Cozy private space near UVic

COFFEE, TEA, and EXTRAS There's coffee and tea in the red canisters. The coffee is a nice variety, and is good when it's made in the little French press. There is black tea in sealed sachets in the large canister, and the unlabelled bags in the small canister are lemon herbal tea. There is also green tea in the cupboard. Below the element (next to the fridge) there is an electric kettle. The milk in the fridge is always fresh, and the water bottles are complimentary. Help yourself to whatever snack is on the premises – we try to provide some small granola bars, nuts, or similar, in case you arrive late and feel undernourished…! CLIMATE CONTROL Should you feel chilly, there is an extra blanket in the closet, and there's a white heater console on the wall between the fridge and bed. It is pretty self-explanatory, and it heats up quickly. Temperatures are in Celsius (65℉ = 18℃, 72℉ = 22℃, etc…). All we ask is that you don't run the heater and leave the windows open at the same time! (You would be surprised how often this happens?!) If you are hot, it does usually cool down significantly at night here (no matter the season) but if leaving the windows open is not sufficient, there is also a fan in the closet. IN THE AREA At the intersection of Foul Bay and Neil (a 5-minute walk) there is a little cluster of shops, including a small grocery, a cafe/coffee shop (Caffé Misto), a pizza place, and a deli. The deli, Charelli's, has an amazing selection of cheeses and meats and various imported treats. You can get fresh sandwiches made from their supplies at any time, and on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday there's a take-out window where they make delicious hot sandwiches. In the other direction, just past Hillside & Shelbourne (15 minutes' walk), is a mall and commercial area with a supermarket (Thrifty Foods), liquor store, fast food, shopping, etc. FAVOURITES FOR FOOD AND DRINK Victoria is a great city for food, and because of the competitive market there are many options that you can explore on Yelp, or just by walking around the relatively compact downtown. To get you started, some of our favourites are: BREAKFAST/BRUNCH 45% of Victoria is made up of brunch places. Despite that, there are often lines at many of them on the weekend... but that's part of the experience? Agrius (listed above) has probably my favourite brunch, and, at the time of writing this, there usually aren’t huge lines (no promises)! Additionally, try these: The Village – 2518 Estevan Ave. This is a relatively new place, and also relatively nearby (20 minutes' walk). It is very West Coast, and you can sit in its pleasant outdoor area, if the weather is nice. Jam – 542 Herald St. Hipster brunch with lavender lemonade, maple pork pancakes, chicken and waffles. Plus: idiosyncratic decor. Shine – 1548 Fort St. & 1320 Blanshard St. A comfortable, homey brunch joint with solid bennies and scrambles and the like. Plus: Scottish potato pancakes! Informal / Lunch / Takeout / Casual Restaurants Fishhook — 805 Fort St. An Indian-inspired, modern-seafood-fusion informal restaurant with delicious unique flavours and great fresh chowder, seafood gazpacho, salmon and & squid biryani, spicy West-coasty tartines, a very nice Chai... One of my favourites for a scrumptiously unusual lunch. Foo — 769 Yates St. Tasty Asian-street-food-fusion takeout & lunch. Curries, noodles, deliciousness. A long-standing favourite for quick and flavourful boxes. The same people also run a ramen bar down the street, at 762 Broughton. La Taqueria — 766 Fort St. "Authentic" (whatever that means!) Mexican taco place with small round soft tacos in an enchanting and creative array of flavours. More chicken mole and confit pork, less rice and beans. PROPER SIT-DOWN Brasserie l'École – 1715 Government St. This Victoria classic is a regular go-to for us, for a nice dinner. The people and the cocktails are equally nice, the food is French-inspired but West Coast-accessible, and the rotating menu is full of local ingredients. Café Brio – 944 Fort St. Brio is another semi-fancy but eminently chill favourite. You can have unbelievable seared halibut, rabbit stew, velouté... and most of it (this is my favourite part) can be ordered in either a full or a half portion. Perfect for small appetites, and the indecisive. You enter through a vine-encrusted arbour nested with twinkly lights. Charming! Agrius – 732 Yates St. This is a relatively new locale on the local scene. It's attached to Fol Epi (our favourite bakery) and offers creative fare full of local ingredients in surprising combinations. Much thought goes into everything, from the bread to the drinks to the tasting menu. Highly recommended! North 48 – 1005 Langley Street Comfort food, somewhat fancified. North 48 is a slick new-ish joint serving everything from juicy meatloaf, fried pickles, and housemade “Cheez Whiz” to tuna tartare and an weirdly wide array of Tiki cocktails. Ferris’ Grill / Ferris’ Oyster Bar / Perro Negro – 536 Yates Street Here are three delicious restaurants in one location. On the main floor is Ferris’ Grill, which, in addition to the oysters they also serve upstairs (prepared a whole slew of different ways), makes lots of reasonably priced and tasty West Coast fusion dishes. Upstairs are Ferris’ Oyster Bar, which is the somewhat more upscale version of the below (I have never been disappointed!), and Perro Negro, a very satisfying Spanish tapas bar that is only open Thursday-Saturday. PUBS, BARS, COCKTAILS Little Jumbo – 506 Fort St. This place (I believe it calls itself a “speakeasy”?) is down an unassuming hall off a quiet street, but it’s got a great atmosphere, delicious small plates (honey roasted fennel = yes), an entire menu of different kinds of absinthe, and, of course, creative cocktails that the staff are very excited about. Irish Times – 1200 Government St. This pub has a cozy, Gaelic feel. There’s often live music on offer, and it’s right in the heart of things downtown. It’s in a lovely old heritage building, and it has a full range of local and import beers on tap.