My Blog = My Life: Japanese

  • NEWS: Cathedral Village bits and bites

    NEWS: Cathedral Village bits and bites

    Two things of importance to report today. Actually, make that three.

    1.) I am still on a carbohydrate high from all the perogies, rice, noodles, pasta, and dessert consumed during Mosaic this weekend. Hope that everyone indulged just as much as I did at this great annual event that showcases just how diverse our city is.

    2.) A few weeks ago I posted a review of The Mercury Cafe. Since that time, a number of people have posted comments about the place. Last week, one reader alleged that the Mercury's burgers were not homemade, contrary to what it says on the Mercury's menu. Here's what she wrote:

    Anonymous said...

    I was expecting a homemade hamburger when the menu stated all burgers were homemade. To my surprise (and disappointment), I watched the cook take a box of burgers out of the freezer and place them on the grill... there was nothing homemade about them. I will admit they were good burgers for storebought box burgers but definitely not homemade. :(
    May 26, 2010 9:37 PM



    I was a bit shocked by this. I really believed the burger I ate was homemade -- both the look and taste of the burger did not seem like they came from Safeway across the street. Then again, you never really know unless you're in the kitchen standing next to the chef.
    Today, I posted two more comments on this topic, presumably from employees at the Mercury. They said:

    Anonymous said...

    Actually you couldn't be more wrong. The burgers are 100% home made and not store bought - NOR FROZEN. Not sure what you were smoking that day but you were hallucinating. If you are interested in our process of making the burgers talk to the owner next time you are in and he will be happy to show you.
    June 4, 2010 9:59 AM

    Dave said...

    Don't post lies. All the burgers are home made!!! Have a look next time you are in.
    June 5, 2010 6:39 PM

    I have to say, I'm willing to give Anonymous and Dave the benefit of the doubt. With that, I think this matter is settled. The Mercury's burgers are homemade. And they're good, too.
    3.) The former Cafe Orange on Robinson Street has reinvented itself as Orange Izakaya (izakaya is Japanese for pub). While the doors have reopened, the place is back to serving coffee for the next couple of weeks until the new menu and lounge atmosphere are fully ready. Early reports are good.
    This from my frien d LRadd on Twitter: " Cafe Orange has been majorly sexified -can't wait for the bar to open. For now having a coffee on the patio. If ur in the 'hood stop by."
    And with that I'm off to enjoy this awesome sunny Sunday. Happy eating.

  • REVIEW: Sake Japanese

    The Round-up:

    • Food - 3.5 out of 5
    • Decor - 2.5 out of 5
    • Service - 3 out of 5
    • Total - 9 out of 15
    2135 Albert Street, Regina SK. 306-565-8894
    ___________________________________________
    Those who follow the blog will recall the news that Café Orange (in the Cathedral area) shut down a couple of months ago amid rumours that it will reopen as a sushi café.
    This is all fine and well, except it seems that just about every month a new sushi restaurant pops up in this city. At some point, sushi just isn’t going to sell enough to make a profit at each one of these places. At least that’s my opinion.
    So when Sake Japanese opened on Albert Street (near 13th Avenue) in February, I was only a little bit excited. On one hand, it is fantastic to see a vacant storefront turn into a thriving restaurant. There were too many empty buildings on that side of Albert Street not so very long ago.
    On the other hand, do we really need more sushi?
    Judging by the crowd at Sake on a recent Wednesday lunch hour, we do. The place was packed with groups and couples, likely from the office buildings nearby.
    To Sake’s credit, the restaurant is clean and decorated tastefully – nothing out of the ordinary, just a typical Japanese restaurant décor. Sake offers a mix of traditional tables, along with a number of “tatami” tables, where guests sit on cushions on top of bamboo mats. Lucky for us non-Japanese, the floor is sunken beneath the tables, making for a much more comfortable sit.
    As for the menu, be prepared to pig out. It’s an all-you-can-eat feast at Sake. You’re provided with a paper menu and a couple of pencils. Then you go to town marking off all the dishes you’d like to try. And there are plenty to taste.
    Sake offers at least 15 types of sushi rolls. Each roll consists of eight well-portioned pieces, far more than your average all-you-can-eat sushi joint. The Salmon Roll, California Roll, and Rainbow Roll that my dad and I shared were fresh – so much so that the sushi rice was moist and just a tad warm (meaning it was cooked only minutes before the rolls hit the table). Score!
    We also tried the crispy tempura, which comes with one jumbo shrimp per order; the fried fish; the edamame (whole soybeans); and the wonton soup. We cut ourselves off at that point, not wanting to overdo things and then go back to work in a food-induced coma. (Note: Sake, like every Japanese all-you-can-eat, will charge for food wastage, if need be.)
    Ice-cream fans, listen here: Sake also offers an unlimited amount of serve-yourself ice cream for dessert. Another classy touch. On offer were Tiger Tiger, Raspberry, and Pistachio the day we were there. Big Poppa and I both dug into the Tiger Tiger. Like father, like son as they say.
    So far, we’ve established that the food is great and the décor is good enough. That leaves the service. It was what I would call friendly, but not overly attentive. Our waiter neglected to bring one item we ordered (a rice bowl with chicken) and never came back to check if we wanted to order more food after the first round. Given that you pay a flat rate for lunch, missing an item wasn’t a big deal. Let’s just hope it isn’t a regular habit.
    I went in a skeptic, and I came out a believer (in the food anyway). Sake is on the right road to success.

  • REVIEW: Hanabi Japanese Sushi Restaurant

    The Round-up:

    • Food - 3.5 out of 5
    • Service - 2 out of 5
    • Decor - 3.5 out of 5
    • Total - 9 out of 15
    Cost - $15 lunch/$25 supper
    Monday to Friday, lunch and dinner/Saturday, dinner only/Sunday, closed

    1950 Broad St., Regina, SK.
    Phone: 306-585-8880
    _____________________________________________________

    I wish this Japanese restaurant earned a higher score -- I really do. Not only is Hanabi close to a number of downtown offices and hotels, its bland storefront hides a warm and inviting dining room that puts you immediately at ease. The lanterns, curtains, sushi bar, and large number of semi-private booths could almost -- just for a second -- make you believe you were in Japan.

    Hanabi's menu is full of Japanese favourites: Sushi, Tempura, Bento Boxes, Teriyaki and Edamame (whole soy beans) are all there. For the more adventurous, there's Soft Shell Crab, Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake), and Seaweed Salad. There are also a a few Korean dishes on the menu.

    When visiting for lunch last week, my friend (let's call her Ms. Thang) and I ordered a number of our favourites. It was her birthday and we have sushi on her birthday almost every year.

    We asked for Miso Soup to start, followed by Gyoza (pork dumplings), Salmon Rolls, the Cream Cheese Roll (a house specialty), and two Inari (tofu pockets).

    Things started reasonably well. The Gyoza arrived in about 10 minutes. They were OK, but I am almost certain they were store-bought -- a bit of a disappointment.

    After another 10 minutes or so, we got the Inari, which usually come at the end of a meal, like a dessert item. At least they tasted good.

    Then came the Cream Cheese Roll. Crisp seaweed wrapped itself around salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado and a "Special Sauce" (our waitress told us it was warm apple sauce). This roll was a new one for both of us, and it was delicious.

    Next up, and after another noticeable delay, we got one of the Salmon Rolls. The other was mysteriously absent. We split the eight tasty morsels of soft sushi rice and tender pink salmon. And then we waited.

    Finally, the next Salmon Roll landed on the table. We devoured it quickly. Lunch hour was basically over at this point. It was at about that moment that Ms. Thang, who was getting testy, had a realization. "Umm, we never got our Miso," she said, usually the first item to arrive within minutes of ordering.

    "No, we sure didn't," I said, and rolled my eyes. At that point we had no further time to waste.

    I asked for the bill. It came two or three minutes later, so I put my money in the billfold and waited for the waitress to come get it. She didn't.

    Ms. Thang and I gathered our things and headed to the till, by this point grumbling to each other about the service.

    "How was everything?" asked the sweet and smiling hostess.

    We diplomatically told her that the food was great, but holy jeepers, could it have come any slower? At lunch?

    Perhaps the secret to success at Hanabi is to visit their website and pre-order items off the online menu. It couldn't hurt, anyway. Or, just go in at supper hour when you have a couple of hours to kill.

    www.hanabi.ca

  • UPDATE: Orange Izakaya starts serving food

    On Wednesday, I expressed some disappointment that the former Cafe Orange (now going by the name Orange Izakaya) reopened a month ago but hadn't served any food yet.

    Lucky me, Orange rolled out its lunch menu today. It looks like a mix of fairly traditional Japanese and Korean dishes (mainly Korean). This is somewhat interesting because izakaya means "pub" in Japanese. Typically an izakaya serves small plates of Japanese food. Some compare it to Spanish tapas (in terms of size, not flavour).

    That being said, I look forward to tasting what the new Orange has to offer.

    Word has it that a full dinner menu will be up and running next week.

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