leaves) is the main I recommend most of my dining companions to start with if they have trouble making up their minds. But I’m a sucker for anything Thai Basil.

Baan Thai also has dedicated vegetarian menu items.

It does get busy during dinner but they are usually able to seat a party of four in under 20 minutes.

Also beware of sitting up at the bar; the high chairs are so gargantuan and heavy that they will either make you feel like a king on a throne or will give you a whopping insecurity complex as you strain to adjust your seat.

Personally, I love sitting at the bar.

Baan Thai Restaurant
1117 Blanshard Street | Victoria
(250) 383-0050
baanthaivictoria.ca

Management has changed in recent years – the homestyle chips are no longer complimentary and their mains seem portioned out a tad smaller – but on Monday nights, Cafe Mexico is still a worthwhile stop for their pizza specials.

While the name escapes me, there’s one pizza on the menu with generous slices of fresh avocado on top; a non-traditional pairing to be sure, but it works. And yes, their guacamole is worth the extra charge when ordered with their house chips and salsa.

To be honest, for more traditional Mexican fare I’ll go to Adriana’s first without hesitation. But when I find myself in Victoria’s Old Town on a Monday evening, an avocado topped pizza and homestyle chips at Cafe Mexico is hard to turn down.

Cafe Mexico
1425 Store Street | Victoria
(250) 386-1425
cafemexico.com

At an eye-popping price tag of $55 (make that $67 for Royal Tea), I was a huge skeptic. Even if the tea really is fantastic and the dainties to die for, can a bunch of micro sandwiches, scones, and leaf-infused hot water really be worth all that money?

Read on and decide for yourself.

First impressions

Our group of six strolled around the ivy citadel that is the Fairmont Empress, already in awe of its Victorian glory. The room that housed us for tea was no less impressive:

The Tea Lobby was elegant, airy, luxurious, and filled with the tinkling from a baby grand piano. I clapped my hands with glee when it became clear that he was playing the theme song from the Harry Potter films. Fittingly majestic and magical for a space such as this.

Full service afternoon tea

Have you ever gone to a tea house in Vancouver and had the equivalent of a butler see to your every need? If you have, you must tell me where, because this has only ever happened to me at the Empress.

Paul, our stately server, welcomed us with full pomp, pulling out the chairs for the ladies and placing our napkins on our seats as one would expect at a fine dining restaurant. His delivery of our strawberries and chantilly, presented elegantly in cut crystal goblets, was crisp and expedient. It was bettered only by his performance with our tea. Apparently, we were to have him wait on us completely, with our teapots set on its own table as he poured cup after cup for each of us. He even executed the cream and sugar himself on the first round.

He was so prepared to continue pouring our tea for us, having remembered what each of us had ordered, that we had to stop him in the middle of service after we decided to sample each other’s teas. After one incident where he poured Angela’s tea into the teacup she had already half-filled with Anny’s tea, Paul realized that we were quite happy to help ourselves. He consequently pulled back a bit, returning only occasionally to top up our cups and plop more cream and sugar into those that warranted it, confirming the tea we wanted from then on.

Giggle! All the attention made me feel like a princess.

A closer look at the food and drink

It may be partially due to the service and our surroundings, but by God, did I ever love the tea here!

I naturally had to try the The Empress Blend, made exclusively for the hotel with the express intention of pairing with the dainties of afternoon tea. Here’s what the menu told me about it:

Exclusive to The Fairmont Empress, this delightful blend boasts a bright coppery colour and takes milk exceedingly well. The Assam component lends a rich malty character, while the Kenyan black tea provides subtle floral hints. Kenyan green tea infuses a bright and lively aroma, complemented by the fruity, sprightly, and airy piquant flavours of Dimbula from Sri Lanka. Small amounts of Kemum draw the elements together with a burgundy depth and light oaky notes.

Half the table had the Empress Blend along with me, while others selected from the menu of eight delicious sounding options. We all seemed to prefer the ones we ordered for ourselves, and my tastings of the rest, while personally paling in comparison to the Empress Blend, were fragrant, colourful, and beautiful with the food that we had in front of us.

Anny evidently enjoyed her strawberries and chantilly, as did I.

The presentation of our dainties was utterly refined. My eyes were immediately drawn to the marbled chocolate tulips on the top tier and the smoked salmon pinwheels and mushroom crostini on the bottom one.

For me, the savouries were clearly a cut above your average afternoon tea fare. The plate popped with colour and contrast, and the flavours were bright and full without being overbearing. A lot of care seemed to be put in to ensure that these items would complement the teas (which still should be the star of the meal, no?). Best cucumber sandwich I’ve had; the horseradish in the spread was the magic ingredient, I think.

The scones were good but not anything to write home about. They weren’t a match for the scones that I still fondly recall from Secret Garden, but they are better than those from T Room & Bakery and Bacchus. Although I downed every bite, I do wish they had served us the crumpets instead (their cookbook has a recipe dating back over 100 years).

By the time we reached dessert, our group was pleasantly stuffed. I was barely capable of trying even a mouthful of each of the sweets on the top tier. Besides, I find that the desserts are often made much too sweet to be served with tea, so this part of the service was not one that I was particularly looking forward to.

Again, as you can see, Anny enjoyed whatever had been put in front of her. Others reported the deliciousness of the sweets, ultimately favouring the the most delicate ones due to their pairings with the tea. From my nibbles, I leaned towards the lemon tarts and the shortbread with crumbles of Earl Grey tea leaves baked in.

Our verdict

Is high tea at the Empress expensive? Hell, yes! All told, the six of us spent nearly $400 for an afternoon that didn’t even qualify as a full meal.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. Best afternoon tea experience I’ve had to date, in an atmosphere of opulence and a city of much Victorian charm.

Make your own Empress afternoon tea at home

Anyone that helps us give to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society for Blogathon 2009 has the opportunity to win a tin of The Empress’ Centennial Blend plus a copy of If Teapots Could Talk, which is filled with recipes for the food you see above and more. See full rules and eligibility below.

1. By day’s end on July 24, 2009, every $10 that you donate towards Tiny Bites’ Blogathon drive for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society grants you 1 entry to the draw. If you donate $50, that equals 5 entries for you and $50 x 3 = $150 worth of food for the people that the Food Bank helps.
2. Please contact us about your donation and/or bookings before July 25th so that we can make sure you get all the entries that you deserve.
3. The winner will be announced at 4:30am on July 26, 2009, while I am on shift for Blogathon 2009.

Thank you for your donations and best of luck in winning this Early Bird prize!

This article contains the first of several Early Bird Blogathon 2009 prize giveaways.

Valued at $200, you don’t want to miss your chance to win this Victoria loot bag nor miss an opportunity to support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Read on or skip to the contest details.

Last month, Coast Hotels & Resorts invited me to a weekend media tour of one of my favourite BC destinations: Victoria. It had been ages since I was last there, with international travel and family holidays to Winnipeg getting priority, but Victoria will always hold a special place in my heart for being an affordable romantic getaway while my husband and I dated in university.

I’m admittedly unfamiliar with the food to be found in the city despite frequent discussions on the subject with work-week Victoria resident, Bruce Nguyen. This seemed like a great opportunity to take in long-forgotten sights and sample our host”s recommended eateries. So with my CA husband in the throes of the corporate tax crunch, I grabbed design partner Jason Lau and joined other Vancouver new media invitees for a 2-day spin of BC’s capital.

There are already so many retellings of this jaunt to the Island. Check out the accounts of the other bloggers on this tour:

• Arieanna & Ianiv
• John Bollwitt
• Rebecca Bollwitt
• Anny Chih
• April Smith
• Duane Storey

Because of this, I’ll focus on the eating adventures that Jason and I had along the way.

Coffee stop at Tsawwassen Quay Market

Our travel set of 14 met groggily one Friday morning at the steps of the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites by Denman and Comox. After being greeted by our hosts, Sherry and Danny, we boarded our chartered bus towards the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal.

Our arrival was deliberately early, giving us enough time to have our first communal caffeine intake at the Salt Spring Island Coffee booth in Tsawwassen Quay Market. I was personally excited to be at the Quay again. During last year’s excursion to Victoria, I had discovered its stretch of boutiques and eateries, becoming particularly enamored with the aesthetics of the Oh Gelato counter.

I was looking forward to a gelato treat before boarding our ferry, but with everyone else going for coffee and me still keen on hiding my pregnancy, the strange looks I was getting for wanting gelato this early made me nervous about indulging my cravings. Oh well – next time!

Pacific Buffet brunch with BC Ferries

We made a beeline for the stern once we boarded our ferry, where we had a brunch date with Pacific Buffet.

It was happy to see an endless flow of har gow and siu mai – two dim sum favourites that I didn’t expect to find in a West Coast buffet service. I happily took my fill of those, along with sides of spinach salad and fresh fruit to balance the meaty with the healthy. Despite the occasional trip-ups forced upon us by the boat’s rollicks, we all managed to eat several helpings before going deck-side for a photowalk.

Tipsy trials at Sea Cider

It was a good thing that we did stuff ourselves on the ferry, as our first Island-side stop consisted of a comprehensive tour and tasting of Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. Arieanna and I, unable to partake in the cider tastings, sipped on our sparkling lavender water and green pear tea while witnessing the sure inebriation of the rest of our group. By all accounts, the ciders indeed impressed:  9 varieties ranging from dry to dessert, $12 – $25. Our table were big fans of the $17 Rumrunner and the best-selling $15 Pippins.

We toured the rest of the facility and observed cider-making in action with co-owner Kristen Jordan before returning to Victoria and checking into our hotel. Happily surprised that our in-room welcome package contained a bottle of Sea Cider’s Kings & Spies: an off-dry, Brittany-style cider made from heritage apples care of the Life Cycles fruit tree project.

Room service fun at Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel

Checking into our room on the 9th floor of Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel called for an immediate investigation of their room service menu. While Jason admired the view of the harbour from our balcony, I rang up for fries with double helpings of ketchup (yet another inexplicable craving I experienced throughout this trip).

Our room was well stocked with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, but our mini-fridge was empty and the ice rooms were only on even floors. When room service arrived with my fries, I mentioned my reticence to travel a floor for ice for my tap water, and returned to the room later to find that turn-down service sent us bottles of water for our bedsides and a tin of Jelly Bellies to boot. I’d never turn down a chocolate on my pillow, but I must say that a tin of jellybeans that we could tote with us was an even nicer treat.

Scouring the booths of the BC Wine and Oyster Fest

We only had enough time to unpack and down said fries before heading out to the lobby floor for the 15th annual BC Wine and Oyster Fest – dubbed “Star Shuck” if you were to believe the accompanying tasting booklet.

The $50 admission was comped by Coast Hotels & Resorts – a good thing for me, as I was unable to eat or drink most of the offerings at hand. Jason, on the other hand, agreed to taste a selection of whites and rosés for me. With nearly 60 BC wineries represented, there was much to choose from. I suggested visits to some of my favourites: Road 13, Township 7, Thornhaven, Dirty Laundry, and Joie. Jason introduced me conceptually to the fruit wines of Elephant Island. We both discovered Vancouver Island wineries such as Dragonfly Hill and Averill Creek. No representation from my favourite Island vintner, Venturi-Schulze, but Saturday at Spinnakers made up for that.

Still, I cheated on my diet with as many oysters as my morning sickness could handle. A particularly disagreeable one of the BBQed variety also gave me an excuse to sip the funk away with a heavenly rinse of Joie’s Noble Blend. Beyond these indiscretions, I picked at the veggie platters and haunted the chocolate fountain until it was time to head out for a proper meal. (I heard that others were less excited about and/or capable of gallivanting outside the hotel after our cider afternoon and this wine fest – room service may have been pleased with our group’s patronage that evening!)

Asian fare at The Noodle Box

Some of our number made use of the hotel shuttle to head to The Noodle Box on Douglas Street, since the one in the more picturesque neighbourhood of Chinatown was jam packed. Even at the Douglas location, we were lucky to scoop up a table large enough for the 7 of us. The view was hard to beat: I snapped photos of the flames that shot out of the open kitchen’s woks as the rest ordered various stir-frys of the Asian persuasion.

Sorry – not many photos of the food were taken. I was too busy wolfing down my shanghai beef noodles and enjoying the dinner conversation. I do recall Elisa enjoying her enormous serving of Tom Kah Gai while Angela and Anny were underwhelmed by their choice of roti. Overall, it was serviceable enough for me to ponder a visit of  The Noodle Box in Kitsilano.

Adventures at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub

Day 2 started with a fruit-filled breakfast at the hotel and an amiable walk over to the Royal BC Museum. All that walking around got everyone hungry, so we jumped on the Victoria Harbour Ferry – the city’s Aquabus counterpart – to the local institution that is Spinnakers.

It was at Spinnakers that we got to know Tourism Victoria ambassador Kelsey Ewart, who treated us to a multi-course meal as we tasted Vancouver Island wines and Spinnakers’ homebrews. Arieanna and I were provided with pregnancy-friendly menu alternatives while the others ate through platters of mussels and clams, local raw cheeses, pork and mushroom risotto, and more.  My envy peaked as the table downed several offerings from Venturi-Schulze; happily, we were given license to sample the house chocolates that came paired with the Spinnakers beer trio.

After a tour of the properties that Spinnakers had amassed over the years, I picked up one of each chocolate that Spinnakers made in-house for the Victoria loot bag that I’m giving away to one of you, plus extras for my husband that I thought he might enjoy: truffles infused with scotch, tequila, chili, lavender, and more.

Tea at the Empress

Afternoon tea at the Empress was the culinary highlight of my trip – worth every penny of the $65 plus tax and tip that I was originally reluctant to spare. I shall reserve further comment for a separate post as part of my High Tea Series. Watch out for that article at 4pm during Blogathon 2009 by next week, as I have a separate giveaway planned for it.

If you want to feel like a princess, this is one of the best ways to do it in Victoria.

Victoria Tweetup at Ogden Point Cafe

After sleeping off the coma induced by our food-filled afternoon, the visiting Vancouver Twitter folk went to Ogden Point Cafe to introduce ourselves to the Victoria Twitter scene. I mostly got to chat with @howlabit and @lacouvee as we took in the view of the harbouring cruise ships and shared a pint or coffee mug with our Island cronies.

A dark dinner at Sauce

On the recommendation of those that gathered at the Victoria Tweetup, 2 camps of diners headed over to Government to dine at Sauce. Think Milestones mediocrity in a space lit like a dungeon.

Well, that was what my table thought, at least. The other table, situated across the restaurant from us, seemed to enjoy their meal just fine. Personally, I regretted the decision to go with the crowd instead of eating at Red Fish, Blue Fish, a place that Vancouver Island correspondent Bruce so ardently admires.

Breakfast highlights at Blue Crab Bar & Grill

Sunday morning in Victoria was sad and brief, with just enough time to eat a hot breakfast at the hotel’s Blue Crab Bar & Grill.

The more adventurous of us took up Anny’s pre-breakfast amuse bouche: bacon and cheese crickets that she picked up as a souvenir from the Victoria Bug Zoo. My tasting notes? Like bacon bits, with legs.

Cravings and solace in Seawest Lounge

Our return to Vancouver didn’t include another Pacific Buffet brunch, but we did get to camp in the quiet of Seawest Lounge and select from its complimentary dailies and snacks. That wasn’t enough for my appetite, so I snuck over to the cafeteria and smuggled in a White Spot Legendary burger, a large helping of root beer, and a massive side of pickles (surprisingly, a dozen of these babies only cost me 99 cents).

Photo courtesy of Danny Dang

The allure of my fast food got to a few of the people around me, causing a mini-exodus to the same cafeteria for burgers of their own. I chuckled at the way we ended our gastronomic weekend with a burger and fries, and held a bigger smile still for the moments we all shared as Mainlanders in Victoria.

Let me give you a taste of Victoria!

Would you like a Victoria goodie bag to enjoy for your next journey to the Island? Take a look at this first of several Early Bird Blogathon giveaways:

• Swag and $50 gift card from our weekend host, Coast Hotels & Resorts
• 1 pass for the Royal BC Museum and the Imax Theatre
• Road, trail, and walking maps of Victoria and beyond
• Complete gamut of Spinnakers’ housemade chocolate truffles (12 varieties)
• Package of 10 two-cup tea bags of Empress Quality Tea Blend
• 1 bottle of Sea Cider’s Kings & Spies cider*
• Tin of Jelly Belly jellybeans

This prize is valued at approximately $200 and should give you another reason to head out to Victoria this summer to take in the sights.

How you can win

Anyone* that helps us give to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society for Blogathon 2009 has the opportunity to win this Victoria goodie bag. See full rules and eligibility below.

1. By day’s end on July 24, 2009, every $10 that you donate towards Tiny Bites’ Blogathon drive for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society grants you 1 entry to the draw. If you donate $50, that equals 5 entries for you and $50 x 3 = $150 worth of food for the people that the Food Bank helps. Doesn’t that just give you the warm fuzzies?
2. After you donate, book a stay with Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel in Victoria’s Inner Harbour to earn 10 bonus entries to this draw. Try this special package for Tiny Bites readers or design a stay of your choosing – it’s up to you!
3. Please contact us about your donation and/or bookings before July 25th so that we can make sure you get all the entries that you deserve.
4. The winner will be announced at 1:30pm on July 25, 2009, while Bruce is on shift for Blogathon 2009.

* While we would be happy to ship this prize to anyone that is eligible (above), only those that can pick up their prize can be given the bottle of Sea Cider Kings & Spies. Canada Post is pretty stuffy about mailing alcohol about – sorry.