belly.

Belly was undoubtedly my favourite restaurant we visited on our West Coast roadtrip. It may, in fact, be one of my favourite restaurants ever. 

red fish blue fish.

Red Fish Blue Fish is pretty much a Victoria landmark up there with the Parliament buildings as far as I'm concerned. If you live in Victoria and haven't been... What? Get yourself there immediately before they close for the winter season on October 31. If you don't live in Victoria and haven't been... get yourself there immediately before they close for the winter season on October 31. Maybe even arrange a trip around it. Stranger things have been done.

mutsuki-an part II.

Soooo, I've just returned from the most epic food and wine tour/roadtrip of the West Coast imagineable. I am noticeably more "jolly" (not just referring to my mental state). And I have sampled some ridiiiculous treats and restaurants that I can't wait to share with you.

In the meantime, as I'm too much still in "holiday mode" (read: overweight and lazy) to deal with a loading pics situation...

I bring you sushi.

willow's galley.

How ridiculously-good-looking is this burger? 

fol epi.

This might be weird for some of y'all, but I'm not a huuuge sandwich person. I mean, I don't dislike sandwiches, but usually there's something I'd rather eat. Like a burger (which doesn't really count as a sandwich, does it?) Or sushi. Or... something else. So when, on my last visit to my hometown Victoria, my parents started raving about this Fol Epi place, I wasn't suuuuper stoked. I mean, I usually trust their taste in food (I didn't inherit my passion for sauce from nobody!) but I just wasn't jumping up and down and begging them to go. We went anyways. 

yoshi sushi.

YO.

Wanna drool over some sushi pics? 

spicy tuna sashimi.

Spicy tuna sashimi at Azuma Sushi, Victoria, B.C.

hernande'z cocina.

Burrito de Pollo with black beans, wild greens, seasoned rice, sour cream, salsa and pulled chicken at Hernande'z Cocina, Victoria, B.C.

mutsuki-an and my ninety-four-year-old nan.

Mutsuki-An is an adorable little sushi restaurant perfectly placed smack-dab in the middle of my 'hood that serves some of the freshest sushi I've tried on the island. While they don't get crazy with their rolls (and there's no tempura on the menu! my poor arteries!) the quality-for-price of their seafood is unmatched, as far as I'm concerned, I love the staff, and the experience feels very "authentic" to me, like sushi you'd actually find in Japan.

My nana is an adorable (and brave!) little 94-year-old who had never before tried sushi.

Let the precious photos begin... (hint: watch for a spicy california roll being cut with a knife and fork).

shizen sushi.

May as well get one thing straight right off the bat: I am a sushi FANATIC. There are few foods I could eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner six days a week - a girl needs a little variety in her life - but sushi is one of them. And yes, leftover rolls in the morning are edible and even quite enjoyable; try it. In the name of variety, though, I'm always looking for new variations on the typical spicy-tuna-and-dynamite offerings of your average sushi joint.


A friend introduced me to Shizen Sushi in downtown Victoria a few years ago. Hours before my first visit, I told my eyebrow waxer (sushi and waxing... what an obnoxiously girly post) that I was going and she tipped me off about the Highlander roll. "It's not on the menu, ask for it specifically and thank me later," was all she said. Obviously, I ordered it. And I've been thanking her almost monthly since.


Perfectly crispy tempura shrimp, avocado and spicy mayo draped with just-thin-enough slices of seared beef tataki and topped with a sweet and spicy kicker of teriyaki + tabasco (if only your typical teriyaki sauce was jacked up like this!) garlic and green onions. Flavor overload in the best way possible, and so freaking pretty to look at.


Other notable dishes: an interesting twist on your typical tempura veggie roll using asparagus (and at $3.95 a roll you can't go wrong) and another off-the-menu, "insider" favorite: a sushi pizza topped with a combination of tuna, spicy mayo and green onion. I've had sushi pizza before and hated it, usually due to the bland set-up of salmon or tuna sashimi on a bed of dry deep fried rice. Shizen's flavorful toppings and perfectly crispy base hit the spot.

Shizen Sushi
1706 Government Street
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 1Z5
(250) 381-8228
www.shizensushi.ca