Tibetan Kitchen Cafe

No. 65

<2010-07-30 Fri>
It was 2:30 and I was looking for a restaurant to have lunch. I canvasesd many streets trying to find a place that would still be open (note to myself: "myself, you really need to keep a listing of opening times").

I was walking by Douglas when I saw The Tibetan Kitchen Cafe. I decided to try it.

Their lunch service ends at 3:00 PM. They had a big sign on the outside advertising their specials: beef curry and chicken butter.

I walked in and was offered to sit anywhere. As it is usual at this time of the day, the restaurant was almost empty. My waiter was a middle age man, very friendly, who offered me a menu. I quickly reviewed it, and noticed it was a dinner menu. I asked about the specials, and he said, yes, there were specials, and to go out to check them out (to see the sign). Asked the kitchen, and informed me that, indeed, there
were specials: butter chicken and beef curry (the episode was a bit awkward, but he was honestly helpful the entire time). I opted for the chicken. I was offered a choice of brown and white rice, and selected the latter.

I have never been in a Tibetan restaurant, and hence, I didn't have any expectation at all. I suspect that the name creates positive goodwill on the people who pass by. Would "Lhasan" create the same feelings than "Tibetan"? As one would expect,
the center of the decor was a photo of the Lama.



My food arrived. It was nicely presented. It came in four parts: two small nans, lentil soup, curry and rice. The smells were very inviting. I like to stop and smell the food before I have the first bite. This was a nice combination of the smells
of the curry (is butter chicken a curry?) and the lentils. It was very inviting.

Eating it was a bit disappointing, though. The food lacked seasoning. The chicken was nice and tender, but its most flavourful part was the cilantro on top of it. I felt the same about the soup.



The basmati, my favourite type of rice, was dry. Basmati rice is fragrant (after all, that is what basmati means in in sanscrit: the fragrant one). When properly cooked it is delicious to eat, even by itself. When it is dry it loses a lot
of its appeal.

The service, however, was excellent and the price hard to beat. Given these two factors, I am going to give it a neutral review, hoping that this was a bad day in the kitchen. More salt would have fixed the dishes--although the rice is more of
a problem, because it shows lack of quality control (but at that price point, it is hard to blame them). In conclusion, I'll try it again before I can really make up my mind.

Victoria suffers a lack of restaurants from these parts of the world (India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Tibet) compared to many other cuisines. Perhaps that is one another reason why I am inclined to give it a second chance.

Verdict: Neutral.

Paid: 7.50 + tip

For more information, including address, visit:

Chef Suzi in the Square

No. 62

<2010-07-27 Tue>

This is a "wall-menu" restaurant, and, as it is usual for new customers, the first minutes are spent decoding it. The menu is full of options, primarily burgers, sandwiches and wraps. Everything from beef to vegetarian options.

I was greeted by Suzi at the counter (who was helping momentarily at the front), who took my order. It was hard to decide, and finally selected the scallops burger, which was tucked in a little menu under the main one (I suspect this menu changes more frequently, but I don't really know). I felt that this burger was different and unique to the place. She interjected that it was an excellent choice, to which I replied that if she said so, it had to be. She was proud to say that the scallops were from Eastern Canada, from where she is from.

Delicious burger. The scallops were cooked to perfection, and very flavourful. I was expecting them to be pan-seared, but they appeared to be deep fried, with a coating of bread crumbs. They kept falling off the burger (due to their shape and generous amount). The bun was fresh, but not particularly interesting. Overall, a burger that I'll be happy to come back to have again.

A minor complain: I believe that a dish is the sum of all its parts. When I ordered I was surprised I wasn't ask about the side, and there was no information about it on the menu. I was surprised when my burger arrived with a side of tortilla chips. They didn't work at all with the rest of the dish. There was no dip whatsoever and the first chip I ate hurt my palate (this is, of course, my fault, but it affects my dining experience).

I think it is a good destination for an after-hours coffee and/or a snack (they have a espresso machine with manual levers). The place is welcoming, and comfortable, and if you like the outdoors, it has a small patio where you can sit (and with no cars passing by to stink your food). Its staff is very friendly.

If I have to put into context, it is a better seafood burger compared to some of the competition around (Ferris' Oyster Bar), and I would not mind coming back if I am looking for a quick snack (which is its intended audience)

It closes early, at 4:00 PM and does not open on the weekends.

Verdict: Overall, a decent experience, good only for a quick snack.

Paid: 11.15

Moxie's Classic Grill

No. 54

<2010-07-19 Mon> Dreaded Monday. If you have read my reviews before or eat out a lot, you know that Mondays are usually a day in which restaurants close. To top it all, I must be at work at 13:00. This reduces the areas of Victoria where I can venture for lunch.

I decided to give Moxie's a try. I tend to avoid restaurants that like cloning themselves. I know why they exist: they help the customer balance the information asymmetry between the customer and the restaurant: if we have visited one of the branches, we know (more/less) what to expect when we enter another one. Uniformity is the name of the game.

I have never visited another Moxie's. I think I have been in this one twice before; in one occasion I had an above average lunch, and in another a below average one.

Moxie's prides for having 44 branches across North America and a Web site soo generic that you can't find the opening hours of its Victoria one.

The restaurant is very large and its main floor has high ceilings. This makes it feel bigger, and it makes it a very welcoming space. Its tables and chairs are comfortable, and you get a servillette.

The lunch menu is primarily burgers, but they offer some lunch specials for the "season". It is clear that this is a corporate restaurant: they specials are printed in colourful plasticised pamphlets.

I opted for the cod tacos with a salad.

The tacos came in a "taco holder". A first for me. I thought for a second that I had crispy tacos (which I consider an aberration), thankfully I was mistaken. It is great for presentation, but to put salsa in them one needs to open them. So I removed them from the holder and placed on the plate. I realized the holder makes them look bigger than they are. The tacos were filled backwards: the main filling at the top, then the vegetables at the bottom; the reason they do it backwards is for presentation: they want to show the few pieces of fish first.



As you can see from the photo, each taco has two or three small pieces of deep fried fish and some vegetables (lettuce, red pepper). They were ok, but didn't have much flavour (the fish tasted like it had been frozen for some time); the guacamole (that green layer on the tortilla) felt like that spread sold in the supermarkets (what I call "artificial" guacamole, and did not feel or taste fresh, but it had a good lime flavour that worked with the salsa and the fish. The salsa was very good and it added flavour to them. Unfortunately some of the tortillas where cold to the touch. I am not talking tepid. They were cold to the touch as if they had just been taken from the fridge. Why? I don't know, because they had grill marks on them, the plate was warm, the taco holder was warm--warm plates is a sign of good service). Overall the tacos got a thumbs down.

The salad, on the other hand, was the star. It contain cranberries, feta and a good dressing. I craved for more.

The service on the other hand, was impeccable. I was asked how the food was, and I was sincere: one of the tortilla was cold as if taken from the fridge, which I didn't understand because it had grilled marks. I added I was ok with it, but that the kitchen should be informed. She guaranteed me she would do it. Minutes later the manager approached my table to ask me about my dissatisfaction with the food, which I stated.

The lesson? Moxie's cares about customer service, and seems to have good procedures in place to address it. I felt very satisfied with the way the restaurant handled my complaint, because I felt that it had not fallen in deaf ears (at least at that moment).

In a way, Moxie's is a contradiction: excellent service (both in terms of place, table, cutlery, servers, and management), but food that sometimes feels prefabricated and below expectations (particularly when I consider the type of restaurant it wants to position itself).

Verdict: Neutral

Paid: 14.56 + tax

For more information, including address, visit:

Kissako Green Tea Cafe

No. 45

<2010-07-12 Mon> In Canada we are used to see Japanese restaurants that offer a very long list of options. Everything from soba or udon to sushi, sashimi and tempura. In Japan, however, it is very common to see restaurants that specialize in just one type of food, either a style (i.e. a ramen restaurant), or an ingredient (i.e. a crab--kani--restaurant).

Kissako is located in Oak Bay just outside Victoria. This is a very different type of Japanese restaurant. I would classify it as a sushi/nigiri deli. It is a family restaurant. It looks like the couple who run the restaurant are the owners. They are very sweet, older age, and Japanese looking.

There is no table service. You come to the cashier, and order from the wall menu. It is sometimes challenging to do that. You have no idea what the options are, and you need to quickly scan the menu with the pressure of having people behind who might also want to order. For this reason I recommend you go to their web site
(http://kissakogreenteacafe.com/food.htm) and decide, in advance, what you would like. It is not complicated: the options are deli food (sandwiches and salads), maki sushi, nigiri and sashimi.

My friend had no experience in Japanese food, hence I ordered the crab and avocado, smoked tuna and unagi rolls. I also ordered one of their brown rice (vegetarian) avocado and spinach roll plus an order of sashimi.



My first impression was that the rolls had an amateurish look. They looked closer to what I would have prepared than to what I expect in a restaurant. The sashimi confused me: the salmon looked like smoked salmon in the way it was sliced (but it was raw). The daicon was sliced in very large pieces (compared to what I am used to). Again, it looked like I could have done it. Overall, the presentation of the food was below average.

The tuna and the salmon sashimi were average as well as most of the rolls, except the spinach and avocado, which is their speciality. This roll was above the rest of the food and well worth coming to this restaurant. The next time I I'll order from the brown sushi menu.

In my opinion, it is a place to have a quick snack, rather than a full lunch (at least of the type I like). The prices feel expensive, and because it lacks a true lunch special, they add up quickly. The advantage is that they keep the same prices all day, and stay open during hours that most places are not (from 11:30 to 6 or 7PM
depending on the day of the week). Hence, what is an expensive lunch, might feel like a cheap dinner.

Verdict: Some options might make it a good Japanese snack, but feels pricey for lunch. Osaka is just blocks away, and might be a better option.

Price: 15.42 (per person)

For more information, including location, visit:

Japanese Village

<2010-07-05 Mon> I was glad that Japanese Village is one of the few
that opens on Monday.

I have been here before, but never for lunch. For some reason I never
thought about this place for lunch.

As you enter, you are asked if you want tepan or sushi. I chose the
latter, to which this review applies.

My first impression was how small the lunch menu is. 4 options plus
individual sushi menu. I ordered the most expensive: Sushi and Tempura
Combo.

The shabu soup was interesting and flavourful. The tempura was good
too. But the sashimi and the sushi were just bland. My rice was
covered with a thick curry that I didn't like or disliked. But I'd
have preferred my rice plain.

It wasn't a bad lunch, but I didn't feel it was worth the money. It is
a much better destination at dinner time.

Finally, they didn't have change for my bill, and to pay with my
credit card I had to go to the cashier. On the other hand I really
like that there are no-cellphone signs everywhere in the sushi area.

Verdict: Too expensive for what you get, there are better alternatives
not that far away (Zen Sushi).

Cost: 15.12 + tip


For more information, visit

Sookjai Thai

<2010-06-29 Tue>

My first impression was: "wow, this place is full". I got the
last table available. I ordered the red curry
special (again). The soup was like many others I had had: almost
tasteless, but with a good portion of vegetables.

The rolls were well cooked: cripy not but not hard. The curry
looked good: thick, with a large proportion of vegetables and
chicken. The chicken was cooked well. Unfortunately it lacked
flavour.

The food is not bad, and I got tempted to come back and have
something different. It competes head on with Baan Thai, which is
one block away. It wins in number of options at lunch time. I
would be tempted to ask people why they prefer to come here
instead of Baan Thai, given that both are so close to each
other.

My pick? Baan Thai.

Verdict: Given its proximity to Baan Thai, I'd not pick it as my
first choice.

Paid: 10.45 + tip

Sod-Sai Thai

No. 24

<2010-06-22 Tue>This is my first time in this place. It is a large and it most of its
tables are full. Sod-Sai has a very large lunch menu, with many
possibilities, but it is a tad pricier than the rest of the Thai
restaurants.

The food was ok. The soup was chicken stock with a lot of fresh
mushrooms thrown on top, but few vegetables otherwise. The meat
(beef) was not very good, and the curry was a bit watery, but
tasty. The best part were the rolls: nicely fried and crispy.

This visit reinforces what I have mentioned in the past: Victoria does
not have a restaurant that showcases what Thai food can be about.

I think I'll visit it again, and order something more unique to this
restaurant.

Verdict: Neutral towards avoid. At this
point I'd prefer the Green Leaf next door.

Cost: 12.50 (included the soup and apetizer) + tip. Lunch pricing.

For more information, including address, visit:

Thai Bistro

<2010-06-05 Sat> Having visited My Thai the day before, I felt it was a good way to compare them. I had the same meal (red curry), and it was clear that Thai Bistro is superior. Their red curry is tasty. Overall a significantly better product, at a cheaper price (I paid 8.75 +tip).

It was however, a bit of a strange experience: I came at 12:30 (Saturday) and was the only customer. The business next door was blooming, though.

Cost: 8.75 + tip for a lunch special. Lunch pricing.

Verdict: Neutral. If you really want Thai, go for it. It is as good or better than most in town (that does not mean much though, see my review of the other Thai rest.). It is also a cheap destination.

For more information, including address, visit: