Ask, and you shall receive answers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/12/2009 (6102 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The most often-asked question of the year comes up every December, i.e. where to find dinner on Christmas Day, and it’s the one for which I have the fewest answers. All I can ever offer are the same-old, same-olds — the buffets in hotel dining rooms. To be filed for future reference, however, the one exception two years running has been Bobbie’s (754 St. Mary’s Rd.), which does a served-at-table turkey dinner. Other exceptions, of course, are some Asian restaurants, which (for those seeking sustenance after the night before) are also often open on New Year’s Day.

But other questions do come in throughout the year. Comments too, many of them from readers recommending their favourite sushi places. And even though my feeling is "enough already" (given the explosion of sushi everywhere), the number of recommendations for Wako Sushi Cafe is impressive.

It’s an adorable little hole-in-the wall, bright and cheerful, with lovely Japanese prints on the walls and a showcase full of Asian artifacts. But adorable though it is you can’t eat there, since the sushi is for takeout only. The selection may not be enormous but the rice is moist, and the toppings I tried were generous and good. Moreover the prices are relatively moderate, with nigiri sushi from $2.99 to $4.99 for two pieces, and rolls from $2.99 to $10.99.

I particularly liked the bakudan roll of salmon with tempura crumbs, mayonnaise (and they don’t overdo it) and hot sauce (and hot means hot), and the Special Roll of cooked shrimp, salmon, tuna, real crab meat, fish roe and mayo. I even liked the vegetarian combination of velvety avocado and flavourful shiitake mushrooms. 875 Corydon Ave., 339-7777.

 

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For readers who want chips with their fish, one of my favourites is the Captain’s Table, a spacious and cheerful place, with red-and-white checked oilcloths on the tables and marine artifacts everywhere. The options are pollack, cod, haddock or halibut, at $7.95 to $12.95 for two pieces. The top price is for halibut — my choice — which was sweet and juicy under a batter that was greaseless, crisp and almost miraculously tissue-thin. The chips aren’t thick-cut, English-style, but ultra-skinny which, fortunately, is how I like them. Also included is quite a nice coleslaw, and of course there are cruets of malt vinegar as well as the usual kind on each table.

For those who might want them, there are mushy peas, but if I were to recommend anything extra here it would be the carrot cake — a dessert that usually draws yawns from me, but this one is quite wonderful. 1823 Portage Ave., 837-3474.

 

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Dim sum doesn’t always come cooling on carts wheeled by waitresses who never come near your table. If you want your dim sum made to order, Noodle Express offers a surprisingly large selection for such a small place. Prices range from $2.30 small to $3.80 large, with Happy Hour prices (from 2 p.m. to closing) at $2.20. There are the usual familiar choices, and although some of the wrappings are on the thick side, the fillings are juicy and flavourful, particularly anything made with shrimp.

There are also several that I haven’t found elsewhere (possibly they do exist on some of those elusive carts). Notable among them, curried beef perogies, deep-fried Chinese perogies of pork coated in glutinous sticky rice and steamed buns filled with minced pork. If you like lobster there can be no better buy than the deep-fried, seaweed- and pastry-wrapped lobster rolls — a meal-size portion for a mere $4.99. And oh yes, the sweet pastries are delicious too. 180 King St., 943-9760.

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Other answers to some other questions:

The Argentine empañadas from Simon’s Cuisine would be ideal finger foods for parties. There are seven different fillings — I’d opt for the spicy beef or the tuna — and they are hefty at $2 to $2.20 each, but they also come in smaller cocktail sizes at $1.15 each. Other possibilities are the open-topped sjifa pastries filled with mint- and lemon-seasoned beef, and — although they aren’t what one thinks of as Argentine– the potato knishes are excellent ($1.20 each). 513 St. Mary’s Rd., 231-2756.

For those fans who have been mourning the disappearance of Pastry Castle from McDermot, it has resurfaced in a massive St. Vital strip mall — in smaller quarters, true, and with a smaller selection as well, but the sandwiches are still thick and good (most $4.50 to $5.50), the coffee still full-bodied, and the pastries still delicious. Especially the cheesecakes. 150-50 Lakewood Blvd.( Lakewood Plaza), 254-5387.

One reader wanted cheese made from unpasteurized milk, and I was able to tell him that Fenton’s at The Forks has several varieties, but not all at the same time. Best to phone first to find out what’s in stock on any given day — 942-8984.

Another reader was looking for lamb’s kidneys, and I directed him to De Luca’s. They sell out fast, so one should call ahead to reserve an order. 956 Portage Ave., 774-7617.

Concerning the two questions that have come up most often: Oceana owner, Peter Cham, still isn’t sure if he will reopen elsewhere, but the River Mandarin definitely will not reopen.

 

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca