Da Tandoor (1010 Fort St, Victoria, BC, Canada, phone: 250-384-6333) is a cozy, authentic Indian restaurant near downtown Victoria. I enjoyed the Chef’s Special Platter ($20, pictured below) which came with Tandoori chicken, chicken Tikka, prawn skewer, two vegetarian side dishes, rice, naan, and an appetizer. It was really delicious, but the chef could have easily used a bigger plate which would have given him/her more room to present all the tasty food.

(above) Chef’s special platter at Da Tandoor restaurant in Victoria

(above) Naan bread from Da Tandoor restaurant in Victoria

Taking the ferry over to Victoria is a popular day trip for tourists to Vancouver. And for some people, a ride on BC Ferries is inevitable, whether it is to attend school at UVic, visit family, or simply return home. In my case I was going over for a vacation, which also involved performing in a piano concert (click here for free recording of my performance in the concert).

Naturally, during the 1.5 hour ferry trip, I got hungry. There are several food options available on BC Ferries, one of which is the Pacific Buffet, which BC Ferries describes as offering “elegant ocean-view dining on sailings from Vancouver to Victoria and features a wide selection of hot and cold items”. The buffet costs $16 to $21 depending on the time of day.

The line up for the buffet seemed long, so I headed over to the main cafeteria, which is branded as “White Spot”, a popular chain restaurant with several locations in Vancouver. The ocean-going version of White Spot has a simpler menu, but still has some attractive choices, such as the Roast Chicken with fries or Caesar salad, various burgers, salads, or their signature entree, the baked maple-glazed salmon ($11.99, pictured below).

The salmon was surprisingly good, and unlike some restaurants where the actual product looks a lot different from the picture in the menu, my salmon looked very similar to the enticing poster-sized photograph at the cafeteria entrance. My only problem was that I was really hungry, and I could have easily eaten two orders of scrumptious salmon. Maybe next time I’ll try the Pacific Buffet!

(above) BC Ferries Salmon Entree ($11.99)

Fujiya Japanese Foods (web site, 912 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604.251.3711) is a Japanese grocery store at Clark and Venables in Vancouver that has a wide selection of fresh, already-prepared sushi and bento boxes at reasonable prices. Items such as those pictured below are in the $3 to 6 range, and if you go 1 hour before closing the items start going on discount. There are a few small tables at the store, but most people go for take-out.

Fujiya also has locations in Richmond (#113-3086 St. Edwards Drive, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone: 604.270.3715), downtown Vancouver (112-1050 W. Pender Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604.608.1050), and Victoria (624 Shelbourne Street, Victoria, BC, Canada, phone: 250-598-3711).

Assorted Nigiri Sushi (deluxe) – around $6

Maki sushi (around $4)

Spicy sushi roll (around $4)