Sato Sushi

Sato Sushi

160A St. Anne’s Rd

Tel:  204-254-2525

Fax:  204-254-1338

Email:  info@satosushi.ca

http://www.satosushi.ca/store-info#!

June, 2012

You often get what you see.  A lot of the grungy strip mall restaurants have grungier insides and serve food that’s not much better.  Once in a while, you find a gem, and those are the truly special places that you go out of your way to recommend.  For years, Yujiro was one of Winnipeg’s tiniest and grungiest dives.  I never ate-in, but I sure took-out, for they simply served (and still do) the best sushi in Winnipeg.  Today, their slick location offers comfortable surroundings, along with the same, delicious food.  

Today’s story isn’t about Yujiro—it’s about Sato Sushi, which has an equally grungy-looking store-front on St. Anne’s Road.  Inside, they have some modern furniture with some updated décor, but more work needs to be done before we’d call this place elegant.  With only four tables and seating for about 20, I suspect most of their business comes from take-out.  

If you live in the St. Vital area, you must have seen their big sidewalk sign already, advertising the lunch special at $9 for two rolls and miso soup (add two orders of nigiri for $11).  This is a great deal for very good food and not very much money (considering that two burgers will likely cost you the same).  Although the special ends at 2:30 pm, they still offer it to me well into the dinner hour.

The rolls are well prepared, plump and pretty.  I normally use the California roll as a measuring stick and I often shy away as soon as I see imitation crab.  This has always been a source of beef with me as real canned crab doesn’t cost very much, but it improves the rolls by huge degrees.  I pass on the California but there are a lot of other options to consider.  The spicy rolls have just enough hot sauce to add a kick to the rolls without dominating the delicate flavours.  The crunchy rolls feature a generous amount of fine and crispy tempura flakes.  Each of the rolls has a nice balance between the ingredients, ensuring that the rolls taste as harmonious as they are intended to be.   The mayo-accented rolls have the perfect amount of mayo, ensuring the dish tastes rich and creamy, but not overly fatty (you must try the chopped scallop rolls).

At first, I felt a little disappointed at the nigiri pieces, as they are the smallest pieces that I ever encountered.  Then I realise that you get two of them per order, rather than just one.  This is a great breakdown as I much prefer to have two perfectly-sized bites than one monstrous portion.  The hokkigai tastes a little more rubbery than it should, meaning that it’s probably not as fresh as it can be (but by no means past its prime).  

Sato offers sashimi by three-piece servings, which means that you can affordably try a number of fishes without breaking the bank.  The salmon deliciously melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting for more and the tuna tastes equally wonderful.  Good toro (fatty tuna belly) melts in your mouth with the richness of butter but if it gets even a little bit old, it tastes very fishy.  This toro has a bit of stringiness to it, otherwise, it would be the perfect fish.  

The friendly, competent and eager-to-help staff ensures that you have a pleasant visit to Sato.  As a bonus, the staff speaks Japanese behind the counter, which is a contrast to many of Winnipeg’s Chinese-run sushi houses.  This is definitely one of those neighbourhood gems that I’m happy to tell people to try.  It’s a real bonus that Sato sits directly in my path to home every day.

**** /5 

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