Fusian Experiance, Wagyu and Prime Sushi

I just had one of the memorable meals of my life. You see, I regularly skim through Urbanspoon to find new restaurants and to my delight, found Fusian Experience, a upscale Japanese joint with plenty of positive reviews. My research into a restaurant prior to dining there usually involves a perusal of their menu and one word caught my eye ... Wagyu. Commonly known as the Rolls Royce of beef, this Japanese variant houses some of the most marbling and are world renowned for their tenderness and buttery texture. I was shocked to find a place in Winnipeg offering such a world class ingredient; needless to say I was out the door and in my car hurrying to what would amount to be my favourite meal in Winnipeg so far.

Fusian Experience lies on the west end of Academy Road in River Heights. The restaurant itself, I am told, was an old fast food chain restaurant that the owners retrofitted to its current state. Their owners are a veteran in the food scene of Winnipeg having previously owned another popular Japanese eatery in town. Although the exterior looks bland, the interior has a beautiful modern sheen to it: magnificent oak tables, comfortable wooden chairs and a handsome bar situated right next to the open kitchen.

I knew what I came here for, the Wagyu. Nevertheless, a perusal through the rest of the menu reveals some interesting delights. You see, Fusian Experience offers an good array of Japanese Izakaya tapas offerings, a litany of sushi rolls (some standard, some innovative), a healthy offering of fresh sashimi and of course, the aforementioned Wagyu. Fueling my inner curiosity and inner glutton, I decided on a few items ... so I can properly rate all aspects of their food.

I started off with a sushi lunch set, their B.B. Dragon Special. Only offered during lunch, it features a multi-course Japanese meals that offers value and variety perfect for those who want to try a diversity of dishes. The starter was the House Salad: the usual mixed greens with a grated ginger and miso based dressing. The dressing does well to heighten the crispy greens here.

Second course of the lunch was Miso Soup. A rich background of miso broth is filled with tofu, seaweed and green onions. The soup had an enticing aroma and rich miso flavour which contrasted the soft tofu and chewy seaweed well. Overall solid and as you would expect from a miso soup.

The main offering of the special included assorted sashimi, a dragon roll and assorted maki. I have to commend them on the handsome and beautiful presentation of their food. The artistry and creativity shown here harkens to the chef's ingenuity, cleverness and playfulness in his food.

The sashimi included were two large pieces each of Organic King Salmon, Albacore Tuna (white flesh) and Ahi Tuna. Fusian prides themselves in using the best ingredients possible and the freshness of the fish was obvious here. The Salmon, two thick slices, had a wonderful fatty and springy texture with a hint of sweetness. The Ahi, my personal favourite, had a firmer meatier texture to the flesh that melted away in your mouth. The huge Albacore portions were smoother and more subtle in flavour compared to the others. Altogether a great mixture of extraordinarily fresh and high quality sashimi.

The Dragon Roll was incredible. The base roll of tempura shrimp and mayo was layered with thick cut fresh avocado and a generous portion of BBQ Eel. The luxuriousness of the eel was well balanced with the creaminess of the fresh avocado, the crunchiness of the tempura and the saltiness of the thick sweet soy sauce drizzled on top. Every ingredient well thought out and every flavour carefully crafted into this delightful roll that screams of umami.

Finishing off the main course was the Wild Sockeye Salmon Maki and Bluefin Tuna Maki. Fusian here gives a healthy portion of fish per piece of maki and attains a nice mixture of smooth seaweed, soft rice and buttery fish. The freshness of the fish was ever apparent here as well with springy and tender flesh.

Wanting to try something off the tapas menu I ordered the Goma Ea: a simple dish of boiled spinach finished with a sesame dressing. So beautifully presented, I appreciated the flavour profiles here with the soft boiled spinach contrasted by the rich and pungent black sesame dressing that had a strong combination of sweet, salty and sour (likely from the smart use of lemon). The accompanied daikon radish sprouts added earthiness and bitterness to finish off the umami effect.

The star of the meal is in sight! Fusian Experience offers their Wagyu in multiple ways: slight seared as a nigiri, as a sashimi, in a beef roll, or my preference served as Hot Stone Wagyu. The marble stone, I am told, was imported and chosen because of their good heat dissipation and even cooking temperatures to allow for the ultimate control of the meat.

Just look at that marbling! The dish involves three ounces of thick cut genuine Japanese Wagyu Beef. The chefs explained that they only import the highest grade of beef and serve only the cuts with the most amount of marbling available. These absolutely beautiful slices of beef are indeed the most marbled I have come across!

The beef is served on the side with Enoki Mushrooms, Asparagus and Shimeji Mushrooms which are also meant to be grilled on the hot stone. I appreciated the addition of the vegetables here as they did a great job of complimenting the incredible tender meat.

Served along the mains are three condiments: Soju Sauce, Soy Sauce and Salt & Pepper. Although thoughtful, I ultimately found the two sauces to be too strong and detracted from the natural flavours of the meat. As per the instructions of the staff, adding a touch of salt and pepper did wonders to heighten the fattiness and creaminess of the meat.

I like searing mine for fifteen to thirty seconds to get a nice brown sear to the outside but maintaining the juicy red marbling on the inside. I cannot invent enough words to describe how incredible this beef was. The amount of fat and marbling make this the most tender and flavourful beef I have ever had, one that melts in your mouth like butter. Furthermore, the beef has an slight underlying sweetness that is further augmented by a small amount of salt and pepper.

As the bites continued through the meal I was reveling in the experience of Wagyu. Pairing each piece of beef with the vegetables elevates the entire meal as the vegetables add earthiness and crispness to contrast the smooth meat.

Food is an emotional experience. My favourite meals and restaurants are those who are able to evoke an emotional response through the dining experience. From decor to service, and ultimately to the food; the best meals I have had are those who are able to weave excitement, entertainment, bliss and satisfaction all in one night. Food is more than sustenance for me, it is a vehicle to guide me through new people, new cultures and new emotions. Fusian Experience ranks highly on my list of top dining experiences. For anyone in Winnipeg with even an interest in trying incredible sushi or the extremely rare Wagyu, do not hesitate to try Fusian Experience.

Hong Du Kkae, Average Korean

Korean food is my kryptonite, there is nothing more relaxing than sitting down next to a bowl of soup or stir fry and indulging. You might wonder ... well most Asian cuisines have soups and stir fries, but I love the mixture of Korean spices and ingredients, plus the banchans are a nice touch as well! In my ongoing task of chronicling the best Korean (and Asian) restaurants in Winnipeg, I found myself at Hong Du Kkae on a cold stormy night looking warmth and sustenance from the glowing allure of bubbling hot Korean soups, stews and fries.

Hong Du Kkae is a tad difficult to find. Located on Pembina Highway in the south of Winnipeg, it is located in a block of restaurants that veer diagonally away from the main street. That is, as you approach the turn into the strip mall, the actual restaurant becomes farther away. Odd indeed. Nevertheless, the restaurant is easy to spot once you get into the area and the large green signage beckons you forward.

The menu is small and sparse and has some odd omissions. Missing are any Bibimbaps, the classic mixed rice dish once served in a stone bowl. Also missing are most of the stir fries you would find. What diners will find though are a good listing of soups and stews and appetizer plates. Obviously wanting to focus on a subset of Korean cuisine, it makes perfect sense, at least in the blistery cold Winnipeg winters, to offer the warm soothing soups.

We started off with a Seafood Chive Pancake. A Korean specialty, it features a large egg based pancake packed full of chive and seafood (octopus, squid and shrimp) all fried together in a thin crepe. The taste of the pancake was good with bouncy seafood and tasty vegetables in the smooth egg-based batter. I felt it was missing a salty component, perhaps the typical soy dipping sauce, to compliment all the flavours, but it was overall a well executed dish.

Next up was the BibimGuksu, a cold noodle dish with spicy thin noodles marinated in Korean spices and topped with vegetables and an egg. The closest resemblance to Bibimbap on the menu, the cold noodles had a nice texture to them and soaked up the spicy Korean sauce well. The vegetables added crispness, freshness and sweetness while the egg added a bit of needed protein.

Ah the dish I was waiting for: Spicy Pork Side Rib Soup! This was a bit different than the typical Gamjatang I want to compare it with. The basis is a Korean paste broth filled to the brim with pork ribs and spine, cabbage and potatoes. I appreciated the large serving of tender meat, but felt a bit underwhelmed by the broth, which was overly spicy and lacked the depth and richness I usually find in pork bone stews. 

As typical with Korean restaurants, we were served banchans: Kimchi Marinated Potato, Kimchi, Glass Noodles and Marinated Cabbage. I liked the springy spicy kimchi and the nice contrasts the sweet and sour marinated cabbage provided to the whole meal.

Overall Hong Du Kkae was a mixed bag. The menu atypical, the food slightly lackluster and missing some key features, and the service at times slow and inattentive, Hong Du Kkae is simply average. While there are better Korean establishments in the city you can certainly do far worse.

Chinese New Year at Sun Fortune

Chinese New Year is a big deal. Based off the lunar calendar, the Chinese people have celebrated the turning of the "Lunar New Year" for thousands of years. Needless to say, growing up as a proper Chinese boy, New Year was always met with immense optimism and excitement. For every cultural activity and mythology that is associated with Chinese New Year, there are ten (perhaps an exaggeration) food items and dishes that must also be consumed ... and that is where I came in. Traditionally, Chinese New Year was a time of celebration with family and so on New Years Eve we would always stay at home, stream the shows and parties from China, make dumplings, and devour a venerable feast of delicious Chinese goodies.

This year, being away from family, I decided to celebrate with my new pediatrics (and Winnipeg) family at the local authentic restaurant, Sun Fortune. What better way to indulge in delicious food than in the company of my future colleagues and residency family!

Sun Fortune is located on the south end of Pembina Highway in a stretch of road littered with good eateries of various Asian cuisine. It has consistently (and through my previous visits) ranked highly as authentic Chinese cuisine. If the litany of other families filling the tables on New Years Eve was any indication, it seemed that the community tends to agree with the quality of food that Sun Fortune provides.

Chinese New Years dinner typically begins with a soup and we chose a Crab Meat & Fish Maw Soup to begin our feast. Fresh crab meat is combined in a luxurious soup with fish maw, egg and cilantro in this hearty dish. The fish maw, the air bladder of a fish, is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and offers a nice collagenous crunch to the otherwise smooth soup. Make sure to add a slight hint of vinegar to round out the flavour, delicious!
 

Peking Duck, usually reserved for special occasions, made its way to our table next. Peking Duck, a traditional dish originating from Imperial China is a labour intensive dish to make. The bird is first prepared by blowing air into the cavity, dried for at least 48 hours, coated with Chinese spices and sweet sauces and then roasted. The key is the dichotomy in the crispness of the skin and the smooth tender meat underneath.

The dish is served in two parts. The first takes thin slices of the crispy skin and challenges the diner to make pancakes with onion, celery and Hoison sauce. Akin to a small burrito, the crisp fatty skin is contrasted to the sweet and salty Hoison and sharp vegetables. Overall a classic and Sun Fortune presents and finishes the duck expertly.

The second part of the dish involves taking the meat and stir frying it with soy and vegetables. Served with halves of lettuce, the idea is to stuff the lettuce with the meat, add a dash of Hoison sauce and consume the entire "wrap".

Again the key to this dish is the contrast in flavours and textures. I was impressed by the tender savoury duck and loved the crunch and freshness of the lettuce with it. Furthermore, the addition of Hoison sauce elevates the entire dish by adding a sweet and salty component and harmonizes all the other flavours and ingredients. Marvelous!

Our next dish was the Crisp Chicken, a staple of Chinese New Year. Here, Sun Fortune takes a full chicken and deep fries it to form a crispy skin and exterior but maintaining the full juiciness of the interior. Unlike Western cuisines of fried chicken, there is no thick coating or batter here; rather the crispness lies in the flash frying effect on the chicken skin. Juicy and moist, this was a intentionally bland-er offering that was a good segue-way from the rich Peking duck to the rest of the meal.

Slices of Tender Beef with Maggie Soya Sauce was a table favourite. Thin slices of beef tenderloin were paired with soya sauce and fried kale. What made this dish remarkable was the exquisite tenderness of the beef that had a wealth of explosive sweet and salty flavour. The fried kale added in a hint of well needed bitterness to create a full umami effect of the beef.

Needing to fulfill our vegetable quota, we ordered a Gai Lan with Garlic. Gai Lan, or Chinese broccoli, is a hearty green popular in China because it is soft enough to soak up sauces while strong and woody enough to maintain a crunch. The slight bitterness of the greens itself offers a nice contrast to the aroma of garlic in the sauce.

Cantonese Fried Rice to offer some carbohydrate load. Normally I do not order fried rice at restaurants due to them often being non-authentic and crudely done, but Sun Fortune does a fantastic job here with fluffy rice mixed with egg, shrimp and Chinese ham. There was a good amount of greasiness in this dish which highlighted all the subtle flavours in this dish. A table favourite, this was lapped up in no time.

Chinese New Year Noodles are handmade  noodles that are intentionally kept long (not cut). These traditional noodles are signs of longevity and the longest single strands of noodle that one can pick is a signal for their lifespan and health. Obviously there is no medical truth there, but that does not detract from the simple egg noodles fried in soya sauce with mushrooms.

The cherry on top of the meal was the Lobster Chow Mein. A sign of royalty and luxury, this lobster dish is again a classic at Chinese New Year. The lobster is painstakingly double fried, first by itself and secondly with onions, garlic and ginger and served on a bed of Chow Mein noodles. This was divine: I always prefer my lobster done in this more flavourful way that allows one to appreciate the underlying sweetness of the lobster in the context of Chinese sauces and ingredients.

Chinese New Year is a time for celebration with friends and family and I could not have wished for a better meal and group of people to celebrate with! In terms of the food, Sun Fortune offers solid authentic Chinese cuisine with flavours and tastes that I recall from my childhood. It ranks on par with the best I have had in Winnipeg and should be a automatic recommendation for anyone looking for true Chinese food (sans chicken balls, ginger beef and lemon chicken). Happy Year of the Sheep everyone!

Nick's on Broadway, A special sandwich shop

Sandwiches are the Swiss Army Knives of food. Find two pieces of crusty bread, load up whatever toppings you like, finish them whatever way you want and you will generally always have a delicious, nutritious and fast meal. Perfect for any occasion, sandwiches are the epitome of versatility. Therefore it was with excitement when I found a new sandwich joint had opened up in Winnipeg, Nick's on Broadway.

There definitely has been a novel trend in Winnipeg towards higher end sandwich shops using quality ingredients and advanced cooking techniques. Nick's motto is to "create the best sandwiches in Winnipeg while providing a show in their open kitchen". A strong confident statement for a new start-up restaurant.

Located in an office building on Broadway Street, Nick's focuses on homemade breakfast and lunch options geared towards the busy day to day professionals who long for delicious meal options that can be made promptly and freshly during the hustle and bustle during the day. Indeed, the clientele was on mass when I was dining there with many patrons making the quick jolt down from the upstairs office buildings to grab a sandwich to go. Nick's offers both a breakfast and lunch menu; their lunch menu is a nice collection of sandwiches, paninis and sides with a daily special. I was impressed by the customizability of their food, as patrons able to add on small (but still sizable) sides at minimal prices.

I asked what their specialty sandwiches were and one of them came as the Broadway Beef Dip. Served on a brioche bun, Nick's plants a moderate portion of herb roasted beef between the buttered buns and pairs it with a rosemary jus (and a side of pickles and coleslaw). Overall this beef dip was good but not extraordinary. The beef, extremely tender and well roasted, was a bit lacking in flavour by itself; but this was somewhat mitigated by the rich rosemary jus. The buttered brioche was a nice addition as it provided a soft pillow of crunch enveloping the tender beef.

Hot Pastrami was the other specialty of the restaurant. This was incredible. I love it when restaurants present their food simply but packed with flavour and the pastrami here was a wonderful mix of juicy tender meat with a hint of coriander. The meat mixed well with the grainy hot mustard and was all surrounded by thick sturdy rye. Although the sides given are standard for all their sandwiches, I felt the sweet pickles and crunchy coleslaw gave nice contrasts in flavour and texture to the pastrami.

Wanting to try a side I ordered a Tomato Soup along with the meal as well. I was thoroughly pleased with the hot, warm and bubbly tomato and herb soup. Impressed by the large portion size (especially for the price), the soup had a nice sharp tomato-ey flavour contrasted well by the aroma and taste of parsley.

Nick's on Broadway represents everything I love in a good sandwich shop: simple, delicious food served attractively, priced aggressively in a busy part of town. I applaud them for the thoughtful menu and think they will be an attractive alternative to the fast food, food court esque options I have become accustomed to during the lunch hour. For anyone in Downtown Winnipeg, Nick's is an easy recommendation for a wonderful lunch.

A Bear-y Special Visit: Era Bistro

All good things must come to an end. On our friends' last day in Winnipeg we had visited the Assiniboine Park Zoo. Our main goal was to visit the polar bears, but we also had some ... personal ... encounters with the zoo animals, almost resulting in us losing a member of our group. Nevertheless, having survived our brush with the wild we were starving for some food. Our last stop was the Canadian Museum for Human rights and so it was easy to pick ERA Bistro as our lunch stop of choice.

Located inside the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, ERA is gorgeous. A modern restaurant with three large communal tables for sharing conversation and a multitude of smaller separate tables, it had sleek modern decor, a huge open kitchen concept and, most importantly, a crowd of happy diners. It was difficult holding back my excitement waiting for the waitress to show us to our table of choice.

The menu is cosmopolitan. ERA features a number of sandwiches and salads all featuring local Manitoba ingredients. For those opting to share, ERA also offers a number of small plate tapas style options for those inclined to try a number of items.

We started off by sharing the Bearcat Pickerel Cheeks: panko crusted pickerel cheeks are served with a spicy caper remoulade. Overall this was pedestrian; akin to nuggets, the fish, nicely coated and fried, was lacking in flavour by itself and overpowered by the remoulade. One does not get the sense this is a pickerel cheek and could have been fooled into believing this was any fish.

Our fish loving diner ordered the Arctic Char. Served similarly to smoked salmon, the char is paired with pistachio, caviar, caper and creme fraiche. Overall this had some nice flavour and I enjoyed the combination of fresh fish with the creme fraiche and crunch of pistachios. A decent serving, ERA does a good job here highlighting the fish.

For my main I had the Braised Lamb Sandwich. Served open face, a heaping load of tender lamb is paired with feta and arugula on a focaccia. The protein was delicious and, albeit obvious choice, went well with the feta. I loved the open face aspect which showcased the lamb and utilized the bread as simply a vehicle to carry the main star. I substituted with Carrot Fries as the side and was thoroughly disappointed by the soggy and greasy carrot sticks.

Finally our last diner had the California Club. Crisp chicken breast, pancetta, avocado, mayo on sourdough made up this pedestrian sounding and pedestrian tasting sandwich. It featured no unique or special aspects: the avocado lacking, the mayo overpowering, the vegetables plain and the chicken breast, while tender and nicely roasted, bland. The Mushroom Brodo that we substituted in the meal was excellent with deep rich mushroom broth and tender vegetables.

ERA Bistro is a beautiful restaurant in a wondrous structure that attempts to offer gourmet bistro style food but in reality was average and (slightly) overpriced. I like some of the ideas in the dishes but found overall the quality inconsistent for the price charged and while we left full, there was nothing special or unique to warrant a revisit. The basis for a great restaurant is here, but until the food becomes up to par, I have to recommend one take a pass on ERA.