Restaurant Review: Japonais Bistro
JAPONAIS BISTRO 11806 Jasper Avenue ~ japonaisbistro.ca Instagram: @japonais_bistro ~ Twitter: @japonais_bistro Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
Opening almost a decade ago, Japonais Bistro is a bit of a pioneer. I give them credit for bringing modern, innovative, and higher-end Japanese food to Edmonton. Since their opening, many have followed. Including plenty of izakaya and ramen restaurants. What once used to be Westernized sushi shops (so many California rolls) and way too much teppenyaki has finally matured into wonderful restaurants that represent much more of an accurate depiction of real Japanese cuisine. Japonais Bistro played a large roll in this and have now opened two other restaurants under their umbrella. Voted #1 Best Sushi 2018 in VUE Weekly, I have loved watching this incredible cuisine grow in our city. Located in Oliver on Jasper Ave, it's a busy corner of the city filled with tons of restaurants and lots of activity. Japonais Bistro has a nicely-sized patio out front and entering the space you'll find a rather large room with long stretches of exposed brick and tons of grainy hardwood. (Take a close look at the floors - there are little flowers between the floor boards!) Comfortable U-shaped booths line the walls and the tables are quite spread out. The room is very clean and contemporary, which is fairly standard these days. We were seated outside on the patio and I appreciated the opportunity to enjoy a meal in the beautiful spring sunshine. Our server was very friendly and upbeat, taking the time to joke around with us. A sunny patio meal definitely calls for a cocktail and while there is plenty of hot sake to choose from and Sapporo on tap, I had to go with one of their signatures; the Sake Sangria ($13.00).
Unfortunately, the server let me know that they were out of the red wine used to make the sangria but that they could make it with white wine instead. This was a bit of a disappointment because I greatly prefer red to white, but ordered the cocktail anyway. Sangria in the sun just makes sense! And honestly, I didn't miss the red wine at all. Refreshing, crisp and fruity, this turned out to be everything that I was hoping for. I actually think that the lychee juice might even pair better with a white wine as opposed to red. I loved the use of sake, which tied in with the whole meal experience perfectly. When Japonais Bistro first opened I was so impressed by all of their new ideas, rarely seen on menus in Edmonton at the time. Now that that creative innovation is more widespread, Japonais Bistro has really focused their menu on their strongest dishes that truly shine. We came in hot on the appetizer section, finding it difficult not to order almost one of everything. I love that they serve wagyu stone grilled at your table and think that they do a great job of knowing their audience by offering several beautifully prepared beef dishes. However, it had to be the New Style Sashimi ($18.50) for me.
This dish takes perfectly sliced slabs of raw fish (I believe that some of them were bluefin) and elevates them in a way that I'd never considered before. I loved each buttery and delectable piece and the perfect level of seasoning created a more exciting flavour profile. Packed with umami, this plate reminded me of going to a traditional sushi bar in Japan where the chef carefully paints the soy sauce onto the sushi for you before serving. The idea of this dish is to take classic sashimi and twist it around into something more modern and they have absolutely succeeded in doing so. Next, I couldn't let the Black Cod ($17.50) escape. Absolutely one of my favourite Japanese dishes.
If you're familiar with the black cod with miso of Nobu fame, this dish certainly captures some of that same magic. The black cod was impossibly unctuous and tender and the crispy skin was grilled to perfection, adding wonderful texture. I really loved the addition of thinly-sliced beets which brought a lovely earthy component. Each bite of this fish melted away in my mouth and I wished that I could've ordered a second one. Yes, we're still doing appetizers. There is a specific tempura section of the menu and I'd heard good things about the Spicy Mango Prawn ($16.00) which sounded delicious.
There's something about prawn tempura cooked to a perfectly crispy and golden consistency but then also bathed in a creamy sauce that just feels tropical to me. There's a bit of heat in this dish but it's just right. Tons of texture, I found this plate to be a lot of fun and packed with big flavours. A total crowd pleaser. The menu does have a proper entree section and I was thisclose to ordering the lobster cream udon, which I'm sure would've been magical. They also offer an array of amazing-sounding dinner bento boxes, which is so helpful if you go to dine with people who might not have similar tastes as yourself. Instead of painstakingly trying to figure out items to share, you are free to go it on your own. I zeroed in on the makimono (rolls) and needed to spend some time there. With 20 different rolls to choose from, many of them feature completely new ideas that you've never heard of before. It's an exciting part of the menu for anyone who craves sushi rolls (such as myself). The Pressed Salmon Sushi ($16.00) is one of Japonais Bistro's most popular, and so-called pressed sushi is a bit of a craze right now so I was eager to try their version.
These cubes of sushi are certainly aesthetically pleasing and definitely bring a modern feeling along with them. I wasn't sure if this dish would have enough going on to impress me, but I was wrong. It's the soy mayo on top that really sends this sushi to the next level by adding a gorgeous richness. The salmon was delicious and the jalapeno added a nice crisp crunch and a hint of heat. Next, I had to try the Truffle Fry ($15.00), although the Godzilla really caught my attention and I'll certainly order it next time.
Possibly my favourite dish overall, this roll felt very luxurious and the only thing missing was flecks of gold leaf on top. I loved the buttery tuna, velvety creaminess from the mayo and cream cheese, and the crunch from the tempura. The tobiko and truffle made it fancy. A very exciting flavour journey! I really loved this roll. We saved room for dessert and got the Banana Spring Roll ($8.00) which sounded fun and unique.
Since we could choose our ice cream (black sesame, green tea, etc.) we went with the black sesame. Banana was tightly wrapped in Nutella and spring roll wrapping, and it was hot and crispy - but not to the point where the banana got mushy. The ice cream was sharp and flavourful, a definite adult taste. The mix of hot and cold was pleasing and reminded me a bit of Mexican fried ice cream. I could have used slightly more Nutella because it got a bit lost but ultimately this dessert is a lot of fun and very tasty. I felt that the overall presentation of the dishes might have been slightly lacking from what I know that they're capable of doing and think that this is in large part due to the pandemic and the constant switching between take-out, patio and dine-in models. It would be tough to maintain an optimal level of consistent artistry on every plate. I know that in the past they used to offer a "Japonais Omakase" and I really hope that they bring this back because I would love to try it. I am quite certain that they were the first in the city to offer an omakase (a blind multi-course meal where you trust the chef!). I greatly appreciate everything that they're doing at Japonais Bisto. A leader in their craft, they have helped to improve the standard of Japanese food in Edmonton and we are all better off for it. ありがとうございました!