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. ;)

 

Frenchway on Lilac

Cuisine: brunch, local, bakery & cafe

Area: Corydon, Riverheights

Address: 238 Lilac Street

Phone: (204) 421-9002

Tue-Sat 7 am - 6 pm 

Sun 9 am - 5 pm

Price range: $$ out of $$$$$

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

The Frenchway on Academy has been a well known staple now for a number of years. As of late, they've added a new location on Lilac which took over for the Bread and Circus.

When you first walk in, the smell of freshly baked goods and organic coffee hits you dead on and you can't help but wander over to the counter to see what goodies they had available that day. But you soon come to realize that you have to seat yourself before the menu is given to you and considering the huge rush that often occurs for Sunday brunches, you gladly do. 

For my first experience here, I wandered off the menu and ordered the featured "croque mademoiselle" which is a version of the "croque monsieur" with a delicately prepared sunny-side up egg on top (A croque monsieur is a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It's fancy because the french say so.) The potatoes were deliciously spiced and baked instead of fried, and cubed instead of shredded. I personally prefer shredded hash but, hey, these cubed potatoes were one of the more better tasting, "healthy", ones I've had. I topped off my meal with a warm, not too strong or potent, organic coffee. 

Ben had an omelet, which means that there's not much to say about that. I really feel like an omelet is an omelet, which is an omelet. Meh? It was okay. Ben said the saving grace was the extra bacon he ordered which he felt was really delicious. It was not greasy, but it was crispy.

A thing to note when you do go to the Frenchway: you'll always leave with some form of baked goods. I usually grab some of their french baguettes (I love baguettes... it might be a Vietnamese thing.) Today, I opted for the not-too-available french macaroons and some buttery dinner rolls instead. I'll try those later but by the looks of it... it's going to be delicious.

The only pitfall: an overly-dynamic, take-myself-too-seriously, waiter. The brunch rush hadn't even hit yet and he was freaking out... I mean there were about four tables occupied and he had other waitresses there to help him (who were all friendlier than he was). I'm sure he means well but I guess I just don't like it when people get yelled at because someone is too over-the-top emotional. He yelled at his waitresses because she was trying to help him with his tables. He exasperatedly repeated himself two times because I kept telling him I wanted my cream on the side. Ok, well granted I did mishear him... I thought he was saying "cream or sugar?" so I kept saying "yes please, on the side" but he had said "cream or milk". My bad. I could've popped his artery.. I should be more careful.

Alright, so yes. I do recommend the Frenchway... but for brunch and lunch only. I'm not too sure if dinner would be adequately served in such a small place. Just be prepared to bring some baked goods home. Be good to yourself and give in. It's worth the calories if you count them.

Pizzeria Gusto

Cuisine: Neo-Italian
Area: Academy
Address: 404 Academy Road
Number: (204) 944-8786

M-F 11:30am - 2pm and 5:30pm - 11:30pm

Sat. 5:30pm - 11:30pm

Price range: ($ $ $1/2) out of ($$$$$)
Overall rating: 4 out of 5

There were a few instances in the past that made me shy away from wanting to invite my friends and family to spend some time (and money) there: one of which was that they had forgotten my order. Looking back now through the lens of a great experience, I can’t say that I gave the restaurant enough justice. When they forgot our table’s order, the owner and chef, came to apologize personally right after he found out what had happened. On top of that, he gave us our meal on the house, added a few special feature appetizers, and threw in a bottle of champagne. I honestly do feel that he did all he could to address the issue and I had boycotted the restaurant so unjustly for the past few years.

Anyhow, we opted to sit by the bar to start our dinner until a spot opened up. 

By far this is one of the best things that could have happened to us. In fact, I suggest that if you do go to Pizzeria Gusto, try to snag a seat with your company bar-side – near the wood-fired, stone oven. Sitting there allowed us to see the work and passion that it took to make each pizza perfect and artistically stimulating at the same time. Bar-side seats also allowed us to have a good conversation with the chef as well; whom I had already mentioned on my other social media postings, has now insisted that I call him for any help that I may need for my upcoming wedding. This is granted of course, that you want to talk to him. For me, I really enjoy talking or meeting with the chef of the restaurants I like – I oddly feel like I have a connection with chefs just for the sole reason that I love food so much. I want them to know how much I appreciate their work and commitment. Anyways, I’m rambling.

Suggestion: if you don’t have a preference, try a pizza that does not have traditional toppings (though they are delicious, you can get those pizzas in other places as well). Try going for one with an olive-oil and garlic base instead of a tomato sauce base. I tried the feature that night, which had duck-confit, shredded-marinated brussel sprouts, and olive and chili oil base. Yum.

For appetizers, try the calamari, which is tender, cooked perfectly, with a loosely coated herbed-bread crust. For our other appetizer, we just ordered a Caesar salad. This is something that I don’t really recommend. The dressing ran thin and didn’t have too much flavor. The romaine lettuce was not shredded and the quarter-bunch was grilled for char-marks. The salad was served like a wedge-iceberg lettuce salad. I honestly think the salad was just too over-thought.

We hadn’t considered this but our wonderful waitress, who was friendly, efficient, and very helpful, recommended we try some Italian grappa. I didn’t even know Winnipeg carried grappa… and it was delicious! Ben had a strawberry infused grappa, while I chose to try the cantaloupe grappa. Mine was delicious—his… a bit too sweet for my liking. If you’re not familiar, grappa is a concentrated wine-like aperatif that most Italians have as an after dinner ‘snack’. It’s very aromatic. 

We were also given a free tasting of one that the chef wanted us to try too: the hazelnut grappa. This one is very strong but delicious in it’s own right. I can imagine it tasting very delicious next to some chocolate ice cream. It tastes like Ferrero Roche. On it's own though... I'm not too sure I would do that again.

For dessert, we shared a chocolate torte with olive oil and sea salt. One word: whoa.

So overall, I completely recommend Pizzeria Gusto if you are looking for a nice evening with a small group for company. It’s a great place to wine and dine. It does have plasma tvs but I really don’t recommend going here to watch sports. It’s a place where you want to spend some time to relax and enjoy eating… when you’re not in a rush to leave but have the option to continue a good night out afterwards.

Kenko Niwa

* Not to be confused with Kenko (the original)

Cuisine: Japanese (Sushi)
Area: Confusion Corner
Address: 631 Corydon Avenue 
Number: (204) 452-3656
Hours: Usually opens daily around 11:30 AM and closes pretty late. Don't quote me though; hours
are a bit hit and miss here.
Price range: ($$1/2) out of ($$$$$)
Star rating? uh.... 3.5 out of 5


Special Interest: They have really good lunch and dinner box specials where you can pick and choose your own meal for a decent price. The seafood and fish come from Gimli Market so it's semi-local (har-de-har-har).


Sushi is definitely one of my all time favourite areas of cuisine, so just a fair warning that my opinion may be a bit biased in this area. I really lean towards picking sushi if everyone else doesn't know what they want but at the same time, I'm pretty picky with where we get it from.


Kenki Niwa is one of three places in the city that I love when considering where to get sushi (I'll be covering those in later posts). It branched off of the original Kenko (which is just a heartbeat away on the same street) but is not entirely the same restaurant; similar menu (but not quite the same) and different owners. Contrary to the norm in Winnipeg, the sushi here comes in delicately packaged bundles that are perfect bite-sized morsels packed full of flavor. My personal fave: the T.N.T roll. There's a picture on the menu if you're curious what it's all about but it essentially is a glamorized dynamite roll. There's also a good version of the roll in shrimp tempura form (or tofu tempura for all my vegetarian friends). 


A roll that is really delicious and is not on the menu anymore is the Cherry Blossom. I can't remember what is in it exactly but it is delicious; you'll have to ask the waitresses for it. Some special items that I enjoy are the Gyu Tataki (Japanese-marinated steak; seared rare and served with ginger and onion and special dipping sauces) and Ika Tataki (tender, simple, char-grilled cuttlefish that is only there seasonally). For drinks, the restaurant carries some basic house spirits but does carry Sojo which according to a friend of mine who has spent quite some time living in Korea, is the best (yet overly priced here) Saki.


Environment:
The staff here is usually pretty friendly; and by staff I mean the waitresses because the sushi chefs are just geared up to work-- they won't talk much except to say 'bye!'. Not that that's a highly important factor but I do like to converse with the chefs sometimes to get their input and recommendations for my meal. The food comes out pretty quickly but during rushes, your order can sometimes be pushed to the back if you don't ask about it. Lunches get pretty packed because of the specials and Saturday night is pretty crazy too.

The restaurant is dimly lit and has a semi-modern feel to it -- just enough that it's still a bit cozy. There's a hidden room in the back for larger parties which has much more accommodating washrooms. In the summer, the restaurant opens up to a really lovely patio but it is adorned cheap plastic patio decor; and the season really does dictate the use -- in August, there are way too many wasps to sit outside with your meal.






End post.

Emerald Palace

Cuisine: Cantonese-chinese; not to be mistaken for American/Northern chinese
Area: West End
Address: 704 Sargent Avenue (and Toronto St.)
Number: 204-7884573
Open daily but closed on Tuesdays
Special interest: As with most chinese restaurants, vegetarian is always an option by replacing the meat content with tofu. Emerald usually has daily specials for different chinese vegetables that could be asked for specifically. 


What can I say about the restaurant that I grew up with? I really did grow up with this restaurant; for almost every Sunday that I could remember in my childhood, we had dinner right here in this little restaurant that's full of familiar faces.

Menu:
For those who are more familiar with the restaurant, I don't think you'd disagree that the Butter Chicken has got to be one of the restaurant's best dishes. This butter chicken does not have anything to do at all with Indian Butter Chicken (as deadly but delicious as it is). This is a dish that will probably sadly die with the chef who holds it's recipe. Butter chicken at Emerald Palace is deep fried chicken in a light and rich batter that's been sauteed with a special blend of spices and tossed with pan fried onions. Sound unhealthy? Yeah, the name pretty much tells you all you need to know about the health content of this dish but really, a little indulgence should never be neglected. The only critique I have for this dish is that it hasn't really met expectations as of late. Not to say that it's not good, it is, but maybe I'm just too familiar with the taste and have higher than normal expectations.

Anyhow, beyond the butter chicken, there's a full menu of good food for you to explore. Some of my favourites are: Spicy-salt pan fried pork chops, satay shrimp hotplate, and the seafood soup. Oh, and last but definitely not least, the Cantonese fried rice is fantastic! Just to make sure they know what you mean, always reassure the waitress that you want the WHITE fried rice (no soy sauce).

I won't always post pictures but here's a picture of the Spicy-salt pork chops:

Service/Facility
Service here is on par. It definitely isn't full service but for a chinese restaurant, it's great. The food comes out really fast and most of the staff are very fluent in English (accents aside). The owner and his wife are there all the time and have been since opening more than 25 years ago. He has a habit of calling young customers 'Queen' and 'King'. The restaurant does pack up quite a bit on the weekends so I suggest calling ahead for reservations. It's small but big enough for a small gathering. The only thing that's bad about the place is the outdated bathroom stalls/utility closets; very clean none-the-less.

That's it! Enjoy folks!
----------------------


Hmm..this is my first post... should I do a star-rated system of sorts? What do you think? Feedback would be greatly appreciated on this topic folks.

introductions needed.

During a recent conversation with a friend, I mentioned that I wanted to attempt to eat at every single restaurant in our little city. Considering our city's small population that is only wavering at about 750,000 people, that shouldn't be such a daunting task should it? Well, I suppose it isn't that easy considering we do have the title for having the most restaurants per capita in Canada. Almost to solidify the difficult nature of this goal, my friend turns and says to me, and I quote: "if you're going to put so much effort into something like that, you might as well blog about it." (Sir M.M. esq, 2012)

And here is where I'd like to say I got my inspiration from but... my light bulb wasn't fully lit yet. Flash forward a couple of weeks when I received a text message asking me which place was the best for Vietnamese in the city and rewind back to the time that Ben and I had talked about writing a book full of reviews of the places we've been to, and you have my inspiration for this blog.


Long story short: I'm just a girl, with a love for food, who's always looking to keep herself in good company.