Specialities stand out from the sushi crowd

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Owners Kaksang Sung, left, and Yun Hee Lee show salmon gateaux, front, takoyaki and shrimp gyoza at Nauru Sushi in Osborne Village.

The phone number hasn't changed since this place was called Miyabi but (according to a voice on the phone) it's under new ownership. Certainly, the decor has been completely revamped, and it's much prettier now -- a softly lit, snug little nest on two levels, with a sushi bar (but without the usual observation stools) on the upper level, which is separated from the lower level by a divider of glass bricks. Despite the small space the ambience is pleasant and serene, and if you can get one of the window tables you won't feel crowded.

Not surprisingly, most of the menu is devoted to sushi, and they are pretty good. But, with sushi joints running two to a block in some areas -- many of them also pretty good -- I needed a reason to choose one over another, and what attracted me to Naru Sushi were some unusual dishes, particularly some of the appetizers and small plates, most of them priced from $4.20, for deep-fried tofu, to $10, for teriyaki beef or chicken. And I wasn't disappointed -- I liked some of them so much I'd order two portions each if I expected to share them.

Sadly, some of Miyabi's most memorable dishes are no longer served, most notably the okonomi yaki cabbage pancake that was perched on a base of grilled beef or pork and topped by shrimp and scallops. I've never found it anywhere else, and I wish I could. On the other hand, at least one of Miyabi's best dishes is still available -- the terrific takoyaki fritters of diced octopus that are crisp on the outside, a gooey glory within, topped by flecks of nori, bonito, and a light glaze of tonkatsu sauce.

The usual pork gyoza are available, but I skipped them in favour of the rarer and quite wonderful shrimp gyoza. They look nothing like the familiar round dumplings, but more like miniature pan-fried crepes, with a plump hump in the middle that is filled with a pork and shrimp mixture, and finished with a drizzle of soy-flavoured vinaigrette.

Salmon cakes, for some reason, are dubbed salmon gateaux on the menu, creating difficulties for the waitress who kept sounding the final x, which confused us until we finally realized what she meant. However pronounced, they, too, are delicious, sprinkled with bits of dried seaweed, tobiko and a dab of mayonnaise. Another must-try is the seafood misonaise -- small scallop shells filled with a mixture of seafood in a creamy sauce of miso paste and mayonnaise that tastes so much better than it reads.

Other, more familiar items include tonkatsu, i.e., panko-breaded pork cutlets that are fried to an ultra-crispy crunch. I liked the mild, gravy-like Japanese curry sauce well enough but, in truth, I prefer the lighter, more traditional, slightly fruity tonkatsu sauce -- possibly a matter of taste, since my friends, who'd never had tonkatsu before, were perfectly happy with the curry sauce. Tempura shrimp were relatively thin, lengthwise slices, but they tasted good, and weren't overburdened with batter.

Maguro gomo ae salad -- big dice of tuna and avocado in a sweetish dressing with sesame seeds -- was excellent, and the sunomono noodle salad was more than usually generous, offering a choice of octopus, shrimp or fake or real crabmeat. I chose the real stuff, and there was more of it than turns up in most sunomonos.

The sushi are lovely to look at but the rice in some I tried was dry, with no hint of vinegar or sugar. Also, in some maki sushi, there was too much of it in relation to the fish. That said, nigiri sushi ($2.20 to $2.60 per piece) bucked that trend, and although they are relatively few and standard, the toppings I tried -- salmon and red snapper -- were generous and good.

There were some maki rolls that I did like ($5.30 to $12.50). Like so many others in the city, many of them incorporate crab sticks, which have a sweet flavour that I dislike. To Naru's credit, though, they also offer real crab in some of the rolls. In any case I was taking no chances, and ordered the California roll, which actually offered the option of real crab, which was combined with flying fish roe, avocado, sesame seeds and mayonnaise.

I like my sushi with raw fish, and plenty of it, which made the Butterfly roll another logical choice, since it was loaded with wild salmon, tuna, surf clam and flying fish roe, seasoned with mayonnaise and chili sauce, with a shiso leaf for a touch of green and some tempura crumbs for a touch of crunch. Others I liked were the Ohana roll with tuna and avocado, topped with wild salmon, the Osborne roll of tuna tataki with tempura crumbs, a green leaf and sesame sauce, and the simpler roll of chopped scallop with flying fish roe.

For dessert, try the banana tempura with ice cream. There's a good selection of Japanese beers, and all items are beautifully arranged on attractive dishes -- one lovely touch was the fresh flower garnish on some of them. The staff are friendly, and the service was charming and attentive.

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca

To see the location of this restaurant and others reviewed in the Free Press, please see the map below or click here.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 17, 2012 D3