An insider's guide to Victoria since 1997.

Located in a strip mall just off the busy Veteran's Memorial Parkway in Langford, Smoken Bones Cookshack is pretty unassuming from the outside. Inside is a very comfortable family steakhouse, average but for the menu. Smoken Bones features not only ribs, as expected, but also pulled pork and beef brisket -- definitely carnivore friendly.

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'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).

The city has had a die-off of greasy spoon restaurants. They've gone upscale or specialty or been taken over by a franchise. Hiding in Esquimalt is just what the doctor ordered. La Belle Patate is a burger joint on Esquimalt Road across the street from the Memorial Park. If you get past the looks of the place (it's a bit of a dive but their food safe looks good from the peer over the counter), you can find some great eats. There is limited seating inside and some patio furniture outside-- so it's best to plan your order for take-away.

From the moment I first set eyes on this restaurant inside a reclaimed shipping container, I knew it was something different. Fresh doesn't begin to describe the food here, or the attitude. Every piece of seafood sourced by Red Fish Blue Fish is Oceanwise and cooked to order. Fries are hand-cut and the slaw is crisp.

San Remo is one of those restaurants that has been around for a while (over 25 years) and sometimes gets forgotten. The menu is Mediterranean -- Greek and Italian -- from traditional dishes like moussaka and kalamari to a variety of salads, pasta and pizza.  Both Mike and I have been eating there for decades and I can't say I recall any really disappointing meals. Our most recent visit was no exception.

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.