Kaz

Kaz is a small restaurant that you wouldn't necessarily see wandering round town. Kaz does a variety of donburi, simple sushi rolls and nigiri. It's down near the Johnson Street bridge, hidden in a row of store fronts near Swan's. I only went in in a quest to find good Katsu-don. Rice and meat is one of the simplest Japanese dishes, but can be spoilt by uninteresting meat, a badly cooked egg or dry rice. Or, as some place have done, not the meat I ordered.

Kaz doesn't fail on any of these steps and does a competent Katsu-don. Tonkatsu is breaded pork cutlet (think wiener-schnitzel but pig not calf), served on donburi (a rice bowl). Concatenated to make Katsu-don. It's normally top with egg and maybe some onion or scallions. Kaz doesn't do the best in town (that's for a later entry) but it is well cooked, the right amount of warm fluffy rice and a cooked egg that's actually gelled and not still solidifying from the heat of the rice.

The rest of the fare is also competent. The tempura is lightly battered and not greasy, the salmon nigiri fresh and well portioned, and the BC roll is always tasty. It's never too busy, and the surroundings are perfect for a mid-afternoon lunch, a cup of green tea and chat. Plus you can people gaze at the world going by down Store Street.

If, and it's a big if, the service is on form. Sometimes I have waited for the menu, the tea, the food and the bill far longer than necessary when I've been one of two tables. I've known things are ready, as the chef has placed them ready to go. The staff have just been hiding, or slow. And painfully slow. This makes me seem like an impatient moody customer. Maybe I am, but I like to settle up and get going relatively quickly.

Other times, the service has been spot on, and I've gotten in, fed and out in a reasonable, relaxed manner. You just can't tell.

Location : 1619 Store Street
Telephone : (250) 386-9121
Website : None