Restaurant Review: Sushi Kimu

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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