L won an award, and I received good news, so when we came home, we decided to go out and celebrate at Sukiyaki House. When I sat down at our table, I noticed almost every diner coming in was a regular. That’s pretty telling of a restaurant if all your customers are repeat offenders. Let’s listen to “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder for this post.
Sukiyaki House is one of Calgary’s more established Japanese restaurants. It’s known for consistent sushi and justifiably higher-end pricing. Here’s what it’s like now, and what’s worth ordering.
We started with an ice-cold Asahi beer (16 oz, $9) and munched on piping-hot pieces of chicken karaage ($14). L commented that the marinated chicken was so juicy, brightened by the yuzu kewie sauce. That night, when I posted that Sukiyaki House is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of fried chicken, a follower on Instagram DMed me to say it’s the best because it’s KFC (Koji Fried Chicken). I know Koji doesn’t prepare the kaarage because he creates specialty dishes at the front of the restaurant, but I get the gist: the standard in the kitchen is very high.
We selected some rolls and nigiri to round out our meal: Amabei (Raw Shrimp / Fried Shrimp Head, $5.50), Ebi (Cooked Shrimp, $3.60), Hamachi (Japanese Amberjack, $5), Maguro (Tuna, $3.5), Shake (Salmon, $3.50), Tako (Octopus, $4.20), Hotategai (Raw Scallop, $4.80), Negitoro (Toro / Green Onion, $7.50) Shake Maki (Salmon, $5.50) California roll ($15), and Kelly Tempura ($14).
Generally, I’m not too fond of sushi rolls, but Sukiyaki House has the only rolls my heart beats for. The rice was perfectly seasoned with vinegar and sugar. The tempura in the Kelly roll was still warm, and Sukiyaki House’s trademark airy batter with that mouthwatering flavour you only get from clean oil. So effin’ good.
I always get the California roll when I come here. The flavours hit right. I love the layers and textures of the buttery avocado, crisp nori, roasted sesame seeds and fluffy crab meat. The selection of nigiri was fresh as always, with the scallop being the highlight, plump and creamy as the Milky Way.
Next week, L and I are attending Sukiyaki House’s ‘kaiseki,’ a traditional fine-dining, multi-course meal. Koji spent a decade perfecting his craft in Osaka. So if the restaurant can make fried chicken and California rolls the highlight of my year, I can only imagine what to expect at the kaiseki.
Want more like this? Check out my running list of Calgary’s best restaurants, date nights, and cheap eats.
Hitting the Sauce 