furusato japanese restaurant - edmonton, ab

furusato japanese restaurant
10012 82 ave
780.439.1335

Even though I've been aware of Furusato's recently added lunch hours for some time now, I hadn't stopped by to check out the scene. With the doors now open at 11 AM, we ended up arriving just after 12. We were greeted by a sparsely filled restaurant; something I've never witnessed during my regular supper visits.

With the low number of customers, my father and I opted for a table. This just so happened to make it easier for me to snap a few pictures of the interior.

Rarely, if ever, would I branch out from drinking tea while indulging in sushi, and this occasion was no different.

Needing something extra to warm the belly, I decided to start with a bowl of miso soup. This is something I've never ordered from Furusato, and was surprised by what arrived. I don't recall for the life of me, ever having spinach in a bowl of miso. While the soup base it self was relatively predictable (seriously, show me a stand out miso), the addition of spinach was a nice surprise. There was also a good stash of green onion and tofu.

I went with one of my usual options, chirashi, and finished every last bit of rice. As an aside - When I eat rolls, and nigiri for that matter, I rarely utilize my side bowl. Meaning I don't do a lot of soy sauce/wasabi dunking. Sashimi on the other hand, has always been something I'm more likely to dip. I mention this because, on my last visit, I noticed a couple who created their soy/wasabi mixture before pouring the liquid over their chirashi orders. Forgetting about his until about half way through my bowl, I decided to dump what I'd already created, and give it a go. The big difference I noticed was with the rice, which sucked the liquid up giving the dish a strong soy flavour. Not really my cup of tea. Is this mix/dump concept new, strange, different, common. If you know, let me know.

What stood out in the dish on this day were the scallops and roe. The scallops were hinting that they have seen better days, while the roe was extra delicious. Don't ask me why, it just was.

My father opted for his classic standby, rainbow roll. Deciding to branch out, he settled on the avocado roll to follow

Both were a success in his mind. Dipping my hungry fingers into his avocado roll, I found the avocado at it's ripest. Which in this case made the roll very smooth, but also very messy to pick up with your hands. Not really a stand out in my mind.

Even with only one sushi chef working, at supper they have two, I didn't notice any lag in food delivery. This surely has to do with the lack of customers though. A solid lunch, I'm looking forward to see how things pan out. I just hope it doesn't affect supper in any way.