Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A very, very early visit to Kabuki Sushi and Grill

With most of the hoarding finally down around the Garneau theatre, we decided to check out the new Kabuki Sushi and Grill this past Friday with a friend. I was a little hesitant to post anything on our visit, since they had only been open two days, but I finally decided I would post the pictures at the very least.


Edmonton Roll - prawn tempura, spicy tuna and crab ($6.5)

Sashimi Deluxe ($35)

(I just thought I'd post a more detailed shot of the sashimi plate)

Centre of the restaurant (That tree goes all the way to the ceiling. I wish I could have gotten a shot of the whole thing.)

We were able to get past the general 'newly opened' things, like strange service and not having tea pots yet, but what we could not get past was that the sashimi was served on a bed of ice. It was too chilled, and gave the fish a grainy texture and didn't allow for the flavour of the fish to come through. Similarly, those lemon wedges were tucked into the scallops, so all you tasted was lemon when you ate them.

While I'm sure the service type things will change with time, I think I'll stick to Furusato for my sashimi cravings if that is the final plating style. The Edmonton roll on the other hand, was pretty good - it stayed together, was slightly spicy, and the rice seemed nicely prepared.

I passed by the theatre again today, to find that all the hoarding had been taken down around Transcend and the rest of the building. There is now just a temporary fence up around the old Gramophone space that is set to be the new Whimsical Cupcakes location. Garneau is really going to have a coffee, cupcake and sushi concentration now!

11 comments:

Maki said...

I can't believe how much that area has changed! So many new businesses! I need to get myself down there some time soon.

Love the edmonton roll picture!

Marianne said...

It's nuts right now! All these new spots popping up, it's so difficult to keep up!

Thanks! I was particularly proud of that picture. And I took my first photography class tonight, so I'm officially dabbling in manual setting... hopefully I'll have more (consistent) results like that one!

Maki said...

Awesome! Just so you know, I've been dabbling for years and I still screw it up... often. It's hard being consistent :)

Marianne said...

You're right... maybe 'consistent' was a little too strong of word. The instructor sort of touched on that. You need to take a lot of shots, always tinkering with settings, to get that perfect one.

Thanks for the encouragement, Maki! I'm definitely going to keep practicing.

Chris said...

Thanks for the quick peek. I think I need to make my way down sooner than later.

KatyBelle said...

Thanks for the review! I think I'll give this place a try, but I'll probably wait a few weeks so they can settle into a groove. That's really too bad about the sashimi, though.

AlexJonesFan said...

Furusato's sashimi is not fresh and overpriced.

Tokyo Noodle is the best value

Yokuzuna by the U is the top dog in the area (order and asahi black)

and Kyoto has the best selection of sashimi

Marianne said...

Alex Jones Fan: I think we are going to have to agree to disagree... I think Furusato's prices are fair for the quality, and I always find Tokyo Noodle House overpriced. I've only had the rolls at Kyoto, but I found them expensive and of poor quality... but I should definitely head back and try the sashimi. Thanks!

I pass Yokuzuna everyday on the way to and from class, and I'm not sure why I've never stopped. I always see the Asahi Black advertised on their sandwich board, and while I didn't care for Asahi Dry, I'll have to stop and give this one a try. Thanks for the reminder!

Beyond Umami said...

ooh thanks for the review. We've been wondering for a while what would be there. A few rumors had indicated there would be a "Famoso" in that block...guess not!

As for the sashimi, that does sound odd!

d said...

^been a while back and yes, very very good.

I hit up 'Kabuki' this saturday in the revamped Garneau. It was everything I expected and while the service was slow, the food was quite good. I would put its salmon, my litmus for all sushi joints, on par or even above Furusato! It was like buddah in your mouth. I also was impressed with some house signature dishes and other unique takes on typical rolls or combos. Dinner for 2 was $48 including my $8 big beer.
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Anonymous said...

Yes, I been there today.
It was actually really good. I heard they are going to have professional Japanese cooks from Japan soon. They just opened, it always takes a little while to settle in. As for me, I am definitely going back.