Minato Sushi
Cook Street Village Food Court
1109 Mckenzie Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 383-6040

E: I’ve most likely said this before and I’ll say it again, never leave the decision making of where to go up to James. First it was Fairfield, getting lost and giving up any hope of tracking down a place to eat in the old country, one of the first districts to be established since the city of Victoria’s inception.

At least for my troubles, I bought some organic herbal tea at Knotty by Nature. The peppermint aroma was tantalizing, and the tea (which I tried later) to be very soothing.

J: Technically, Ed got himself lost. I knew exactly where we were and I really didn’t mind a pleasant Sunday drive. Ed, much like a broken record, would repeat “you’re paying for gas.”

There are times he surpasses me (though rarely) in cheapness.

Our intention was Fairfield Fish and Chips, I had heard good things about it, but failing that, any decant eatery in Fairfield. But Sunday pickings were slim and we wisely retreated to an area where we knew good food, raw or prepared, could be located. Cook Street Village was our salvation.

E: And a safe house from the impending rain. But there was hardly a drop in sight because we beat the clouds to the Village. We wandered down the strip and debated about whether or not we should hit up Rosie’s Diner, The Soup Peddler, Pizzeria Prima Strada or the Food Court. With the sight of a very colourful photo of a Bibimbop Combo ($7.45) on Minato’s display board, I was already drooling buckets. My mind was quickly made up.

J: With the Bibimbop Combo, there were three choices. Usually with Ed and I, seafood wins hands-down. I expected shrimp and marinated veggies with a spicy sauce on rice. But imagine the shock when slices of tentacled meat leered up at me.

It was tantalizing. The ingredients tasted very fresh, so fresh I wondered if they were bought around the corner at Cook Street Marketplace. It’s fortunate my dish came with a drink, the miso soup handled the hot sauce better than pop could’ve. Between lovin‘ spoonfuls of the Bibimbop, I begged, borrowed or stole tuna maki pieces from Ed’s sushi tray.

E: And I had to give James the evil eye. Seriously, at the price of $5.95 for 12 pieces, that’s a damn good price. The tuna maki was quite decent. I enjoyed the flavours of the sushi rice complementing the tuna. They weren’t high grade for sashimi consumption, but I appreciated the bounty nonetheless.

Since I was starting to balloon up. I struggled with the last four pieces and James enjoyed his ill-gotten gains. He shocked me by saying he could have more and he seriously considered ordering from Messob Ethiopian Cuisine.

J: It’s hard to admit I’ve gained weight. It’s given me a larger appetite and I don’t look as healthy as before. But it’s my own fault for lacking the willpower.

Give me another chance and it won’t be long until I’m feeling good about myself. I’ve been invited to a wedding and it’s of the utmost importance that I fit into a decent size tuxedo. And when I say decent I mean without looking like I’m wearing Orson Welles’ hand-me-downs.

4 Blokes out of 5