3945 Quadra St
Victoria, BC

Phone: (778) 966-7755
Menu: himalayan-flavours.com

Hours: Tues to Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

DK: “Momos, as far as the eye can see!” Is what I’d be saying if Himalayan Flavours lived up to my food fantasies. Instead, we got primarily a parade of standard buffet items. Oh well, you wanna stick to the dance floor fillers I can deal with. But zero naan on the line? That’s insane, Jeremy.

ES: Although I had a sneaking suspicion a name change would not help this former Indian food restaurant any, when Don suggested this place for lunch, I was hoping. Ultimately, it would look for those dumplings. We’re already crying foul for misleading information. There wasn’t even a yak in sight.

I should also add that maybe this place should offer Mongolian street food over what’s seen on their buffet offerings. While rice and noodles are a staple everywhere in Nepal, China, India and Pakistan–which make up this region–I was thinking of other regions to whet my appetite. Also, where’s the fried bread? And I did not find any Panipuri.

DK: The Veg Manchurian, vegetable dumplings in a sweet sauce, offered something a little different from the archetypal items found elsewhere in town. I hoped for a little more crunch, but the soft texture because of max sauce saturation created a strange nostalgia for bygone takeaway treats.

ES: That makes me suspect the owners were simply looking to change their operation’s reputation since whatever was spoken of before would not be as well known. I saw the ads and was sort of excited at the possibilities, but when nothing from the marketing campaign evoked that sense of the exotic, I was certainly disappointed since the name change.

DK: The more traditional items: chana masala, butter chicken, and pakora were all executed adequately. Without a menu to substantially differentiate from other AYCE options, one looks at the price. At $20 Himalayan Flavours is more or less on par with most lunch buffets in town (the general range being $18-$22). 

If you’re looking to fill up for a reasonable price, you could do worse.

ES: To note, we wrote this review prior to the restaurant finally getting their website in order and they now have an online menu. Our rating is for the buffet side of their operation rather than their food. According to that list of offerings, they got goat feet soup, and it’s worth revisiting just to try out.

3 Blokes out of 5