#130 207 - 9th Avenue SW
www.sukiyakihouse.com
It's my grandma's birthday next week and family from near and far are coming into town to celebrate. To kick things off, we went to Sukiyaki House. I realize I've had my little spiel on this classy Japanese restaurant already but we ordered so many different items that I couldn't resist snapping a picture of it all! The presentation of the food at Sukiyaki House is top notch to go along with incredible taste.
First up, Tako Carpaccio, the thinly sliced octopus meat is top with various seasoning, baby arugula and potato shavings and served with a yuzu sauce. The yuzu sauce gives it a tangy citrus flavour. I was amazed at how incredibly thin they shaved the potato fries. loungeburger should take note for their skinny fries. This was probably one of my favorite dish of the night.
Next up was the Beef Tataki. The tenderloin is seared on the outside and sliced into paper thin pieces. It is then topped with a daikon paste, garlic chips and a vinaigrette. The beef was so tender, it just melts in your mouth. I was a little skeptical when I first tried beef tataki a few years ago, but it's actually not bad... It's like eating blue rare steak.
Agedashi Tofu was next. Dipped in a batter and deep fried till the outside is golden brown, the tofu is then served with finely chopped scallions, daikon and a broth made of dashi. The tofu was very firm so it did not crumble when you try to pick it up with the chopsticks. I personally prefer the soft kind but it was delicious nonetheless.
The organic miso soup was brought out next. Unlike the miso soup that is served with the entrees, this particular bowl is cooked with three types of mushrooms (not sure which kind but I know it's not white, crimini or portobello. Possibly enoki, king oyster and beech mushrooms?), tofu, seaweed and organic miso. You can add mussels for an extra $8 but they ran out of mussels. Lame. I honestly couldn't tell the different but the flavour is apparently suppose to be more natural, from the seaweed and mushroom, rather than salt.
At this point, the food began piling on the table. I was having difficulties taking pictures and eating at the same time as the tempura arrived shortly after. Asparagus, avocado, yams and prawns were battered up and deep fried and served with tentsuyu sauce. Nothing too spectacular with this particular dish. I will note though, grated daikon and matcha were available to mix with the tentsuyu sauce.
The first roll to arrive was the California roll. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of the California roll but under the recommendation of the owner, we gave it a try. Apparently real snow crab meat is used for the roll. It is then coated with Masago, followed by a sheet of rice paper. It was definitely interesting. A+ for effort and presentation but I'm still trying to get over the fact that I paid $9.50 for a California roll.
Unlike most other sushi restaurants, each roll arrived in it's own plate. Next up, the Mango roll. Another recommendation. I can't say I am a huge fan of mangos mixed into foods but it was decent. Basically, it is a dragon roll with mango and cream cheese.
Unfortunately for us, I didn't realize the mango roll was the dragon roll with mangos. Dragon roll consisted of tempura and tobiko wrapped inside nori and sushi rice, topped with unagi. The unagi was very flavourful so soya sauce was not even needed.
Beef tenderloin arrived next. The beef was cooked to a delicious medium rare and served with rice and veggies. The presentation was a lot better than what you see in the picture. It was slightly ruined while we tried to rearrange the plates on the table. After the beef tataki, this was not even close.
Next item to arrive was the roasted wild sockeye salmon. Sockeye salmons are redder than their Atlantic cousins and are generally better for you, not so much your wallet, as they are not usually farmed and thus more expensive. The meat was pretty tender despite the fact that it was a little overcooked. I would have preferred if it was raw but it was decent. The salmon filet was served over mushrooms and veggies and topped with a teriyaki sauce. I was really impressed with how the mushrooms stayed in the cake shape. Boggles the mind, you would think it would just fall apart.
The sashimi dinner combo was brought out next. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the way Sukiyaki House prepares the sashimi. Unlike most places where the fish is sliced into multiple pieces and served straight up with soya sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger, Sukiyaki House adds a little twist to it... For example, the amaebi is served with a salsa, the salmon is lightly seared and topped with a mango sauce, the scallops, saba and tuna is served in a similar manner. I think if you just order the pieces from the sheet, you might get it served the traditional way.
Up next was the Chirashi. The presentation was different than the first time I had it. I think it looked much better then.
The last thing to arrive was the toro. We thought they had forgotten about it as it didn't come with the rest of sashimi. For some strange reason they decided to sear half of it... Weird. If anyone decides to check out the place, you should tell the server how you want it. It would not be cool if you wanted it raw and got tataki style sashimi. Or vice versa. The toro was so fresh, it just melts in your mouth! So good! Mmmmm...
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