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Saturday, May 16, 2015

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).
thai corner restaurant sidney
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.
thai corner restaurant sidney
lily pad artwork
thai corner restaurant sidney
thai corner restaurant sidney
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.
thai corner restaurant sidney
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).
thai corner restaurant sidney
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!
thai corner restaurant sidney
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.
sidney bc
sidney bc bronze sculpture
"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!).
tanner's books sidney
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).
sidney bc waterfront
sidney bc waterfront
sidney eye of the ocean
"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.
sidney bc fish market
sidney bc fish market
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.
sidney bc
sidney cormorants
cormorants and gulls
glass beach sidney
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!
sidney bc fisherman
another bronze sculpture by the pier -- "Old Man by the Sea" by Nathan Scott
sidney bc pier
sidney bc pier
bonus points for spotting the goose family!
sidney bc pier
sidney bc pier
casting a crab trap
crabbing sidney
got one!
crabbing sidney
darn, it's a female...back in it goes
crabbing sidney
and this one's too small -- it's going back too
sidney gull
waiting for the catch
sidney bc crabbing
cage pulled up aaaand: feeding frenzy!
Overall, we had a great meal and nice afternoon walk in Sidney. A perfect lazy Saturday :) Time to hit the books...
sidney bc gull

2 comments:

  1. Why are the female crabs being thrown back in?

    P.S. I'm secretly reading your blog for a while, hi!

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    Replies
    1. Hi!! The female and juvenile crabs have to be thrown back in to sustain the population -- it's actually the law here (not that I know anything about crabbing!). And thank you for commenting! I'm really glad you did because now I'm following your blog, which is awesome :)

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