Dak, Downtown Victoria

So, someone asked, where were you last week?  Does that mean you lost your ongoing blogging challenge with Andrea?  Nope.  We've agreed to go biweekly... though nothing stops us over posting.  Both of us are a little busier with other projects... and I'm eating out a little less as I tighten the belt as I start up my own business.

Though the belt seems to be plenty tight enough at the moment, which is another story entirely.

Dak is another venue run by the people who brought you Picnic and Picnic Too. I believe the owner, John Perkins, has some interest in the Northern Quarter too. Dak means Chicken in Korean.  So they specialize in Chicken served Korean style.  Rotisserie chicken, served warm on rice.  Or on a bun. Or in salad.

They do other dishes without chicken. Spicy pork is one option, as is roasted mushrooms. Andrea's met me for lunch.  She goes for a Mushroom Bop Bowl.  I go for the Chicken Bop Bowl.  It's under $10 for lunch.  That's a bargain.  Even more so when you see the fully loaded bowl of sticky rice, meat and piles of vegetable matter on top.

There's a big helping of spicy kimchi.  The ferment cabbage isn't to everyone's taste, sure, but this is spicy, crunchy and sharp, without being overpoweringly 'savoury'.  There's a splodge of green onion pesto, which with the chicken combines into a very tasty mouthful.  The meat. The slight bite of the onion, coupled with the pine nuts.  So, so good.

There's some sprouts and greens too, and some sesame seeds sprinkled on top.  The rice is super sticky, chunk easily eaten with the chopsticks, soaking up the juices from the chicken, and the squirt of soy sauce I added into the bowl.  I felt almost as healthy and refreshed as I do when eating at Be Love.  That clean feel from a well balanced meal.

The venue is super basic.  A couple of plain wood with high stools along, sitting almost bar style. But one of those tables faces out on to the street, so you can watch the world go by.  And wave at random friends heading else where.  And you can have a super intense conversations about new jobs and spiritual rebirth with Andrea.

The menu is concise - nine options for lunch, four for breakfast.  And you have to like Congee for the breakfast.  I like small menus at times. You get on with the ordering without the problem of reading -all- the choices.  At it means the kitchen will be on point to make everything spot on.  They don't have to deal with twenty seven options, fourteen of which only get ordered once a week.  The kitchen is tiny, unless it's a Tardis.  There seemed to be at least two people back there, with one popping out to serve customers while the other one kept on prepping dishes.  Food was out in a matter of minutes after ordering.

So it's a fast dinner, at a great price, with lots of good stuff in the dinner.  What's not to love?  The fact it's an extra two blocks walk past Picnic Too, and that often captures me with the Breakfast Sandwich for a fast lunch.

One down side... the toilets in the space Dak shares with a bunch of tech start ups and incubators are camp chic.  They aren't dirty, or nasty.  Just basic plywood on the walls and some how feel... unwelcoming. That's not Dak's fault.

The Old Spaghetti Factory, Downtown Victoria

Reasons to go to Old Spaghetti Factory

• It's Dine Around Victoria time, and they've made a $20 menu offer.
• The lovely Brunette of my Acquaintance's daughter has wanted to go for ages.
• It seems like a nice treat to take her, and not break the weekly budget.
• They do family style food effectively and fast, with a good range of choices.
• You like pasta dishes that aren't too crazy.
• You like fresh goats cheese on your spinach salad... and fresh, rich green leaves mixed in with tart dried cranberries
• You like a good, thick, New England style clam chowder.  One which will make you lick the bowl clean.
• A decent chunk of cheese cake finishes a meal for you.
• A pile of varied veggies in the lasagne makes a good meal for you, especially if it's enough for a second serving to take off to school the next day.
• In fact, you like options that contain something fresh and nutritious for yourself, or your kids.

Reasons to not go to the Old Spaghetti Factory

• You want panache and spark in the cooking.
• You want anything that isn't pasta.
• You want pasta that has complex set of flavours, rather than a cream and pesto dish with some random chunks of white chicken breast.
• You think a broccoli starter should be more than fresh cooked florets drowned in grated cheese.
• You like your dishes served with a style beyond 'shove it on the plate'.
• You want the waiters to have a deep knowledge of the wine list.
• You want a long wine and beer list.
• Warm bread white bread and whipped butter is not your idea of a interesting start to the meal.

In summary:  It was a enjoyable family meal, at a fair price in surroundings that have been taken care of.  The staff are young and slightly naive, but enthusiastic, polite and fast.  The food is well cooked, but won't win awards for presentation or innovation. It's not trying to win awards for presentation or innovation.  Three of us ate a good meal and had good conversation.  

There's better places in town for pasta. They are catering to a different market and price.  There's place in town that do family-orientated food.  They are often tacky, dishevelled and serve crappy food straight from the freezer.