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.

I used to like the dim sum at Jade Palace in Market Square, but it was long ago was replaced with office space. Don Mee's became my default choice for those great little dumplings, but I wanted to find and alternative-- just to mix it up a little.

I'm a sucker for good box of noodles. There's something about it that strikes a chord. After going to Noodle Box and getting attitude with a side of noodles, I thought I'd have to cook my noodles at home (hint: it's easy and cheap to do it at home), but then I saw a place called Boxo Noodles had opened up at 1011 Blanshard when Ali Baba had operated for years. It has nice ambiance (lots of bamboo and Asian influence).

As a kid, I used to walk by the corner store across from the Crystal pool; and sometimes pop in for a Coke or a bag of chips. The shop was converted into a restaurant-- the main storefront was turned into the kitchen; and the back became the dining area. When I came in, there was a decent number of dinners, all enjoying their meals. I made two visits there.

Easily spotted by its retro, neon sign, everyone I know refers to this place as "Don Mee's" and it's easily my favourite place for dim sum (served every day over the lunch hour). A favourite haunt for visiting celebs, the waiting area walls are lined with signed photos. One word of warning: the restaurant is up a long flight of stairs; those with mobility issues will want to steer clear.

We've been eating at this restaurant for years and while opinions seem to vary, it is definitely among my list of comfort food restaurants. There are two separate menus and essentially two restaurants operating from one location: Crown Palace offers a variety of Cantonese and Szechuan dishes (my faves are their spin on calamari and their breaded almond chicken but I have seldom been disappointed) and Chicken on the Run which offers fried chicken, fish and chips, burgers and other fast food. In VicWest at 405 Craigflower Road.