Eating Victoria- Food Blog and Eating Guide

The Mint
1414 Douglas St.
250-386-6468
www.themintvictoria.com

The Mint was actually one of the first restaurants I ever went to in Victoria. It’s easy to walk by on Douglas, but venture down the stairs and you’ll enter a cavernous night-gem. This place is open late( 2 a.m. 7 days a week), and serves up good food with a DJ on some nights. The walls are adorned with quirky metal art and masks, light sconces, and icicle lights. The Mint feels like no other restaurant in Victoria because of the dark setting and underground appeal.

Last night ( Sunday night) was cheap wine night, so my friends J and S joined me for a bite and vino. This place is notorious for hit and miss service, but last night we had a great server who was attentive and quick, something we’re not used to here. She stuttered a bit in conversation with us but it was cute. The specials here are great, cheap beer and appies on most nights, see their website for more deets. I usually get the Tibetan pork Momos($8.25) or the Chicken Naan pizza($8.75), both of which are featured on different nights of the week for even cheaper. The ladies I went with weren’t too hungry so I ordered an appy platter to share. All platters are on for $10 on Sunday, and out of the three we went for the Greek platter.

You get a lot for your buck at The Mint, I always leave full. The Greek Platter was packed with warm bread, and crackers to stack up the feta, salami, tomatoes, hummus, and tzatziki. Kalamata olives and grapes were on the platter too(just not visible in the photo).

The curries here are great, I particularly like the lamb curry.

So if you’re looking to try something different, check out The Mint. It’s a good late-night hang out for a group of friends, and cheap drinks. The atmosphere is trendy but the decibel level can be challenging with the music and obstreperous diners, but I always enjoy my time here.

Spice Jammer Restaurant
852 Fort St.
250-480-1055

Ahhh, the Spice Jammer… located on Fort just before Quadra St cross. This humble restaurant has been the centre of controversy, I’ve heard the service was shite but the food delicious, and the reverse. Tonight I got to test both as my friend L and I sauntered our way over to SJ.

First Impressions: Warm and luxurious fabrics, good smells, girls dressed in elaborate sari’s. The tables were quaint and had Himalayan rock salt lamps impregnated with tealights. The servers were pleasant, a little eager but helpful. We noticed how deathly quiet it was in the room, marshmallow feet!

Food: The menu is much like a scroll of familiar Indian delicacies, many tempting options making it hard to choose. We had a reasonably priced bottle of white while we nibbled on our poppadums(which packed a surprising amount of heat). The menu items
(except items from the Tandoor oven) are made for sharing, so prices exclude the cost for additional plates of rice, paratha, etc.

We landed on a Chicken Tikka Masala( with an enthusiastic sway from our server, $18.95) and in an attempt to be healthy, we got a potato and pea curry with paneer( $15.95). We opted for the pilau rice( saffron and aromatic basmati rice for $4.95) to go with our curries.

The Tikka was treated in the Tandoor first, then slowly simmered in the masala cream sauce. This stole the show for sure, amazingly tasty. The potato and pea curry had good flavour, but there wasn’t a whole lot of paneer or potatoes. The rice was beautifully cooked, fluffy and aromatic. The pictures don’t do the food justice, but believe me, the colours were vivid and enticing. We didn’t put the spoon down until all was eaten, this meal was certified delicious. L and I always seem to muster up the hunger for dessert so we shared a Kulfi( Indian Ice cream made in house, with saffron, cardamom and cinnamon, $4.95) and a Gulab Jamun( $4.95), which are like little doughnuts soaked in rose syrup, almost like a sweet halva that is packed into little spheres. The two desserts complemented each other very well, we found our spoons travelling back and forth between dishes.

Overall: The service was good. The ladies who helped us were informative, honest and friendly. They filled our waters and topped our wine in a respectable and timely way. The food was excellent and the ambiance, although quiet, provided a comfortable atmosphere. The prices are a bit steep, but it’s worth the extra couple of bucks.

Food: 4.25/5
Service: 4.25/5
Ambiance: 3.75/5

Cheers

Tibetan Kitchen Cafe
680 Broughton Street
On Broughton, between Douglas and Broad

I heard about this little kitchen from a friend of mine. She had tasted the food before( in Market Square) and raved about how delicious the food was. On my hunt around town for this Victorian Shangri-la, I was pleasantly surprised to find it close to a few of my other favourite restaurants.

First Impressions: Warm colours and unique decor, a small space with a peculiar layout.

The server who first welcomed me also informed me of the night’s special; an appie, salad, curry and chocolate momo’s for dessert($20.95). I wanted to try their Masala Chai($2.50) and I’m glad I did, can’t beat a proper chai with milk. The menu itself was short with some interesting offerings, both vegetarian and meat(Chicken, lamb,beef), most served with rice/egg noodles and roti/puri. I couldn’t leave here without trying the famous momo’s, so I chose the vegetarian momo’s(above left, $6.00). The pan-fried veggie parcels were packed with minced veg and spices, and served over a apple cider vinegar dressed slaw which was crunchy and satisfying. The hot sauce( much like an anchar) was home-made and lip-smackingly good. The timing was very quick for both the appy and the main course.

For my main, I asked the server what she could recommend. She said that Pemba(sp?), the chef and owner, was known for her curries, so I decided on the lamb curry($14.95), baaa. The lamb curry arrived on a leaf-shaped platter with some intriguing smells and textures, such as the spinach-laden bowl of dal and cranberries, the creamy lamb curry over brown rice, and puffy chewy puri for slurping up all those flavour combinations. The citrus yoghurt drizzle over the dal was a nice bright note to the dish. I ordered the curry medium-hot spicy, and it definitely was, nothing like a bit of a sweat over dinner.The lamb was cooked well, and the aroma of fresh spices was intoxicating.

Concerns/Suggestions:

One food item I will always be obdurate about is rice. I love rice, but not when it’s too soft/over-cooked. Unfortunately, I found the rice a tad overdone, especially since the rest of the meal was quite soft as well. Maybe this is the way the rice is served here…minor details, I’m difficult I know..
The last note is more of a suggestion about the layout. I walked into the restaurant and I noticed that there was a man sitting down at a computer in the middle of the room. I just assumed that this was maybe an internet/cafe option for customers to use while they were waiting, even that might be a bit odd. As my meal went on, the man at the computer, albeit well-dressed, got up and talked to customers and it clicked. He must have been the floor manager or something. This space is very small, but I would suggest that they move the computer and desk space to some place in the back where customers can’t see him typing away/ doing paperwork etc. as it can be confusing.

Highlights:

Despite my small critiques/observations, this experience was positive and warming. The ingredients were fresh and the service was timely and endearing.  I would go back here to try some of the other Tibetan specialities, and share a few cups of chai with friends in a comfortable and relaxed environment.

Service rating: 5/5
Food rating:4/5
Ambiance rating:4/5