Yokozuna Japanese Restaurant
8409 112 St., 780-430-3673
Alan Demachi worked at Furusato Restaurant for a decade before he and his wife, Noriko, opened their own place, Yokozuna, at Whitemud Crossing in 2000. Two other locations followed. With help from their sons, Tatsuya and Roy, and daughter, Nana, the family manages to have at least one Demachi in any restaurant at a given time.
Sushi and sashimi are made to order at the family franchise, and the rice is crucial. "It has to be the right kind of short-grain rice," Nana Demachi says. Yokozuna uses a high-grade, Japanese-style California Kokuho with "the right amount of vinegar and sugar - and the right temperature, not too cold," she says.
Yokozuna's nigiri is tasty and tender. The rice is packed a bit more loosely than at some places. The chef has a light touch with wasabi, so lovers of the pungent condiment might want to order more. If you prefer your rice and fish bites separate, try a dinner-size order of chirashi ($19), assorted sliced sashimi served on a bowl of fragrant sushi rice.
All three spots, including the busy university location, have shoji screen rooms with benches around what look like low Japanese tables, but with room underneath to stretch out your legs.
Yokozuna features traditional and non-traditional rolls, such as the popular Rising Sun rolls ($12.75), made with crab stick, squid and cucumber, wrapped with avocado and served with mustard sauce. Diners clamour for Naruto maki ($13.25), made with avocado, eel, flying fish roe and cream cheese, wrapped in smoked salmon. Add a cold bottle of imported Asahi beer, and you'll have a perfect summer meal.
Furusato Japanese Restaurant
10012 82 Ave., 780-439-1335
In the compact kitchen at Furusato, Dave Phung overturns a pot of rice into a wide bowl. Then, holding a spatula at the end of one tattooed arm, he turns the rice over a few times and turns a fan on to cool it a little. Soon, he'll mix in the vinegar and sugar to turn it into sushi rice.
He reaches for something without looking and you can tell he's been at this awhile. "My mom worked here and I started as a dishwasher when I was 15," he says. Phung got his culinary training from Furusato's previous owner, Yuji Oda. Phung's mother, Maria Ho, bought the place when Oda retired last year, but loyal diners can count on Phung's practised eye. "You need a sharp knife and good-quality, fresh fish," he says. "I return it if it doesn't look or feel right."
For a cool summer sampler at Furusato, share a plate of assorted sashimi, thick slices of raw fish artfully arranged on a plate ($31 for 30-plus pieces or $19 for about 18 pieces). Note your favourite and order it nigiri-style, a slice of fish draped over a pillow of rice. Furusato sells them in pairs, which is traditional, rather than the singles seen elsewhere.
Here, as elsewhere, maguro (tuna), sake (salmon) and ebi (cooked shrimp) are the most common orders. Venture to try hamachi (yellowtail, $5.50) for its smooth, buttery taste, or saba (mackerel, $3) for a light, oily finish, not unlike the texture of olive oil.
Furusato also has an extensive choice of maki (rolls) and temaki (cones). If you're unsure of what to try, the Dynamite Roll ($8 for eight), a cylinder of sushi rice coated in orange roe, wrapped around cucumber and tempura-fried shrimp. It's the favorite of regulars.
Mikado
10350 109 St., 780-425-8096
David Okumiya moved from his hometown of Shizuoka, Japan, in 1980 for his first winter on the Canadian Prairies. Alberta's first Japanese restaurant, Mikado, was looking for a sushi chef. Now, 30 years later, he owns the three-restaurant Mikado group.
"Sushi is the perfect food," he says. "It has vitamins A and C, and it's good for digestion - not too heavy."
A key to the perfect piece of nigiri is the fish-to-rice ratio. "You should enjoy the total balance of flavours, of wasabi and soy sauce," Okumiya says. You should finish the rice and fish at the same time and not be left chewing a ball of rice.
Mikado's nigiri is nicely formed and not too big. One piece runs from $1.50 for tamago (egg), to $3.45 for hon maguro (red tuna) or uni (sea urchin). The ika (squid) is refreshing, with a slightly sweet finish. From Canada's East Coast, hokkigai (surf clam) has a firmer texture than more familiar fish and finishes with a crisp, delicate taste.
Step away from traditional with two Mikado inventions adapted for a North American palate: the sushi pizza ($10), a disc of grilled sushi rice topped with a spicy sauce, chopped onion and tuna, prawns or salmon; and the tasty Dragon Eyes ($11), tempura salmon and green onion rolls, the original bestseller at the landmark restaurant.
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