I’ve
been reminiscing a lot lately, thinking of all the laughs, the joys of
childhood, the friends I’ve met along the way and all the great times we’ve
shared. I know I won’t be able to relive those moments but am glad that I was
able to enjoy it when it happened. Funny how some moments just resonate with me
and how many of them always occur over food. Like all those times our group of
friends used to hang out at Japanese restaurants (particularly one) on a Friday
afternoon in high school. All the shenanigans that would follow and I
definitely wouldn’t change any of those moments for anything. I guess that’s
why to this day there’s always a bit of me that gets nostalgic when I eat at a
Japanese place even if it’s for the first time. That’s exactly what happened
when me and my husband were starving after our workout one weekend and wondered
in to a nearby sushi restaurant only to find ourselves talking about all the
good times that’s past.
Atmosphere:
Petite casual dining area that wraps around the bar. Remember to make
reservations as this place can be quite full due to its limited space.
Price
Range: Mid $10s
Food: We
arrived without reservations and were told that there would be a 15-20 minute
wait, but lucky for us there was a small table near the door that was empty. We
didn’t mind taking that table to avoid the wait, however slight since we just
finished our workout and was starving. After perusing the menu, I decided on a
couple of my usuals along with some interesting sounding rolls.
First to
arrive at the table was the Assorted Sashimi combo, since there was only two of
us, we decided on the chef’s choice of four different types of fish. Our
selection that night was Hamachi (yellow tail), Tuna, Salmon and Octopus. The
sashimi was very well presented in an elegant bowl with lots of ice to keep
everything cool. The fish itself was very
fresh tasting and we were impressed by the thickness of the sashimi cuts, a
great way to appease my grumbling stomach.
It’s
rare that we don’t order Calamari when it’s on the menu and it was no different
that evening. We were expecting the
typical calamari rings with a bit of dipping sauce on the side, but when the
dish arrived we were very pleasantly surprised.
The calamari was piled high upon a lovely bed of lettuce (extra
greens!). The calamari itself was thinly sliced and very lightly battered, evenly
coating each piece of the calamari.
Everything was then topped with the perfect amount of mayo (not too much
as to cause the calamari to become soggy), togarashi spice and fish roe for
effect. I’m going to dust my calamari with togarashi spice from now on. It
really heightened the dish for me and I could really keep talking about how
amazing and light the batter was.
We
started with a couple rolls, the Vancouver Roll consisting of mango and with
crab meat topped with pieces of tuna. I was intrigued since most rolls are
comprised of the tuna in the middle topped with mango and not the other way
around. It was a nice simple twist to keep things fresh. It didn’t taste much
different whether the tuna was inside or outside, but I guess to some its
preference and to others it’s appearance. I just enjoyed it overall. One thing I
did find was that the rice was somewhat firm and would fall off the roll,
making it a bit difficult to eat. It could have been that the batch of rice
wasn’t properly prepared because we noticed it on only two out of the three
rolls we ordered.
The Spicy
Tuna Roll was topped with a different type of peppery sauce. I would classify
it as being more sweet than spicy. I typically prefer the standard tuna roll with
siracha, more so because I really enjoy my spicy food and found the sweetness
of the sauce hindered that spiciness from coming through.
Our last
roll of the night was the Rainbow Roll. I was expecting the typical six piece California
roll topped with different types of seafood. However, what actually arrived at
our table was so beautiful I didn’t want to ruin the dish by eating it. It was essentially a California roll topped
with various types of fish, the usual suspects, salmon, shrimp and tuna but then
there was also mango, avocado and seaweed salad! To take it to the next level,
there were different colored tobiko and two different types of sauces drizzled
on the roll. It was definitely unique and I quite enjoyed it, not to mention
the rolls were gigantic!
My
Picks: Calamari, Assorted Sashimi
Overall:
It’s funny how after all these years I still enjoy a good piece of tuna like it
was the first time I tried it. Even though the rolls have transformed (here’s
looking at your Philadelphia cream cheese…), I can still remember the first
time I ordered a certain type of roll and how I would always compare them to the
ones I’m currently eating. I guess food always brings back memories and the
food at Kimu was unique in its own way, but still doesn’t stray too far away
from your typical sushi restaurant. Hopefully you can find something here that
fits your palate and brings back memories for you.
Sushi Kimu
6522 4 Street NE
Calgary, AB
(587) 293-9380
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