Waan Japanese Izakaya
2020 2nd Avenue
Belltown, Seattle, WA
(206) 441-5637
Upon my arrival in Seattle this week, there was only one mission in mind on my first night here, and that’s to be in a massive Battle Royale with the Dragon and Mecha Godzilla at Waan Japanese Izakaya.
The Victoria Fringe Festival has grown and so has my waistline. With this event celebrating its 25th year, I knew this was one party I couldn’t miss. When this event has regular venues that remain consistent every year, one thing I will often do his hit familiar dining spots to satisfy my appetite. Fast food does not always mean hitting burger joint. Maki Rolls are considered fast food in Japan, and while there’s no option for Takoyaki here in Victoria, there are a few establishments to get a quick bite in before a show. When the Metro Studio, St. Andrews (Downtown Victoria) and Langham Court Theatre (Oak Bay) are very close by, there’s a few places nearby to get a snack in.
In Gordon Head, where St. Michael’s Richmond Campus lay, there’s even Fujiya’s Grocery. This place is well-known for churning out meals by the truck-load. They close at 7pm. Herein contains my picks for folks looking for a bit of Nippon for their Fringe show for this year and beyond, as these operations show no sign of closing.
Call me spoiled, or call me Asian, but I certainly love my green tea. Depending on the plant used, the flavour can be exotically smooth or gently earthy. To infuse it as a flavour to go along with ice cream is tricky, and I can’t always visit a restaurant to sate my craving. Some establishments manufactures them in house but others will just buy a stock brand and dole them out for customers to enjoy.
In the few specialty ice-cream establishments I went to in town, the Marble Slab Creamery scores on the very good scale in making a smooth, buttery, green tea combination that I’d consider great, but also very sweet.
Holy Moly, Roly Poly serves up some very mean rice balls. This fast food staple from Japan gets the Salt Spring Island treatment, and what stands out is the beautiful balance between the rice and the ingredients used. I’ve had fat rice balls before, which bury the shrimp (my favourite), and the thin ones, were … well thin.
When I bought them at the Tuesday Food Market, they carried flavours which I never saw back home in Victoria, have noticed in my short time in Japan, and have often desired. They even have rice balls named after local areas, likes Ganges and Salty Salt. True to form, the salt is used to preserve the rice so they can be saved for nibbling on days later.
Being Asian, I thrive on rice. Even though there have been times when I needed a sabbatical from tradition, Roly Poly makes me want to return to it … and become a lone, wandering, samurai.
Arigato Sushi & Teriyaki
102-149 Fulford Ganges Rd.
Gasoline Alley
Ganges
Salt Spring Island, BC
(250) 538-1881
E: Even on an island as small as Salt Spring, I wouldn’t consider the visit complete without the prerequisite visit to a diner offering sushi. There were two choices that I could visibly see from the main drag: a questionable shack called Express Sushi 2 Go or Arigato Sushi & Teriyaki. I’m sure both are family owned, but it was the Salt Spring Roll which enticed me into braving the briny seas.
J: The family looked friendly enough but I think the jig was up for Ed and myself.
Shiki Sushi
1113 Blanshard St.,
Victoria, BC
(250) 381-8622
Shiki Sushi has plenty of flavourful options to shake up the establishment. I appreciated the fact that they moved to bigger digs over a year ago, and recently, I managed to see how big they’ve grown. Their new décor reflects a post-modern Japan, and the spaciousness helps add to the ambience for the new look they’re going for. If I were to decide on a jaunt to swing on by to, this place would be it.
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