I Kyu Noodles, Downtown Victoria

I Kyu Noodles is a rather unassuming location in Victoria's Chinatown.  It has got no neon banners, or gaudy scrolls.  Just a window and a menu posted in it, with a sign above the door 'I Kyu Noodles'. Inside, it's also the same basics.  Chairs and tables that have seen far better days, with nasty looking fabric covering in the booths.  The chalkboard lists the about a dozen options on noodles, all of which are echoed in the simple menu.  There are another dozen starters, ranging from fried spring rolls to small pork dumplings.

Nice and simple.  The noodle options range from udon to rice noodles and stringy egg noodles.  I went for the house made udon with chicken, while my friend ordered the coconut curry dish.

The chicken udon was delicious. Chewy, but not tough noodles, made as thick strings of dough.  This is how I imagine udon to be, hearty and solid and just slippery enough to slurp up a little.  The chicken and sauce was savoury and coated the noodles just enough to get the flavour in, without soaking the dish.  We had crisp broccoli florets, too. To complete the dish, there were chunks of onion cooked to tender, to add a little bite to the flavours.  This chicken was tender but had been browned enough to add a little more umami to the dish.

Really good.  And washed down with plenty of green tea.

My friend's coconut noodles were large enough to float a small inflatable boat in.  In fact, after we finished, members of the Navy came in and practiced a few emergency rescue exercises.  Unusual, I know, but it takes all sorts on Fisgard.