Kadalima's Pattisserie (4)

Kadalima's
Oak Bay Avenue
2009
coffee - **** (Illy)
goodies -++++++

There used to be a nice Dutch bakery here, but then they closed, or sold out, and Kadalima's emerged.  As far as I know they are the BEST bakery in Victoria. I never stopped by for coffee, but today I checked it out and their biscotti is absolutely fabulous.  i am going to try and emulate it in my own kitchen.  Full of lovely chunks of ginger, and just perfect for dunking in the coffee.

 

Kadalima's on Oak Street yet again 

October 10, 2009

I simply can't stay away from this place.  However they have stopped making their fabulous biscotti.  It's a good thing I have perfected my own ginger biscotti... but there is always room to make it even better.

It's a gorgeous sunny, autumn Saturday, so Zoe and I walked down to Willows Beach.  One nut was swimming in a wet suit.  It may have been warm out of the water, but the North Pacific is cold cold cold at this time of year.  We watched a lady raking up buckets of seaweed for her garden as fertilizer.  Lots of people come down to the beach at this time for this.  Of course I had to pass Kadalima's on the way home, and stop for my coffee.  I am now just ordering Americanos, and am enjoying it much more.  I begged them to start making biscotti again, but they said the ginger was too expensive. ???  I buy bulk ginger and I haven't noticed any change in price.  Oh well.  So i tried their ginger squares, dipped in dark chocolate..  It was good, but not as good as their biscotti.

Kadalima's on Oak Bay.
August 31, 2009
coffee**** (Illy, Italian)
goodies - ++++++

It appears that I haven't been to a coffee shop since April.  Not true.  I just haven't done any drawings.  It seems like coffee shop blogging is a winter activity.  Today is a bright, crisp pre autumn day, perfect for a walk with Zoe, and of course i ended up here.  The urge to record it came over me, probably prompted by this woman's incredible red hair,  but I only had a pen.  So I recorded the colours, and just sketched this couple.  This is undoubtedly one of my very favorite places.  The coffee, while not fantastic, is definitely 'worthy', albeit it is the commercially produced Italian coffee, Illy.  But the pastries.... oh the pastries.  And the biscotti, especially the ginger biscotti full of chunks of candied ginger.  I have been working on developing my own ginger biscotti recipe, and have been doing better and better.

Kadalima's sadly has closed, and is no more
coffee ****
goodies - ++++++

So it was Monday, and sunny and warm, and I was lusting after gelato.  But sadly Ottavio's was closed.  So i headed here instead.  This was one my last visits to one of my favorite patisserie.  I turned up for coffee one day, and it appears that overnight the bakery disappeared, leaving a notice on the door saying that they had defaulted on their rent.  They made some of the very best pastries in Victoria, that I often described as tasting as good as they looked.  Too often, commercial pastries LOOK good, but virtually all taste similar.

Tooks on Cook

Tooks on Cook St and Fort.

April 20, 2009

Not my usual  kind of coffee place, but I desperately needed to try some new places.  I walked Zoe on Dallas Road, and I had 'done' all the coffee shops in Cook Street Village,  so I stopped by here.  A very ordinary nondescript place, with ordinary nondescript coffee.  No computers, but an older crowd reading their papers, discussing how to fix the world and local politics.  The muffin was good, but not worth returning for.  Coffee is the important thing.

B.C. Ferries (2)

 Queen of Vancouver

Swartz Bay to Tswassen

March, 2009

coffee **

goodies*

On the way to Vancouver for a Pissup with LPWT friends with zosu and Ruth-in-Canada.  A miserable day, raining and overcast.  This is their first meeting with our imaginary friends from the internet, but i have met several before.  We're planning an Ikea visit, and a visit to the East Indian stores on Main street.  If we have time, we'll hit the kitchen shop on fourth avenue.  Coffee was marginally better than i expected.  goodies...commercial crap.

Spirit of B.C, Sea West Lounge

March 14, 2009

coffee **
goodies - free, so no complaints

Moira needed to go to Vancouver for a doctor's appointment, and she did not want to drive, because she has never driven there, and doesn't know her way round.  So i volunteered to drive, as i was interested in doing an Ikea run.  We discovered that for an extra $10, we could go into this beautifully appointed first class lounge.  All sorts of newspapers and magazines to read:  complementary non alcoholic drinks, cheese and crackers, muffins and fruit.  I would have spent more in the crowded noisy peasant seating area.  The only problem is you have to talk QUIETLY.  We were hushed by the attendant when we got to animated in our discussion.  The coffee of course was up to BC ferries usual adequate. But it was free and hot.

The Parsonage

The Parsonage on North Park and Cook
April 1, 2009
*****
http://fernwoodcoffee.com/


This place came highly recommended, and although I had a bit of a time finding it (I didn't have exact directions), it turned out to be a charming, crowded place.  It is a the upfront store of Fernwood Coffee, and they roast their own coffee.  They serve vegetarian food, and although I didn't try any, it looked good. It was very crowded so I shared the table with a nice young woman who is studying 'signing'.   I was a bit disappointed in the coffee - it was a bit thin.  I am still ordering the ordinary coffee and am thinking I should upgrade to something else.  A real mixed bag of people dropping in here - students, professionals, oldies.

Update February 2010
Miserable day today, and I am craving coffee, so I stopped by here to give it another chance.  This time I ordered an Americano, and it was fabulous.  I will definitely return.  Lesson learned.  Stay away from the 'Cafe ordinaire'.  WIth all this coffee-ing I guess I have refined my taste.

Bubby Rose's

Bubby Rose's @ 1022 Cook near Fort
March 31, 2009
****
http://www.bubbyrosesbakery.com/


March 31, 2009
i have wanting to try this place for ages, because I, too had a Bubby Rose.  There are two Bubby Rose's on Cook Street, both very small. The original one is just too small to sit and draw in, so I stopped in to the one closer to Fort St.  It's still pretty small, and i shared a table with a talkative woman, a Canadian who had lived in the US for 12 years, and was now returning to live in Nova Scotia. She described herself as a hippy/art teacher/massage therapist/aroma therapist.  I don't know about N.S., but she sure would fit in here...probably on Saltspring Island.  This bakery is full of very good, and mostly wholesome baked goods and nu age goodies.  Vegan brownies, and gluten free breads etc.  The coffee was good, but the biscotti was 'cookie' like, not hard enough for dunking for me.  Clientelle seems to range from the healthy bicycle types, vegetarians, to the grown up hippies who are now business/professional proper citizens.

Cornerstone Cafe, Fernwood

Fernwood and Gladstone
March 30, 2009
****
 http://fernwoodnrg.ca/neighbourhood/cornerstone-cafe/


I decided I had to get out of my neighbourhnod, and out of my comfort zone.  People have been suggesting coffee shops to me, so I headed to the Cornerstone Cafe today, after the gym.   It's definitely a neighbourhood hangout for laid back Fernwood.   Cornerstone is in the 'heart' of Fernwood, across the street from the Belfry Theater, and in a heritage building. It is run by the Neighbourhood Resource Group, a community based agency that shares space in the upgraded heritage building.  It's a little shabby, but friendly.  The coffee was from Discovery, so it was pretty good, but somehow not as good as what is served in their own shops.

It was full of third generation 'hippy' ecologically conscious young 'uns, a happy friendly bunch.  Then there was this wonderful 'bubble blowing guy' in a uniform, with his sword bubble blower... just like mine!  I thought I was the only crazy one who travelled with a selection of bubble blowers with me at all time.

Kofi

March 23, 2009
Kofi, 1441 Haltain and Belmont.
 ***
http://www.koffihouse.com/about/


I had never heard of this place, and I had no idea where it was.  It took me a while to find it.  It's situated alongside about a dozen stores in Haultain Corners.  It's a pleasant place, painted bright orange, friendly staff,  bright plastic not too comfortable chairs.  It wasn't that busy when I was there.  These two were totally plugged in to their computers, and their ear phones and completely oblivious to the rest of the world. The coffee shop seems to be the new workplace... or study hall.  This coffee shop is definitely neighbourhood oriented and involved in sponsoring and supporting community events. They do minimum food prep here, but have good suppliers for their goodies:  Patisserie Daniel, Pagliaccis, and Simply Sweet. The coffee was good, not spectacular (Canterbury Coffee).  I was interested to see they hosted neighbourhood groups,... a knitting group, a mom and kiddy's group for instance.