Winding Spiral Case: Thai Corner Restaurant and A Walk in Sidney, BC

Today my parents treated me to lunch at one of Sidney's newest restaurants, Thai Corner. My mom had clipped out a positive newspaper review and was looking forward to trying the lunch buffet ($12.95 + tax).

Located on Beacon Avenue, just a few steps from Beacon Plaza, Thai Corner Restaurant could not be more convenient in terms of location or parking. Around half of their tables were filled when we arrived at 12:30 pm, and we were seated by a friendly staff member by the front window, which, like the rest of the medium-sized restaurant, was nicely decorated with Thai artwork and statues.

lily pad artwork

window sill decor

The buffet offered a selection of eight hot dishes, including wonton soup and spring rolls. In addition, white rice and tapioca pudding were available on end tables. We started with bowls of wonton soup and were impressed with the tastiness of the wontons. Next we enjoyed deep-fried spring rolls, dipped in Thai sweet chilli sauce; they were filled with a noodle mixture and were pretty delicious.

We went back to fill our plates with a bit of everything else: chicken fried rice, pad thai with tofu, three different meat curries, and a vegetable dish. We filled little dipping bowls with condiments (chilli sauces and chopped peanuts) to go with the food -- but really, it needed no additional flavouring! Every dish was so tasty, with distinct spices and herbs (including fresh basil) used in each one. The dishes were fairly spicy, but not overly so, and nothing was too salty (the downfall of many an Asian buffet).

After replenishing our plates with second tastes of our favourite dishes, we helped ourselves to bowls of tapioca pudding for dessert. I can't recall ever having tasted tapioca pudding before, but I can say that I'm a fan -- sweet and creamy with chewy gelatin pearls and coconut pieces, it's really a perfect dessert!

Although Thai Corner Restaurant may not offer as many dishes as your generic Asian buffet, they're definitely quality dishes (no french fries or orange jello cubes), and enough to leave you happily full. With its good food, kind staff, and pleasant atmosphere, Thai Corner is definitely worth a visit!

After our meal we waddled down Beacon Avenue, Sidney's (only) main street. Sidney really is a beautiful town and has a laid-back, retirement vibe with its 30 km/h speed limit, flower boxes, and many benches, where you'll more often than not find a senior resting next to his or her bronze counterpart.

"Mrs. Stone" bronze scupture by Nathan Scott
(http://www.sculpturebynathanscott.com/public-commissions---bronze-sculptures.html)

We stopped in at Tanner's Books, one of Sidney's six bookstores, to browse for a bit. I realized how much I miss reading actual paper books (no, textbooks don't count) and resolve to break in my library card this summer! I also looked longingly through Tanners' collection of beautiful journals...but knew I shouldn't feed my habit of acquiring journals and saving them forever (because I never think I write anything important enough to justify using such nice books!).

We continued down Beacon Avenue to where it ends at the waterfront and had a look at some of the public sculptures (including some that are still on display from 2012's Sidney Seaside Sculpture Walk).

"Eye of the Ocean" whale rib sculpture by David Hunwick

We took a look in the fish market on the pier, which smells just as you'd imagine it would.

There were lots of people out on this sunny afternoon, from tourists, to families, to local seniors sitting on their walkers and taking in the view. There's plenty to see; we watched a sailboat tacking and were entertained by gulls, cormorants, and a family of geese.

cormorants and gulls

Glass Beach

We walked out to the end of Sidney's long pier, taking our time to be peek into crab buckets and chat with some of the half-dozen crabbers. We weren't the only nosy ones -- whenever a crabber hauled up a crab cage they invariably drew a small group of curious bystanders (not to mention a frenzy of seagulls -- beware!). It's lots of fun to watch!