Yujiro - Tasty High End Japanese

When anyone asks me for the best Japanese restaurant in Winnipeg, I quickly answer with Yujiro. When I last blogged about it, I was impressed by the freshness of the fish as well as the care and effort the chefs put into their dishes. Thus when a few fellow residents asked to do a monthly handover event at Yujiro, I could not help but well up with excitement.

On Grant Avenue just off of Kenaston Bouvelard, Yujiro has amassed a well known reputation as high quality Japanese. Indeed everything about the restaurant exudes modern elegance with the pleasant but simple exterior signage, the gorgeous wooden tables and and magnificent sushi bar that gives a window into the world of sushi making. Always busy, one must make sure to grab a reservation to ensure a table is available.

The menu is attractive and features a wide array of Japanese staples. Appetizers including the ever popular Goma Ae or lightly fried soft shell crab; the usual tempura, donburi suspects; an assortment of the usual salmon and tuna sashimi as well as the unusal hamachi or gin dara and a dizzying array of house rolls and makis to round out the affair. Bento boxes are also available for those unable to choose and wanting a variety. Where Yujiro strives above the competition is in a daily features menu which houses award winning chef Ed Lam's daily adventures and experiments. Here Mr. Lam pushes the boundary of traditional Japanese cuisine and strives to introduce customers to unusual ingredients and unique pairings. Exciting indeed!

And of course I had to order off the daily menu. The Omakase Tempura assembles an assortment of mushrooms (Wild Morel, Shiitake, Wild Woodear, Shimeji), lightly dusted in tempura batter and fried to perfection. The absolutely gorgeous dish was almost too pretty to eat; and the first bites were equally pleasing. Light and airy tempura batter coat the dense and rich mushroom all finished off with a hint of powdered salt. Each mushroom had a distinctive textural contrast: the beefiness of the shiitake, the earthiness of the wild morel, the delicateness of the woodear and the softness of the shimeji; all working invariably well with the tempura batter. Incredible.

Wanting to try a bit of everything again I went with the a bento box. With any bento ordered diners are treated with a Salad and Miso Soup. Nothing terribly impressive or unique; the freshness and crispness of the salad goes well with the light ginger dressing, meanwhile being contrasted by the earthiness and saltiness of the miso soup.

 

The Deluxe Special Bento Box features (from top left) Assorted Sashimi, three pieces of Nigiri, light Tempura vegetables and two handrolls (California and B.C.). The large pieces of sashimi include two Tuna, Two Salmon, one Octopus and one Scallop. Incredibly fresh and springy and devoid of any fishy smell or aftertaste, each fat piece of sashimi literally dances in your mouth as you eat. The star here is truly the salmon with a wonderful mix of soft springy meat with belly fat all accentuated by a touch of soy.

Similarly, the Nigiri feature the same delicate and delicious fish but now on a bed of sushi rice. Here the sushi rice acts as a nice textural compliment to the fatty fish. Furthermore, because of the thinner cut of fish, there is more room for the sweetness of the light soy dipping sauce to come through and envelop each tasty morsel of sushi.

The two handrolls are of equally good quality. The California Roll features the usual suspects of real crab meat, cucumber and avocado while the B.C. roll slightly more exciting with BBQ salmon skin and cucumber. The star here is the rich but surprisingly delicate salmon skin; toasted to perfection and drizzled with a light BBQ sauce.

Each meal finishes with your choice of ice cream. The Green Tea version here is traditional and tasted as you would expect. An nice complimentary ending to a fantastic meal.

Yujiro safely remains for me as the best Japanese restaurant in Winnipeg. Featuring absurdly fresh fish and a consistent attention to detail and care for flavour, the chefs have created a world class Japanese dining experience. Well worth the visit.

Read about my previous experience at Yujiro here: http://winnipeg-residency-food.blogspot.ca/2014/10/sushi-ramen-at-yujiro.html