Saturday, July 24, 2010

Cranbrook Sushi – Crazy Good Value in the Rockies

Hola Bloggies:

Lately, it seems the Fiancé and I have made it our mission to try all the sushi restaurants in the Canadian Rockies. Don’t worry . . . there aren’t too many so we should be able to manage just fine. smile_wink

For tonight’s dinner we ended up heading to a place called Cranbrook Sushi; a very recent addition to the market. And while this particular restaurant may be in a non-descript strip mall they’ve done a great job remodelling the interior.

cranbrook sushi 

ordering

While we perused the menu we were offered complimentary hot or cold green tea. This may not seem like a big deal except that many sushi places in the Canadian Rockies will charge almost $3 for tea.

Truthfully we were somewhat overwhelmed by their awesome menu. The sushi rolls were exceedingly cheap (with most rolls under $5) and the cooked food selection looked amazing. In an attempt to sample the menu I chose one of their set dinners while the Fiancé decided to order rolls.

set dinner

rolls

We ended up massively over ordering. This was mostly due to an assumption that given the price the rolls would be very small. Not so amigos. Next time (because there will definitely be a next time) we will order considerably less.

pottery

surprise

The first thing that came out of the kitchen was a complimentary rice and yam chowder. It was very delicate in taste and beautifully presented. A really nice touch!

rollie rollie

rollie  up close

The shrimp rolled in green stuff is a dish the restaurant calls Rollie Rollie. Essentially, a deep fried prawn covered with your choice of noodles. The Fiancé chose cha soba (gree tea flavoured soba noodles) and proclaimed the dish to be really good. Not too greasy and a good value appetizer.

miso

Another complimentary dish. This time miso soup. I like complimentary. It’s a good price!

From there on in the food just seemed to come out in waves. By the end I was scared every time the waitress came out of the kitchen. I was afraid the dish would be for our table. Usually it was. Eeeek!

I’ll let the pictures tell the tale.

set dinner 

IMG_1972

black cod = YUM

That would be the box part of my set menu. I tried a bit of everything and while the tempura was light and crispy and the miso soup was good, the fish really stole the show! I loved the gunkan (a boat shaped sushi roll) and the nigiri sushi. My gunkan had some chopped raw salmon, a bottom of rice, and a little layer of spicy sauce in between. While my nigiri sushi was perfectly fresh and delicate. Then there was the grilled black cod; a small piece but just enough to make me ooh and aaaah.

sukiyaki dish 

sukiyaki

Next came the sukiyaki which is basically a combination of meat, broth, veggies, and tofu cooked at your table. I loved the earthenware containers that concealed the little canister that cooked the ingredients. Excellent presentation.

egg sauce and rice

Traditionally the sukiyaki meat is passed through a fresh cracked egg and then eaten beside either rice or noodle. I shared this portion of my meal the Fiancé. We both loved the flavours of the meat. It was another highlight of an already great meal.

temaki

Just when I thought the meal was finally over the waitress brought out a cone roll. Apparently it was part of my meal. I was going to say I couldn’t possibly finish anything else and then I realized it was a chopped scallop temaki (cone sushi). Since it wasn’t that big I sacrificed myself and finished the meal. Ha!

spicy tuna

spicy chopped chopped scallop roll

Cranbrook roll 

The Fiancé who had a selection of their rolls proclaimed them to be great albeit too much food. But that’s our fault and not the restaurant. In retrospect we would stay away from the Cranbrook roll (pictured above) given that it’s way too much food and eats like a meal. Instead, we would stick to one or two small rolls.

Overall we were really happy with our experience at Cranbrook Sushi. The service was excellent and the food fantastic bang for your buck. Next time we would order only one or two dishes rather than a wider selection. Bottom line? I would definitely recommend Cranbrook Sushi to anyone passing by the East Kootenay region of the Canadian Rockies.

 

Question? Have you ever accidentally over-ordered at a restaurant?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

That place looks awesome! I love complimentary dishes as well ;) I always over order at Dim Sum!

Nancy@ChocolateAndFitness said...

I'm so jealous. Your meal looks amazing! Sushi in Montreal is overpriced and mediocre. I remember massively over ordering when I went to an El Salvadorian restaurant here. I ordered yucca con chicharron, a tamale, casamiento and a pupusa. I got a weee bit too excited!

Kelly said...

Um yes- we over order often. Eric has some kind of weird fear that we will not have enough to eat, despite the fact that it has never actually happened to us. It seems to particularly happen to us at tapas places or Japanese also.

That miso soup looks so delicious- I would want some right now except I am so full.

Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete said...

Honestly, that place looks so good! I have never heard of some of that stuff, and I have been eating sushi for years! And, I had no idea tea was so expensive over there too! That is crazy. Well, if you need me to send you any, let me know!!

A Toronto girl out West said...

Sarah,

Oh Dim sum is perfect for accidentally over-ordering. Sometimes that's the problem with small dishes. They just kind of add up!!! lol

A Toronto girl out West said...

Nancy,

Yes but you have so many other awesome places I have nowhere near here. We should trade sometime! :oP lol

A Toronto girl out West said...

Kelly,

LOL Your Eric and my Fiance suffer from the same ailment. I think that's what happened with our sushi today. He thought he would starve so he ordered a ton. In fact there was another roll I didn't post because the picture came out blurry.

A Toronto girl out West said...

Nicole,

Yeah the tea thing is ridiculous here. I could understand a dollar for a tea charge but almost three is crazy.

And then if you're going to charge me that much you should really leave me the tea pot. Sillies! lol

So do you still eat sushi now that you're GF?

MirandaJayne said...

I always over order when I order rolls for myself for take out. Because I wante a variety of rolls, and at my place the wide selection of rolls, come in 6's, so if I want 3 varieties, I've got 18 rolls. lol

Unknown said...

that place looks amazing!! I loooooove sushi!!!! :)

We always over order, but I love sushi left overs!! :)

Marianne (frenchfriestoflaxseeds) said...

I ALWAYS over order when I go for sushi. It's so hard to restrain myself when there are so many options to try out on the menu! Which sucks when you go by yourself, because you have no one to share with.

Looks like you had a great assortment of eats. Must try some green tea soba. Yum!

Anonymous said...
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A Toronto girl out West said...

Jessica,

You know who loved sushi left-overs!?! Daisy!!! Go figure! :oP

A Toronto girl out West said...

MirandaJayne,

I think that's totally what ended up happening to the Fiance. Unfortunately, not only did we over order but we picked similar rolls. Next time we'll maximize our flavour diversity.

A Toronto girl out West said...

Marianne,

Yeah that was our first time encountering cha soba. It was really good!