An insider's guide to Victoria since 1997.

John's Noodle Village is set in the small strip of businesses at 823 Bay St. across the Blanshard in a small and unassuming; from the looks of it, it's a Mom & Pop operation. They serve Catonese and Szcheuan fare; and their emphasis is on doing in it well: classic dishes like chow meins, sweet and sour pork, etc.-- done as they're supposed to and not with some spin or re-visioning of the recipes. What's really impressive is that they make their noodles on site daily. Bar none, the best thing on their menu is the ginger fried beef. Good ginger fried beef has to be spicy from the ginger, crunchy and with a thick sauce. They nailed the recipe. Beyond the quality of the food, the pricing is decent with dishes going for $10 to $16 per plate. Because of small time nature of the place, don't expect a ton of service or some kind of polished hosting, but you'll enjoy yourself just the same.