Shiki Sushi

<2010-09-21 Tue>

No. 111

I was prowling for a place to eat when I saw the restaurant. I was surprised, because I could not remember it being there. (Update: it used to be on Fort St, to next Beirut)

As I entered, I was shocked: this didn't look like a typical Victoria restaurant. It had a certain "posh" feeling. First, it is a very large place, very large. The tables are sparse, with lots of space in between that is occupied by planters. The sits are leather chairs, they are very attractive. The back of the restaurant is dark, intimate, and contrast with the bright area close to the windows.



I ordered the sushi-sashimi special (the most expensive special). The soup was ok, but I was surprised when a bento arrived. First, the entry in the menu wasn't labelled as a bento, second it was small, too small--I thought--for what i was going to be charged.



It included 2 hokkigai, 2 hotate, 3 maguro, 3 sake, all of them relatively small. In fact, as I looked more carefully, the one hokkigai was split right in the middle, to artificially increase the number of pieces.



The rice was covered with gravy. I don't like it, and I wish they would ask before they do it.

The sushi and sashimi felt average, and were overpriced.

Verdict: Expensive, average food. Avoid.

Paid: 16.74 + tip

For more information, including location, please visit:

Geisha Tapa Bar

<2010-09-09 Thu>

No. 102

I have tried to come to this restaurant for a while, but either they were closed for lunch, or closed on Mondays.

The adverts they run in the Victoria News remind me of this restaurant. I guess they work.

I was sit by the window, a beautiful location next to the bright large window. I can't forget the great Herald Street Cafe, which I still miss. Its original floor space has been divided in two, and this restaurant sits on the left side (the bar side of the old Cafe).

My waiter brought me a menu. The outside boasted $1 ebi nigiri (one of my least favourite types of nigiri), the waiter explained that the nigiri special was complemented with a bento box special.

Here I pause to emphasize a point: voice-only specials are a no-no in my book. I want to read, at my own pace, what a special is, and avoid misunderstandings.

The menu was odd: too many small items (hence the "tapa" in the name of the restaurant).

I decided to order the bento special: brown rice with ikura and tako.

My bento came with another one of those no-nos in my book: the dressing of the salad was in the center compartment of the bento.

I objected to both the sushi chef and the waiter, asking how I was supposed to pour the dressing on my salad. The answer, they explained me, is to dip the vegetable into the dressing as if it was a sauce. I don't buy it. I asked for a spoon instead.



The rice and the ikura were very enjoyable, but the tako was a notch below. The salad was mostly iceberg, with two (very tasty) small tomatoes.

The bento is not very filling and needed more food. The salmon season had just ended with a record run of salmon sockeye and thought it would be a good option. It did not disappoint. Neither the unagi nigiri I also ordered. In fact, the unagi was beatifuly presented.



Putting into context, Geishas has hard competition. It sits one block from the China Block, and it is around the corner from Shizen. I don't think one is significantly better than the other, but Shizen has a more varied menu, hence I'll go there instead of Geisha.

Verdict: a contrived menu with decent options but nothing that wows. Small portions means you have to order several ones.

Paid: 14.85 + tip

For more information, including location, visit:

Sockeye Sushi

<2010-08-23 Mon>


No. 84





As I have mentioned before, entering a restaurant for the first time is an interesting experience, and says a lot about a place (whether intended or unintended by its management).

Time and time again, I am surprised by the storefront of a restaurant, and I am starting to believe that the entrance is not the way to judge a restaurant. For example, one of the best restaurants in Montreal, Le Club Chasse et Pêche, has no external indication that it is a restaurant, except for the crest of the restaurant next to a huge door. You cannot see anything from the outside.

The entryway of the restaurant is non-inviting, but as I entered Sockeye, my first surprise was how it tries to mimic a Japanese street, with the wooden walls, and roofs leaning towards the centre. It just looked out of place. It has some private areas, while the "patio" is centered around sushi bar.

The second surprise was the metal chopsticks, which are Korean, not Japanese. When my friend from Japan visited Vancouver, he commented on how many Japanese restaurants are actually run by Koreans. Sockeye is one of them. Looking around, I could see several signs in Korean, that confirmed it.

I was hungry, and decided to order their expensive lunch special (which range from 8.50+ tax to 15.95).



My food came in a large place, and was beautifully presented: 3 slices
of sake, 2 maguro, 1 California roll, and 4 nigiris (2 sake, 1 maguro,
1 ebi). The maguro was the star of the show. I happily enjoyed all of it.




As I was finishing, I was asked if I wanted complementary ice cream, and opportunity I immediately took advantage of.



The good food was complimented by good service.

Verdict: Good good, I'd certainly come back.

Paid: 17:86

For more information, including location, visit:
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Koto Japanese Restaurant

No. 69

<2010-08-09 Mon>

Koto is one of the first restaurants I visited in Victoria, and, surprisingly, I haven't been there again.

If my reading of the Kanji is accurate, Koto (古都) means Ancient City, and in a way it feels that Koto honours its name. When you enter Koto, it feels like it is in need of a renovation. The lobby area has had better times; its carpet is old and full of stains. Its models of the food in the window (if I remember correctly, it is the only Japanese restaurant in town that does, as restaurants in Japan frequently do) have fainted colours.

I wasn't sure what to expect from it. As I have mentioned before, in this area I frequently worry if these restaurants are tourist traps or not.

Seating at Koto feels very private. Most of the seating area is composed of "booths" with very high paper walls. The sound travels, but you can't easily see who else is in the restaurant. We arrived a bit late (around 1:20) and could not tell if there were other people there.

Koto had a simple lunch special, but because I was treating MG for lunch (who was visiting from Ontario), I decided it was better to order from the menu. He gave me free reign on selecting the food, and decided to order a deluxe sushi, tempura, miso and rice.

The miso was the first to arrive, and we were highly satisfied by its dense flavour. The tempura was next and it was very hot (it was brought to our table right after it was prepared), crispy and tasty.

I find the sashimi to always be the interesting part, because it varies significantly, from restaurant to restaurant, in presentation and components. It was primarily salmon, tuna, some saba, ika, and tako. We were very happy with the quality, the flavours, and the quantities. Because we didn't order lunch specials, our final cost was more expensive than other Japanese restaurants I have tried. I will probably come back again to try a lunch special to get a more fair comparison with other Japanese restaurants in the area.

Finally, we had very good and friendly service.

Verdict: A good lunch, I would not mind eating here again.

Cost: 18.40+tip (per person)

For more information, including address, visit:

Daidoco

No. 56

<2010-07-20 Tue> Daidoco is one of the best kept secrets of Victoria. It is a small restaurant located behind the Bug Zoo. It is cozy, with small, but numerous tables, and a very nature oriented decor.

I believe the owners are the ones who run the restaurant (the man, who is the chef, and the woman, who runs everything else). There is usually a third person helping them. They are some of the nicest restaurant staff around.

Surprisingly, they don't advertise it as Japanese, even though they both are Japanese, they communicate in Japanese, and their dishes have primarily Japanese influence (and some Chinese). Several of the customers spoke Japanese.

They are extremely proud of local-sourcing their vegetables (a good proportion is organic) from a Matchosin farm and from their own garden (I don't think there are many other places that can make such claim). Locavores, this is one of the places to pay a visit.

Daidoco is cafeteria style (think Zambri's at lunch time--in fact, it was Jo, the co-owner of Zambri's who called my attention to this restaurant).

They have a very small menu. It usually includes a special of the day, some appetizers (e.g. rice balls and noodle salad) and salmon and tuna don. The most expensive item is 7.00 + tax (not including rice). Its menu might be its only Achilles' tendon because you might not like anything they offer.

I ordered the special of the day (ling cod with ginger sauce and vegetables). I added rice to it. You have the option of white or organic brown rice.

It was soo good. Everything was full of flavour, starting with the fish, of which I got a large portion and it was properly cooked. The vegetables were fresh, and made a bed on top which the fish and sauce sat. I wanted to lick the plate, but opted to lift it to my mouth and pour everything left on it into it.

As I eat, the regulars were coming in, asking them how they were and how they have spent the weekend. It is obvious that they have built relationships, always a healthy sign of a restaurant. Most of the customers ordered take out.

Daidoco is the type of restaurant I love to support. When you come to his restaurant, you see friendly, honest, hard working local people, full or pride of the food they offer, and its sources, and it is not surprise they deliver healthy, delicious food at an inexpensive price. The food world would be much better if other restaurants learn some lessons from Daidoco's playbook.

Daidoco opens at 11 and closes when the food is gone or around 4. It does not open on the weekends.

Verdict: Highly recommended. Considering the freshness of the food, the amount that you get, and the price you pay, I'll place Daidoco as the best simple lunch destination in Victoria, and one of Victoria's best kept secrets.

Paid: 9.50 + tip (daily special + rice)

--dmg

For more information, including price, 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:

Ebizo

No. 41

<2010-07-09 Fri> I am surprised by how many Japanese restaurants Victoria has. There are more than 20, including those in its vicinity with Oak Bay. No wonder I haven't been to many of them.

I am also surprised by how biased I am against the downtown core, particularly the Empress area. In my mind I imagine many of them as tourist traps.

Ebizo is right in this area. It is a small restaurant, that posts the hours: From 11:30 until we close. What does it mean "until we close": until they run out of their lunch fare, apparently.

The restaurant is small and cozy, and has a large bar area (it sits around 10). My first surprise was how many "regulars" this restaurant had. It was easy to spot them: walked in, directly to the bar, without waiting to be sited. The table next to me had regulars too. This, in my opinion, is one the best signs of success of a restaurant.

It seems that, with the exception of Japanese Village, every restaurant in Victoria has a large menu at lunch time. It was a hard decision. Their bento did not look very appealing, but the rest of menu was (later I saw the bento special lunch in another table, it looked small, but it was priced at less than $8).

I came in the middle of lunch service, and had to wait a bit to be served. In the meantime I had time to look around. This place felt Japanese (as many of the restaurants I have visited in Japan). Perhaps the only strange aspect of the decor was the red french style chairs, but even those, I am sure I can find them in Japan. Perhaps what I am trying to say is that this place had its own personality, as
Mutsuki-An does. Sen Zushi, on the other hand tries to be too Japanese (with a Samurai helmet on the bar--oh, how much I miss the old Sen Zushi)).

The prices felt a bit more expensive than most other places (like those of Matsuki-An). I was temped by the una-don, but settled for the Ebizo Sushi and a unagi nigiri.

First surprise: I was offered an oshibori (the hot towel). This was a first in Victoria (at lunch time).



My nigiri was very good. I would have preferred something else instead of two ebi. I am biased against cooked ebi (shrimp). I find it has very little flavour, I prefer it raw.

Second surprise: my unagi arrived without ginger nor wasabi! Finally, a place in Victoria that knows how to serve it. It was good too.

The service leaves to be desired. My glass sat empty too long too many
times. When I asked for the bill, the waiter replied "you haven't
gotten it yet?".

It is my first visit, but it goes into my rotation. I want to try it
again, to see if it continues to be as good as I think it is.

Verdict: Feels like authentic Japanese food, at a price higher than
other places in the area. I will come back, and then I could fully
recommend it.

Paid: 15.84 + tip (plus 2.80 of an unagi nigiri).




For more information, including address:

Azuma Sushi

Number 40.

<2010-07-08 Thu> I read some reviews of Osaka Sushi, and many
compared it against Azuma.

Azuma Sushi opens at 11:00, which worked very well for me. I was the
first person in the restaurant. If I though Osaka was a big place,
Azuma is huge.

They also offer a very large menu, including many lunch specials. Like
Osaka, you can add tempura to many of them for 2 dollars. They also
run a daily special that I was temped to order. But I was tired of
bento boxes; instead, I ordered their sashimi lunch special a bowl
of rice and a unagi nigiri.

The sashimi (as you can see in the photo) came with maguro, salmon,
hotate, ika and tako. Overall, good sashimi; it could have been
excellent, but the maguro was below the rest. Considering the
cost, however, I was a happy customer. The rice was slightly drier than I like it.
I wonder if it was because I got the top of the pot (I was the first after all).

The service was impeccable.

I will come back. It is a good location (in the downtown core) with
good, well priced food. I have to visit it again to fully recommend
it.

With respect to the unagi nigiri. Azuma, as many other places do (including
Matsuki-An and Kaz), wrap the unagi to the rice with nori. I prefer it without the nori.
I feel the nori takes away from the flavour of the unagi.

Verdict: Good food. Good value. I will return.

Paid: 13.40 + tip (plus 2.80 of an unagi nigiri)

For more information, including address, visit:

Osaka Sushi

Update (Sept 2, 2010) I have come to this restaurant 4 times after this review, for lunch and dinner. Unfortunately their quality varies too much from one visit to the other. I no longer recommend it.


Update (July 19, 2010) You can check my dinner review here.


Number 39.

<2010-07-07 Wed> This is a relatively new restaurant in an area that
does not have many good options. I have always found this area to be a
bit strange. Many customers in these restaurants tend to be
retired people (go to Mee Wah at lunch time), who might be looking for a cheap
lunch--not necessarily a good one.

The place is large, perhaps too large. Sometimes this makes a place
feel emptier than it is.

The menu is big, and I settled for the daily special (bento with
chicken katsu). They have the option to add tempura
for 2 dollars, which I did. I also added a uni nigiri.

It was a lot of food. Everything was good, including service, with one exception:
the uni was below my expectations.

In terms of price this is a great deal. You get a lot of food for 10
dollars plus tax.

Definitely a good place for lunch, particularly given its
benefit-price ratio. I feel I need to try some other dishes before I
can fully recommend it.

Verdict: Good food. Excellent value. I will return.

Paid: 11.20 + tip (plus 2.80 of the uni nigiri).

For more information, including address:

Mutsuki-An

<2010-07-06 Tue> I haven't been at Mutsuki-An for a while. Just
outside Victoria, this is one of the best Japanese restaurants at
lunch time. Perhaps the best.

Mutsuki-An follows the Japanese tradition that a meal starts in our
eyes. Every dish is beautifully presented. While many restaurants
offer their specials in bento boxes (utilitarian presentation intended
for take out, not in-site eating in a decent restaurant) they use
elegant dishes, and superb organization in the plate to get you
excited before you give it the first bite.

And the food does not disappoint. One of the best miso soups--if not
the best--I had so far. The lunch special includes an avocado temaki
sushi made with rice paper rather than nori, and its dessert is a
profiterole; this shows, in my opinion, that the chef is not afraid of
trying to be innovate and be different than the rest. The flavours
were subtle, delicate, and delicious. The chef, by the way, is a
woman, and the waitress appears to be her daughter. It certainly has
the family business feeling.

Compared to most Japanese places in town, Mutsuki-An feels above
them. It has better quality of ingredients, better presentation, and
more interesting dishes. The place is small, but bright and
welcoming. You might have to arrive early. They also like to close
exactly at 2:00, which means you have to arrive between 11:30 to
13:30, except for Friday and Sat. when they stay open the entire
afternoon. Even their dinner service ends early (they close at 7:00
PM, or when they run out of food).

Keep in mind that it is a bit expensive compared to others and the
portions are smaller.

I want to go back soon, to try other options in the menu.

It does not open from Sun-Mon.

Verdict: One of the best places for lunch in Victoria.

Paid: 14.00 + tip

For more information:

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

Kaz

<2010-07-02 Fri>

The lunch started in a high note with a very nice
miso soup but quickly disintegrated into flavourless and soggy
tempura, one of the worse salads I have had in a long time
that had its dressing in the middle compartment of the bento (which
means I could not pour it), and fruit that looked like it had been cut some
time ago and had no flavour either.

Definitely, I place to pass by. No surprise the customers look like
tourists.

Verdict: Avoid.

Cost: 13.20 +tip (2 items lunch special plus uni nigiri)

For more information, including address, visit:

Tamami Sushi

This place no longer exists.

Verdict: Defunct

For more information, visit:

Sen Zushi

<2010-05-31 Mon> I am a regular, what else can I say? I typically have
lunch here once or twice a week and it is the most frequent place I go
for dinner. It is good value for the money. Is it perfect? I don't
think so. Every time I go through the menu I am hoping to see
something new, something exciting, that refreshes my view of the
restaurant. Sadly, that rarely happens (the last time was the addition
of awabi nigiri for few days). On the other hand their tuna and salmon
are always very good, and I absolutely adore their hokke (but I know
most people don't find small fish--with plenty of bones--appealing.

Verdict: One of my regular lunch stops.

Cost: 12.50 + tip. Lunch pricing.