Good morning Nanaimo. I feel like noshing on a diner breakfast this morning and Tina's Diner fit the descriptor. Tina’s is located on Commercial Street in Nanaimo’s downtown core. As you can see it is right beside Gabriel’s Café. Click here to read about my pork wrap and curry bowl at Gabriel’s.

I’m here in Nanaimo on special assignment. I love referring to it as “special assignment” as it makes my work sound way more Fox Mulder-ish. I know I’ll have my nose to the grindstone for most of my time on Vancouver Island, but I hope to share out some eateries while I’m here.

I never came here to L.A. Chicken when I lived in Richmond. I lived just off of Number 3 Road, yet Number 5 Road just seemed so... far away. Lazy, right?
Sometimes when I think back to those days, I have to give myself a big ol’ eyeroll.

I wasn’t planning on blogging about L.A. Chicken, but I have been a patron of this place more times in the past 12 months than I care to admit. I mentioned over a year ago that my work conferences all moved from their traditional downtown Coal Harbour locales to various major Richmond hotels.

**Some of you have been getting the 403 error lately. Thank you to those that let me know something was awry. The error was only happening from certain locations, so I didn't realize any errors were occurring. Thank you for your patience. I hope www.lvoe.ca is accessible to all now.**

Happy fourth of July to my American friends.
It's hot.

**UPDATE JUNE 2013: The River Café seems to have packed up and gone.**

The River Café is the diner beside the Chevron gas station in Hope. I'm stopping for petrol anyway, so I thought, "why not?"

I spent the entire morning going to different stores trying to find a specific type of re-usable hand warmer. Totally random, I know. The issue is: I need nine of them. Nine or nothing. I’ve already scoured Kelowna and West Kelowna, and only found a total of six. Argh.

I tried to get to the JamCan Café earlier for their breakfast offerings, but I was moving at sloth speed this morning. The JamCan Café is exactly what the name implies: a little Jamaican fare and a little Canadian fare. The diner is located in an industrial business center just off of the Halston on 12th. Did I say that like a non-newbie? I remember when I first came out to Kamloops; every now and again people would refer to this mysterious thing called The Halston. It took me a while to figure out they were referring to the connector road.

I’ve been meaning to stop in Spences Bridge for a while now. There was a time when I commuted through this community on a daily basis. Every day for a year, my carpool and I cruised past Rumor's Restaurant and Bakery at 6:15am and then again at 5:15pm. I always wondered about this DDE.

Happy August! I only know about TJ’s Bistro because a few years ago some friends were camping in Logan Lake, and wanted to have a non-campfire meal and “see the town.” TJ’s Bistro is located in the main shopping area in Logan Lake. It’s tucked into a courtyard of sorts, along with other retailers and the town’s supermarket. The “for sale” sign was up two years ago too.

Cordon Bagel ($5.95)

I’m looking for a big, brand-specific bag of mineral rock dust for my garden. The nursery folks in Kamloops advised me to check out the various feed stores for the 40 pound size bags. This is why I’m at Buckerfield’s Country Store today. (Bear with me, Buckerfield’s will be important later…)

The Cherry Pit Restaurant is a home style diner in Westbank. It is late in the morning, but any time is a good time for breakfast, no?

Sunrise Juice ($3.75)