When looking for a light, fresh meal that won’t ruin your hard work in the gym, Japanese restaurants are the place to be! Enjoy melt-in-your-mouth fish, tender rice and green tea to complement your meal.
Allow the chefs to serve you the absolute freshest ingredients by ordering the omakaze platter. If you go for lunch, you can try it for almost a quarter of the dinner price, but go early because quantities are limited. Other standout dishes are the wild salmon carpaccio, the chef’s choice sushi and the new style sashimi. It’s not healthy, but I have to mention it — if you have room for dessert, go for the green tea crème brulee.
Izakaya Tomo brings Japanese street food to Edmonton. This late-night tapas bar serves my all-time favourite beef tataki. The thinly sliced, lightly seared beef marinates in a tangy ponzu sauce on a bed of cabbage. If you go on a chilly night, have the niku udon: a fragrant broth, udon noodles, beef and an egg to top it off. Another option is the tako yaki — octopus pieces in a flour-based batter cooked in a special pan. They’re topped with takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise and bonito shavings. Yum!
While Yokozuna is hidden in a strip mall, the food really makes an impression. Tat’s Tuna Tacos put a Japanese spin on a traditional taco. Crispy wonton wrappers are filled with a spice-rubbed tuna, guacamole and spicy mayo. The ohzeki sushi platter provides a nice assortment of nigiri, including salmon, tuna, shrimp, eel, sea bream, ikura, tobiko, surf clam, red snapper, octopus and scallop. The Yokozuna meat skewer set is selected by the chefs; our order included beef, chicken, bacon-wrapped cherry tomatoes, chicken hearts and chicken gizzards — not something I’d typically order off a menu but they were delicious.
With three locations in Edmonton, there’s always a Mikado close-by. Mikado specializes in barbecue. If you want to keep your order low carb but still delicious, try the grilled Alaskan black cod with sea salt or teriyaki sauce. If you want a larger meal, order a bento box. The robata bento box offers plenty of protein — shrimp, salmon, chicken and beef. Or, if maki is your thing, definitely try the lobster roll. While it’s one of the most expensive rolls on the menu, it’s worth it!
Kobe Bistro is located in the Callingwood Marketplace in west Edmonton and serves impressive bento boxes. Try the salmon and tuna sashimi bento box, which comes with salad, miso soup, chicken or beef, rice and tempura. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and a very full belly.
This family-owned restaurant is small and cozy. The gyoza dumplings are stuffed with flavourful minced meat and veggies. They’re steamed, pan-fried and served with a dipping sauce and make a tasty appetizer. Ichiban’s maki also won’t disappoint. Try the white dragon maki, an inside-out roll with tempura shrimp, tobiko, avocado and cucumber, topped with tuna. Other standout maki include the volanco and rock star rolls.
If you’re looking for some tasty vegetarian sushi options, Kyoto offers inari. These deep fried tofu pockets are stuffed with rice, and depending on which one you order, chuka salad, soybean or corn. I had the corn inari, which was slightly sweet and delicious even if you aren’t vegetarian.