There never used to be many options for Japanese food in Edmonton but if the number of restaurants opening over the last few years is any indication, it seems like Edmonton has developed a taste for Japanese food.

Takami Sushi - # 108, 10430 61 Ave NW - Edmonton AB

Takami Sushi is the latest to join Edmonton's food scene, located on 61 Avenue just off of Calgary Trail. Taking up a space on the ground floor of a new development, the restaurant is easy to miss if you aren't looking for it.

The space is open with a modern, industrial feel - high ceilings and polished concrete floors are accented with orange and brown decor. The restaurant has two separate seating areas, one with smaller tables and a second with long banquette seating perfect for larger parties.

My first visit was for dinner with friends to celebrate my recent engagement to my fiance, and the ambiance of the restaurant was perfect. Our meal was off to a great start with an order of Beef Tataki ($14) garnished with red onion and wakame seaweed. The tataki was thinly-sliced, tender, and dressed with a tasty ponzu sauce. I prefer my beef tataki dressed well with toppings, so I felt the portion of onions and seaweed could have been more generous.

The menu at Takami feels smaller than most, as the priority is to showcase premium fish and ingredients from Japan. Red Seabream, Uni, and Bluefin Tuna are just some examples of the premium fish they fly in every Thursday, so I don't think I need to tell you which day to visit if you want a taste. Unfortunately we had dinner on a Wednesday night, so I definitely need to plan a return trip in the near future.

To give their regular selection of fish a try we ordered the 18 piece Deluxe Assorted Sashimi ($36). What came to the table was absolutely stunning - salmon, yellowtail, ami ebi, octopus, squid, and surf clam on a bed of ice, garnished with greens, flowers, and even dry ice. It was almost too beautiful to eat! Taking presentation and quality into account, the sashimi is quite reasonably priced at $2 per piece.

Takami's menu offers a selection of 8 maki rolls which are a nice option if you aren't a sashimi eater. We ordered four to add some variety to our meal, and first up was the TNT Roll ($17). With avocado, crab meat, shrimp tempura, garlic sauce, unagi sauce and hot sauce, the roll was substantial and flavourful all on its own.

Out next was the Rainbow Roll ($15), a standard maki roll with avocado, crab meat, and an assortment of fish. There was a fair portion of fish on each piece, but nothing special to write home about.

The Dynamite Roll ($15) caught my eye on the menu as it's different from the standard - Takami's version has chop chop scallop in addition to the usual combination of tempura shrimp, avocado, and cucumber. The scallop was fresh and the portion generous, giving the roll great value for what you get.

We rounded off our meal with the house specialty - the Fire Sake Roll ($17). The menu description makes the roll sound incredibly complicated, but the combination of ingredients really works. This roll has tempura shrimp and cucumber wrapped with torched salmon which is then topped with mayo, unagi sauce, green onion, tempura flakes, and a generous sprinkling of crisp deep-fried yam strings. This roll brings a bit of everything to the table - it's savoury, a little sweet, and packed with crunch.

It is also important to note that the wasabi served with every dish is ground in the restaurant. It's fresh and has a slightly different bite to it.

Given the quality and assortment of premium fish, Takami Sushi is a great option south of the river for those who enjoy fresh sushi and sashimi. Sushi Wasabi has been a go-to for us for years for quality fresh fish, and now Takami is a serious contender. Service was attentive during our visit, and our server was very knowledgeable about the fish and the menu. With the stunning presentation and quality of fish, we'll definitely be back to Takami sooner than later!


*Disclosure: I was invited to try a meal at Takami Sushi. Views expressed in this post are solely mine. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

Lisa and I decided to go out for my birthday lunch today, and since it was warm outside, we trekked over to Kyoto on 109th!

Inside the restaurant

It was the first time I had ever been to this location, and upon walking in, it felt a little smaller than I had imagined it to be. The hostess quickly greeted us and brought us to our table.


Guess what I ordered!

For lunch I picked out the beef tataki and tempura udon. Lisa ordered the udon as well, and avocado sushi. We were SO excited to eat! The restaurant had just opened for the day and was quite quiet, so I expected to get very good service from our waitress.


Bean sprouts & miso soup

Shortly after ordering, we were given complimentary miso soup and bean sprout salad. I was surprised to get the salad, as most Japanese restaurants only give the miso soup. The soup was nicely flavoured, and not too salty. The bean sprouts were drenched with a ginger-soy (my guess!) dressing, which was refreshing, and the plump sprouts were a great way to cleanse the palate after sipping the soup!


Beef Tataki

The tataki here at kyoto is sliced very thinly, almost to the point where it is see through. Seriously! I was so shocked. The ponzu sauce was rather salty, but there was plenty of seaweed and onion on the plate that toned down the saltiness of the dish.


Delicious lunch

My tempura udon arrived nice and hot, and the broth was clear & tasty. The udon spice was served in a little pot though, so I felt it was a tiny bit unsanitary, and wished it was in the regular bottle :( Lisa and I traded tempura pieces - best deal in the world! 2 of her prawns for all my vegetables, haha!


Avocado Sushi - so fresh! :)

The food was fresh and delicious, but I would have to complain about the service. There weren't too many people eating in the restaurant, yet our server hardly came to check in on us, and it was too difficult to get a hold of her in order to pay our bill! If you visit this location, be wary of the service and have patience!

Kyoto Japanese Cuisine Ltd.
8701 109 Street
Edmonton AB

So.. three days ago was the dreaded MCAT exam day, and I felt TERRIBLE after writing the exam. And I will leave it at that.

However, I have the best boyfriend in the world who decided to take me out and cheer me up after the exam, seeing as I was a wreck. We headed over to Mikado in the west end to eat some of my favourite things!

At Mikado it was insanely busy, especially because it was a Friday night at 730 pm! Lucky for us, we were seated within 20 minutes because it was just the two of us. We ordered my favourites from Mikado - beef tataki & dragon eyes.

mm beef!

Beef tataki arrived very quickly, and the presentation was beautiful. If you compare Mikado's version to the one served at Ichiban (one post down) - you can really tell which restaurant puts in more effort in terms of aesthetics! I'm always pleased with the service at Mikado, and their food tastes great! The ponzu sauce in this dish was on point - not too sour & not too salty, making the beef taste fresh & delicious!

As for the dragon eyes, Mikado is the restaurant that makes it the BEST. Out of all the places that I've tried that attempts to make this dish, Mikado wins the award hands down. Andrew & I previously speculated, thinking maybe Mikado is the place that started up dragon eyes in Edmonton. I know there's such a thing as a dragon roll, but I haven't really seen dragon eyes anywhere but in Edmonton. This is just what we think since we like Mikado the best! If anyone knows anything about this, let me know!


dragon eyes are soo yum

Anyways, the dragon eyes are my favourite dish, since the fish is fully cooked! The fish is still nice and tender, but I think my favourite part of this dish is the rice! The rice is very warm and soft, being the perfect contrast to the crisp outer layer. With the delicious sauce on top, this is my ideal sushi roll!

After our light 'dinner', we headed over to The Melting Pot for some dessert. I can never pass up dessert, even after a very filling meal! There's always that little extra space my stomach can make for a sweet treat :) I was actually pretty surprised that night, because it was our first visit to this fondue restaurant. From the outside, it seems to be a pretty small space, somewhat like a small, cozy restaurant. But, when the hostess led us to our table, we were taken along dimly lit hallways, passing by multiple tables and even party rooms before arriving at our small little table! The place is HUGE! But it's a very nice environment to be in on a romantic night, or just even on a date. Our table was relatively secluded so we were given our privacy and time to indulge in the delicious dessert!


I love the Yin-Yang presentation in the pot

For the night, we chose to go with the passion fruit Yin & Yang chocolate fondue. The small size ($18) was the perfect portion size for the two of us to share. We were instructed on how to use the equipment and the different ways to dip our sides into the chocolate - but there was one thing that really bothered me! All the fondue sticks seemed to be FILTHY and weren't even washed! There was all this residue on every single one of our sticks, so we chose to use the ones that looked least disgusting.. Otherwise, it was good :)


Perfect assortment of dippers!

For the dippers, we were given an assortment of: fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, pineapple, oreo covered marshmallow, graham cracker covered marshmallow, pound cake, and brownies. They were great with the chocolate, but I found that the brownies and marshmallows were a little too sweet when combined with the chocolate. But my favourites would have to be the cheesecake and poundcake dipped in the chocolate!

Our Yin & Yang fondue was very delicious! But it seemed that the passion fruit white chocolate portion was much smaller than the side with dark chocolate. It was a great combination of the two chocolates together, with the different chocolates making the sides taste different! Once we were finished, it was a little difficult to navigate through the dark maze of the restaurant, but we made it out, with our tummies satisfied! I definitely want to come back to the Melting Pot in the near future to try out their full four course meal, especially the cheese and broth based fondue. They're currently featuring a new menu, entitled "Big Night out France" so definitely head over and check it out!

Mikado Restaurant
9942 170 Street
Edmonton AB

The Melting Pot
2920 Calgary Trail
Edmonton AB

I apologize for the terrible quality pictures.. I was so excited to get out of my house that I forgot my camera! Crappy iPhone camera quality will have to suffice, unfortunately

Being stuck at home really isn't all that fun. Being stuck at home studying is even worse. So I was very happy when Vince agreed to taking me out for lunch, at none other than Ichiban!

I love this Japanese restaurant at lunch time. They have great deals in the afternoon and their Japanese food is pretty good! It's not the best I've ever had, but a fantastic fix for lunchtime! Everytime we go, we get pretty much the same things, and the food flavour and quality is great as always.

At the beginning of the meal, everyone receives a complimentary bowl of miso soup. The miso soup here is pretty good, not too salty, accompanied by some tofu and seaweed. It's a nice appetizer to have and start your meal off with, warming up your tummy for the rest of the meal!

Yummy miso soup!

As you guys might already know, I'm not a big fan of raw fish, heck, I don't even eat it. It's too slimy for me! But when it comes to raw beef, BRING IT!


Beef Tataki

However, the beef tataki really wasn't on point. The beef was thickly sliced, the sauce too salty, and the seaweed to accompany it wasn't cut, but rather one long strand :( I was a little disappointed, not going to lie. But all the other times before it has been good! I'm just hoping it was an off day, and I will give it another shot the next time I'm there. I just love my raw beef with ponzu sauce!

For my main, I picked the tempura udon, another must have in my Japanese meals. Perfectly cooked, chewy noodles in clear broth - I am the noodle queen! The udon here at Ichiban is just like it is at other restaurants, there isn't much you can do to mess it up besides overcooking the noodles!


Tempura udon - my Japanese staple!

Another dish I like to have is the Tobiko, otherwise known as Flying Fish Roe. I love the texture of these little eggs, and how they're crunchy and bursting with flavour once you bite into them! mm, the tobiko was very fresh, perfect for my lunch!


individual tobiko

Vince on the other hand ordered a bento box filled with agadeshi tofu, teriyaki beef, sushi rolls & nigiri, fresh salad, and rice. The only complaint I had about the bento box is the fact that the salad is so plain! Theres nothing unique about it! Most restaurants will feature a unique dressing concocted with certain ingredients in their kitchen (for example, Mikado's salad dressing is my fave!), but Ichiban just pours italian dressing overtop of the fresh veggies. Otherwise, the bento isn't bad, especially for the price of $10 (or $10.95? I don't quite remember).


Lunchtime Bento Box

The two of us frequent this restaurant pretty often, and we're in & out within an hour for less than $30. As long as there's great food and service, we'll continue to visit this spot!

Ichiban Restaurant Japanese Cuisine
8750 149 Street NW
Edmonton AB

Yesterday to boost my motivation to study for MCAT, I booked a lunch & study date with Andrew - Our choice for lunch? Maki Maki! Vince and I had visited this location for lunch once before, but we were definitely on the fence about this one..

"Maki maki means roll roll" as quoted from their menu, and right they were. They had approximately 60 different options for sushi rolls ranging from your everyday california roll to the ecstacy roll (which Vince did not enjoy on our first visit), and a locally named Oilers roll. We met up Vince to have lunch and give this mix of Vietnamese and Chinese food a second try.

For lunchtime, they had some specials, like bento boxes ranging from $8 - $11, filled with various sushi rolls and sashimi options. I myself opted for the lunch special pho, which was a HUGE bowl of pho dac diet (and yes, I picked out everything except the beef & tripe.. mmm)

For me, beef tataki is a must, so we obviously ordered that, and gave their dragon eyes a try as well. Andrew chose the tuna bowl, and a yam roll, while Vince like his usual self tried to be adventurous, but settled on the BC roll and the spicy scallop roll.

Pho Dac Biet
The pho itself was GINORMOUS. I felt like it was an extra (extra extra, perhaps?) large bowl of pho, loaded with the works that you usually find in the pho dac biet. The meat offered inside was mediocre, in some bites I felt the beef was a bit on the tough side, but otherwise it was good, especially for the lunch special price of $7.25. Of course, it's pretty difficult to find very good pho in this city, especially when Tau Bay downtown is one of my favourites :)

Beef Tataki
For the beef tataki, we ordered the small plate at $8.95 rather than the large for $18.95 because we had no idea what we were getting into. However, the beef tataki was a decent size, and could almost be argued to be my favourite dish from this meal! The beef was nice and tender, not hard to chew, and there was a more than generous amount of seaweed and onion to compliment the beef in the ponzu sauce.

Dragon Eyes
Dragon Eyes, another one of my favourite sushi dishes was a big disappointment for me here at Maki Maki. Perhaps it is because it has been so perfected by Mikado that it's untouchable? Does anyone know anywhere else that makes Dragon Eyes in this city? Let me know! Anyways, the salmon in the Dragon Eyes was way overcooked, and very dry. If it weren't for the big bowl of sauce served with the Dragon eyes to compensate for the dryness, I don't think we would've been able to finish this sushi dish.

I guess I'm interesting when it comes to sushi.. I love the raw beef tataki, and tobiko and masago (fish roe) I would eat anyday, anytime, anywhere. But when it comes to raw fish? Gross! No thanks! So I had to leave it up to Vince & Andrew to review the raw seafood sushi for me.

Tuna Bowl
The tuna bowl came with 5 big chunks of tuna sitting on top of rice. Thats it. Just 5 pieces of tuna and rice. For the price point of $10.95, you're better off ordering the tuna nigiri priced at $1.60 each so you're not forcing yourself to eat all that rice!

6 pc BC Roll
Like the Dragon Eyes, Vince's BC roll had overcooked salmon, making the sushi extremely dry. The boys didn't complain about the spicy scallop or yam rolls, so I'm guessing those were pretty tasty! All in all, it was a decent lunch, but not somewhere I would prefer to go for sushi or pho by themselves.. but it's always a fun place to go when you have people in your group craving either or!

Yam Roll

Spicy Scallop Roll

After hitting up the local Second Cup in Riverbend, Andrew and I studied for MCAT at the library.. or did we? Ask David.

Hi David - thanks for supervising us at the library over skype :)

Maki Maki Japanese & Vietnamese Restaurant
8109 101 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta