Modern Sushi at Japonais Bistro

We're back with a brand new review, and this time we headed downtown for some Japanese delights at Japonais Bistro! A relatively new restaurant on Jasper Avenue, Japonais (meaning Japanese in French) bills itself as "modern Japanese cuisine" and offers a sake bar and kaiten dining, where plated dishes travel around on a moving belt. In addition to the sake bar and traditional cooked dishes, an intriguing assortment of unique sushi offerings, new twists on classic cocktails, and tempting desserts round out the large menu. We invited sushi fanatic Becky along for lunch to try some tasty food and see if we could find a new go-to sushi joint! Keep reading to find out what we thought!



Ambiance and Service

Steph: Despite the simple and modest exterior, an urban, upscale vibe permeates the large single room that is Japonais. Brick walls, leather seating and exposed light fixtures are more suggestive of New York than Tokyo. Seating choices include tradition tables, rounded booths, or tall bar stools surrounding the sushi station, and large windows keep the space from becoming too dark.
Our server actually remembered me from an earlier visit and was exceedingly pleasant, swift, and knowledgeable. She was happy to accommodate requests and made sure we got the answers to all of our questions; just an all around wonderful server!
Rating 4.5/5

Jackie: Unremarkable is the word I would use to describe the ambience at Japonais. Furnished in modern sleek black and darker woods, it really is just standard restaurant décor. On the other hand, our server was superb. From the moment that we sat down, she was cordial, pleasant and happy to answer questions regarding our dietary needs. Admittedly, I can be a bit of a nightmare for servers in a seafood restaurant, owing to the fact that I have a pretty nasty crab allergy. I had my heart set on the Deluxe Lunch Omakaze, which is a series of dishes prepared based on the chef’s inspiration, and I had to make sure it didn’t have any crab. She happily asked the chef and I was granted my food wish. Our drinks were never empty and she was attentive to the point that we never needed to ask for anything. 
Rating 3.5/5

Taste and Presentation

Jackie:  I ordered the Deluxe Lunch Omakaze ($19.95) which included a selection of cooked and raw dishes selected by the chef, as well as edamame and dessert. Let me start by saying that the majority of the Omakaze was taste bud nirvana. It came out on a stone serving platter and was a large portion, definitely more than any one person could eat.

The tuna tataki was spot on, and the fish was incredibly fresh. What I loved most about this platter was the incredible balance. It contained everything from savory succulent sashimi to a sweet and delicious green tea cake. Where things went (hilariously) wrong for me was the edamame. Allow me to give you a very important tip on eating this little legume, so you don’t experience prickles on your tongue: pop it open, and eat only the little pods on the inside. Otherwise, you will experience something I equate with chewing on a small cactus covered in dog hair!
The one complaint that I have about this dish was the large chunk of salmon served with fins still attached. The flavour of the salmon was good, but it was impossible to eat with chopsticks. It was simply much too large a portion, and filled with many bones to work around. Not only that, but seeing the fins was enough to make me leave this piece of fish on the platter. 

As for Becky, she ordered a Make Your Own Bento box ($14.95) which included miso soup, rice, tempura, and choice of salad and two sushi rolls. She stated that her Bento box was fine, but had little flair. While it had a good assortment and large portions, it did nothing to set itself apart from other sushi restaurants. She quite liked the rolls, and agreed that the fish was fresh, which can be rare for a landlocked city like Edmonton! The one thing that she really enjoyed was the sunomono salad that came with the box, which was light and refreshing with perfectly cooked noodles, a lemony sauce and crisp cucumbers.

Rating 3.5/5

Steph: For my meal I ordered the Vegetarian Bento box ($13.95) which came with miso soup, seaweed salad, edamame, avocado cucumber roll, avocado and bean curd sushi, and an assortment of tempura. The tempura was a highlight of the box, with a light batter on the outside and perfectly cooked veggie slices inside, it was hard to stop eating it! I requested my AC roll be changed to a yam tempura roll, which they happily accommodated. The roll was delicious, held together well, and the tempura inside still had a nice crunch. While the seaweed salad was not to my liking, the miso soup, with bits of tofu and seaweed in a salty broth, was well balanced and kicked off the meal nicely.

For dessert we ordered the Banana Spring Roll ($6.95) and the Matcha Creme Brulee ($7.95). Offered a choice of ice cream with the spring roll, we chose lychee flavor, which was light and flavorful but in hindsight didn't pair well at all with the caramel and bananas of the main dessert! (#foodiefail) The crunch of the spring roll contrasted nicely with the soft banana, but the nature of the dessert is so simple that it ended up being underwhelming.

While each dish was presented nicely, the creme brulee was particularly impressive! The icing sugar fork print added a simple but effective flourish. Topped with fresh berries, the creme brulee had a  distinct but not overpowering green tea flavor that lingered on the tongue and the sugar was perfectly caramelized. A great end to our meal!
Rating 4/5

Overall Value

Jackie:  I’d say that I got plenty of bang for my buck with the lunch Omakaze and the Bento Boxes were also reasonably priced. Though, looking at their dinner menu makes me think that the best value is found during the lunch hour. 
Rating 4/5

Steph: Lunch prices are certainly reasonable for downtown, especially with the quality of ingredients and the portion sizes. Considering they are catering to an upscale crowd, I thought the cost of the meal was perfectly fair. Sharing is a great option here for those on a budget, but it's also easy to splurge for those looking for a lush night out or impressive date!
Rating 4/5

The Verdict We enjoyed a great meal at Japonais Bistro. They offer a relaxed atmosphere with great service, high quality ingredients, and creative dishes available nowhere else in the city which makes us want to return again! This would be a fantastic date night restaurant, but also perfect for a business lunch or even a girls night out!

Final Rating 23.5/30


And the winner is... Meat! Jackie's omakaze platter was diverse and impressive, and the sheer amount of awesome and unique sushi offerings puts meat as the winner of this showdown!



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