Asahi

Cuisine: Contemporary Sushi

Area: Assinaboine, Charleswood

Address: 3116 Roblin Blvd.

Phone: (204) 943-2566

Monday - Friday: 11am-2pm & 5pm - 9pm

Saturday - Sunday: 5pm - 9pm

Price range: $$$ 1/2 out of $$$$$

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 

I am an avid sushi lover. When I'm asked: "which food would you pick if you could only eat one type forever?", I have no hesitation in answering: "sushi". That being said, I am pretty picky when it comes to my taste for it. I don't know if this is true of other North American areas but in Winnipeg, we have had an explosion of sushi restaurants. It is probably more common to find a sushi restaurant than it is to find a convenience store. There are some pretty decent ones but you also have to be really careful when you are new to Winnipeg. 

There are a few generalized types of sushi restaurants. The first, I consider "the sushi-train grade" is in reference to its similarity to the style of all the Sushi Trains in the city. It's decent if you get the simple or plain rolls but will lack the exotic ingredients and technique of a higher grade sushi restaurants. Then there are the "worse-thans". Worse-thans are the sushi restaurants that pop up with less consideration than it takes to mow your lawn. In these restaurants, you'll find there is a lack of exotic choices to try (you wouldn't want to), the same generic sauces and panko crumbs on every roll, and the serving sets that are made of plastic. Think, pre-packaged, dry, and esthetically unpleasant. Then the rest is what I consider, the Premiums. In this premium category of well designed, technically structured, and esthetically appealing sushi and undeniably tasty and creative alternative choices, is where Asahi sits.

For those who have had the luck to know Asahi in it's days on Broadway, yes, this is the same restaurant, with the same chefs, and the same owners. Though, when the restaurant was on Broadway, it's main clientele was limited to the lunch-time rush in the heart of clerically-staffed Winnipeg. Now, tucked in the bustle of Charleswood on Roblin, Asahi lies as the gem of quality, 'up-scale' sushi.

Beyond the great rolls which cater to the tastes of simple, but far from plain, consumers and to the tastes of complex and exotic, but far from out-done, consumers, there is an en slew of great appetizers and dishes. Take for instance, the Spicy Garlic Rock Shrimp. The large tempura shrimp is fried in a light and airy batter, which is then tossed in a creamy garlic and seafood sauce, and delicately garnished with slivers of green onion, white radish, and black sesame. I guarantee you will like it.

Volcano Roll

Spicy Garlic Rock Shrimp (Hot Menu Item)

And though the New Style Roll was something that I found in my other favourite Sushi restaurant in the city (Wasabi), Asahi has managed to give it all the justice it deserves. The New Style Roll is magnificent. It's glorious. It's out of this world. The idea behind "new-style" is to lightly 'sear' the sashimi with an infused oil and soy-sauce combination. The roll is so fragrant and the sashimi is so tender that each piece just melts in your mouth. Please give this one a try.

New Style Roll ... Yum!

For those of you who like oysters, on occasion, Asahi does offer fresh (East Coast) oysters, shucked, for a dollar a piece. It's served with a simple mirin-soy sauce but at a $1 each, it's a nice fresh appetizer.

$1 Oysters

Finally, I do like the Gyu Tataki, which is a tender steak appetizer served cold. The delicately marinated and seared steak, is thinly sliced and served with a garlic-ponzu sauce (tangy, sweet) and sweet peanut satay sauce, drizzled with green onions. The steak is served rare but the preparations are so unique that even people who usually eat medium-well would do good to try it. The steak is marinated after it is seared.

Gyu Tataki (Cold Appetizer)

Like I said, Asahi is one of my favourite sushi places. It comes in as a close second to my favourite, Wasabi (I'll write about this later), which is then followed by Kenko (which I already featured). Let me put it this way: my hubs and I brought his two business partners there for dinner one night and have been bumping into them there every time we had been there since. ;)