Side Dish: Eastern Food without the Exotic

Side Dish Restaurant
1008 Langley St.
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 477-9995

E: Strange. In a region that was once known as Persia, I would expect the food to be very exotic. I'm fascinated with the ancient culture because of the sun god Mithras. His secretive religion is as mysterious as the restaurant that does not bear his name.

At Side Dish, I was fascinated with the baklava desserts offered and that's what I should have picked up instead of one of their traditional dishes. As colourful as it was, I wondered where did the flavour go?

The Banker Defaults on Fish

Bard & Banker Pub
1022 Government St.
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 953 - 9993

J: When I step through the doors of the Bard & Banker, it's hard not to feel like it's Christmas.

Could it be the daily specials (drink must be bought to qualify)? No. Is it the grandiose look of the Bard that makes me appreciate this self-proclaimed "Scottish" pub? No, it's not that either. I know, it must be that the Bard used to be the former location of the Spirit of Christmas.

Get on Board with the Cherry Bomber!

The Pig BBQ Joint
1325 Blanshard St.
Victoria, BC
250-590-5193

Cherry Bomb Toys
1410 Broad St.
Victoria, BC
250-385-8697

Every Kaiju fan knows that the monster always returns … always. In this case, it's a behemoth pork burger that I tackled some months back. The latest creation from Cherry Bomb Toys and Pig BBQ Joint is aptly named the Cherry Bomber, and have I succeeded in taming the savage beast? I had to partner King Ghidorah and Godzilla to see if they were up for the challenge. Since they were toys and couldn't talk back (and couldn't eat thankfully), I was on my own to meet this limited run burger head on.

Where's the Sunday Breakfest in Vancouver?

Joyeaux Cafe & Restaurant
551 Howe St.
Vancouver, BC
604-681-9168
604-341-8882

I'm surprised that not many trendy diners in Vancouver are open Sunday for the early riser. I rarely find the restaurants that are joined at the hip with a hotel the perfect place to eat. But when I needed a quick meal before checking out, I was hoping that the Sciué Italian Bakery Caffé would be open. When I looked at their menu online, I was drooling. When I saw their hours of operation, I was sad.

Kamei ... or Royale?

Kamei Royale
#211-1030 W. Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC
604-687-8588

The Kamei Royale is a restaurant that certainly lives up to its namesake, but is it authentic? When there are three locations, I get the sense the upper management wants to franchise out. But in a city as large as Vancouver, to spread the sushi love does need to be done. And this establishment has the decor of upscale dining.

The fashion sense of the architecture is more modernistic than traditional, and the average working man would have to give up two paychecks to dine here for a week. The food is tasty, and just looking at the menu was enough to make me drool buckets. The selection of food is vast and I doubt I could eat the entire maki selection in one go.

This restaurant is by no means cheap. A $60 meal was more than enough to fill me and on average, I spend around $35 when going Japanese.