CENTRAL BRITISH COLUMBIA - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 536

Camping
The region's most scenic campground is at Paul Lake Provincial Park (519/826-6850
or 800/689-9025, www.discovercamping.ca , mid-May-mid-Sept., $16), north of Kamloops
five kilometers (3.1 miles) on Highway 5, then 17 kilometers (11 miles) east on Paul Lake
Road. Facilities are basic (no hookups or showers), but the treed setting just a short walk to
the beach makes up for it. This park is very popular with local families, so make reserva-
tions as far in advance as possible.
FOOD
Kamloops has the dining scene you would expect from a mid-sized city: the usual chain and
fast-food restaurants along the Trans-Canada Highway, numerous hotel dining choices, and
a mix of cafes and restaurants in the downtown core.
For years, getting good coffee in Kamloops was a challenge, but that's changed in the
last decade, and you are now spoilt for choice. Top choice for me is Red Beard Roasters
(449 Tranquille Rd., 250/376-0083, 6am-8pm Mon.-Wed., 6am-6pm Thurs., 6am-8pm Fri.-
Sat., 8am-5pm Sun.), where beans are roasted in-house in small batches.
Back downtown, one block from the museum, Café Motivo (229 Victoria St., 250/
372-3565, 6am-7pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-5pm Sun.) is a city-style cafe pouring European-style
coffee in a slick setting.
Continuing the European theme, Oops Café (274 3rd Ave., 250/377-0021, 7:30am-3pm
Mon.-Sat., lunches $5.50-10.50) is a simple space where crowds are drawn in by pretzel
sandwiches with tasty filings. The daily soup and sandwich special is $10.50.
A reliable lunch spot slightly off the main downtown thoroughfare is the old-fashioned
Smorgasbord (225 7th Ave., 250/377-0055, 9am-5pm Mon.-Sat., lunches $5-9), which is
not a smorgasbord as the British know it, but a small café offering a wide range of soups,
salads, and sandwiches, with a daily special offering the best value.
Superb sushi is the draw at M Sanbiki (120 5th Ave., 250/377-8857, 11:30am-2pm and
5pm-9pm Mon.-Fri., $13-23), in a distinctive orange building with a sun-splashed patio out
front. The chefs do a great job of sourcing the freshest of ingredients, including—most im-
portantly—seafood. The most popular lunch combo dish is just $10, while dinner combos
start at $12. Other choices include asparagus Shira-ae (salad), doused in a creamy sesame
sauce; hearty rice bowls; and crumbed panko prawns.
Arianna's (272 Lansdowne St., 250/374-2670, 8am-3pm Mon.-Fri., call for evening
openings, lunches $7-11) is a small family-run eatery where classic Italian dishes are made