Category Archives: Reviews

Read along as we seek out the best of what the British Columbia coast (and beyond) has to offer.

01.23.14
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You Don’t Need To Be A Japanophile To Like Shiki

Shiki Sushi
1113 Blanshard St. 
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 381-8622

E: I’ve been to Shiki Sushi more times than James has with his attempts to get out to Sidney. But in a miracle of miracles, to convince him to head here when dinner options were minimal within a certain square block was not too hard. I didn’t realize there were a few new menu items, and for once, I didn’t do all you can eat.

J: I really wanted to visit the Noodle Cart after we failed to dine at Pinoy. Ed said Shiki was “pricey.”

I was trying to find excuses not to go in and Ed was offering to pay for 1/4 of the bill. That’s a Scotsman for you. My first impression was its dimly lit interior. Perhaps it was because of the daylight or maybe I still needed time for my eyes to adjust.

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01.14.14
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Sookjai: The Gem of Antiques Row

Sookjai Thai
893 Fort St.
Victoria, BC 
(250) 383-9945

E: Sometimes it’s difficult to find appetizing food from the southern Asian region. When the choices are basically Vietnamese, Malaysian or Filipino, Victoria does have the gambit covered. But James and I wandered up north, along Fort Street, to find a gem of a restaurant, Sookjai Thai — and one cute waitress too.

J: Go for the food, stay for the waitress, huh?

Sookjai has been on the scene since 2003 when the restaurant switched owners. The previous occupant (using a different business name) ran the place as an Italian restaurant.

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12.31.13
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King Sejong: Downtown’s Korean Greasy Spoon


King Sejong
650 Yates St.
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 382-1289

J: It’s always nice to have dinner and a movie when one is planning an evening in the greater Victoria downtown area. On this particular night my friend Ed and myself were highly anticipating a movie we planned to review for Otaku no Culture. But it only made sense to eat at a simple diner rather than spend almost $20 on overpriced theatre snacks. And since I can never drag Ed into Sushi Plus ever again, I chose King Sejong, a Korean restaurant on Yates across from the ol’ A&B Sound building.

They call this a restaurant but I would call it more a diner. It’s a greasy spoon in every detail right down to the booths with customers’ initials carved on tabletops.

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12.12.13
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Yami: Sidney’s Little Sushi Stop


Yami Sushi
101A-9775 4th St.
Sidney, BC
(778) 426-0100

E: When James goes trinket shopping at the charity shops, I go food spotting, and instead of going down a straight line, we took the side-streets of Sidney to reach one particular destination. We never got there since my insatiable appetite for sushi got in the way. I yam what I am when it comes to wanting to try fresh raw fish.

J: On this trip to Sidney we learned to look off the side streets of Beacon Avenue to find those interesting places like Lolly Gobble Sweet Shop or Yami Sushi. I was determined to reach the Beacon thrift store but Ed’s determination overpowered mine. If we were trained in the ways of the force, I would’ve been choked with ease. The sushi is strong in this one.

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12.04.13
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Yoshi’s Sushi

#604 – 771 Vernon Ave 
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 475-3900

Yoshi Sushi is one of Victoria’s hidden secrets. I’ve been here a few times before and they have never disappointed. When I’m here for a lunch with a new friend, I had to find that prawn cocktail that I tried before and only saw that it had been replaced with a sashimi cocktail ($11). I was not disappointed, as the former meal had a sharp tanginess that could have been brought down a notch. With this new variant, the intensity is only as strong as the diner wants it when its dipped in a mix of soy sauce and wasabi. With various slices of tuna, salmon, sweet shrimp and scallop (lightly coated with roe) presented over a bed of radish noodles and seaweed salad, I thought the presentation was impeccable. The only thing missing is what I believe is a tomato that their online menu illustrates.

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11.12.13
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Is Young Young Nom Nom?

Young Young 
1540 Cedar Hill X Rd.
Saanich, B.C. 
(250) 388-9806

J: Young Young is one of those Asian restaurants in the University corridor of Gordon Head, known as Cedar Hill X Road. It is not only a road frequented by Camosun College Lansdowne campus students but also the University of Victoria and the St. Michael’s University students as well. What is interesting is is this is a restaurant frequented by Asians, much like Kuma Noodle across the road. And why not, the restaurant has unique seating depending on what your eating arrangements will be. You have the wooden booths for hot-pot (and a special booth available for a large hot-pot party), the cushioned booths for regular eating, tables for two with mod looking chairs and there is a cozy corner for a large group to relax.

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