Yujiro

Yujiro Japanese Restaurant
1822 Grant Ave
204-489-9254 / 204-489-9260
yujirowinnipeg@gmail.com
http://www.yujirowinnipeg.com/

December, 2021

I remember when Winnipeg only had three sushi restaurants and when Yujiro opened, it was #4.  Tiny and cramped, you would rarely eat in but they had the best take-out in the city.  When they moved into their present digs, dining-in finally became and option.  Now decades later, they continue to serve some of the best Japanese food in the city.  Despite having dozens (if not hundreds of sushi houses in the city now), they remain at or near the top of the mountain.

When sushi dining, it is customary to start with the lightest tasting dishes and move onto the more flavourful.  The purest of all the dishes, sashimi comes with just the raw fish.  The salmon here is west coast sockeye.  

Vis-a-vis its Atlantic cousin, sockeye is redder and less fatty than Atlantic.  Its flavour tastes earthier but the leanness lacks the oil, unctuousness of the fattier east coast salmon.  Presented beautifully and tasting just as good it looks, it's almost a shame to bust up this presentation.

Tuna is probably the most ordered raw fish in sushi cuisine.  Most people are familiar with the lilac looking tuna, or if you're really lucky, the deep purple looking meat.  This tuna appears a lot lighter, powder pink in colour.

Known as "toro," this fatty tuna comes from the belly part of the fish and contains the highest concentration fat, which means it has the best flavour, and it's among the most tender.  Melt in your mouth and rich tasting, this is my favourite of all the cuts of fishes.

If you can't decide between the salmon or the tuna, there's always the option to have both!

If I had my choice, I would just sit and eat unadulterated raw fish all day.  It's not for everyone as some prefer it with rice, and some prefer the entire offering with seaweed, mayo and wasabi.  On rice alone, the dish is called "nigiri," and it comes with a slab of fish on a little mound of rice, usually with a touch of wasabi in the middle.  Sometimes it will have a strip of seaweed wrap, to hold together and add a touch of flavour.  In lesser Japanese restaurants, they slice the fish very thinly and wrap it in a huge wad of rice.  Of course, the cost of the fish far exceeds the cost of rice and to scrimp on the customer, they try to fill you up with rice.  Not so here as you barely see any rice in this photo.

On this plate, from left to right up top, we have toro nigiri, sea bass, surf clam and finally, eel; the eel is always cooked.  At bottom, it's scallop rolls, topped with roe.  The toro tastes equally rich, tender and delicious, with or without rice.  The sea bass tastes a lot more subtle, smooth, tender and delicate.  The surf clam (hokki) has a bit of crunchiness to the bite (just short of rubber-like) and and oceany flavour.  The eel itself tastes quite delicate.  A lot of restaurants slather on the barbecue sauce to augment flavour; the sauce usually taste sweetish and a bad smoky.  There's only a touch of sauce here, allowing you to taste the subtle qualities of the eel itself.  

The scallop roll is probably the weakest dish here.  The chopped bits taste wonderfully velvety and the mayo adds depth and richness.  The scallops themselves taste a touch fishy, indicating they near their due date.  The roe adds wonderful texture and a hint of saltiness.  I love popping the roe and getting the burst of flavour in your mouth.

If the toro is a little rich or heavy for you, the regular tuna looks beautifully mauve/fandango pink in colour.  It tastes light and refreshing, tasting like fish without being fishy.  The California roll can be ordered with either kani (imitation crab) or real crab for a premium.  The Cali comes with a huge chunk of avocado to balance the leanness of the crab.

If you refuse to get on the raw fish train, you're missing out on some of the best and most beautiful food in the world--but that's okay.  We all have different tastes.  Aside from fish, Yujiro offers a large variety of cooked foods, tempura and noodles.  

A Japanese staple, gyozas are pan fried dumplings, stuffed with pork.  It comes with a soy and vinegar dressing, complementing the savoury and crispy dumpling perfectly.

For many years, Yujiro reigned as best sushi in the city.  Over the past few years, a number of superior Japanese restaurants entered the field to challenge for the title.  At this point, I'm not prepared to declare a best sushi in town restaurant, but if I did, Yujiro would either be at or near the top.  Come try it for yourself.

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Ray Yuen, Pit Master / Grill Master
Certified Kansas City Barbecue Society Judge – Badge #97736
Certified Steak Cook-off Association Judge – Badge #7788
Canadian Barbecue Society Member