Chow Down in Cowtown is an (almost) weekly account of Calgary’s most awesome eats from Ceci n’est pas un food blog

Despite the fact that we’re Chinese, my siblings are total Japanophiles, and if they had their way, we would be going out for Japanese food every weekend. Fortunately for them, Misato is an excellent Japanese restaurant that’s right near our house and you can probably find us there at least every two weeks, if not every week.

The price is pretty comparable to most sushi places in town; most of the rolls are $5-$9, nigiri sushi ranges from $1.95-$4.25 and there’s also a dinner box where you get miso soup, ebi sunomono, sushi (half a California roll plus an ebi (shrimp) sushi), sashimi (tuna and salmon), tempura (two pieces of prawn and three pieces of vegetable), beef or chicken teriyaki, rice, and ice cream for $20.95.

The service is always friendly and attentive, and not just because we’re regulars. But what about the food?

What I like most about Misato is that they do both traditional Japanese and more modern, “fusion” dishes equally well. On the traditional side, my brother likes to start off his meals with ebi sunomono ($6.75), which is basically rice noodles in a light Japanese vinegar with a couple slices of cucumber and a piece of shrimp on top. My mom and I are fans of the agedashi tofu, which is deep fried tofu served in a broth made of dashi (fish flakes), mirin (Japanese rice wine), and soy sauce, with green onion and grated daikon and ginger on top.

While sushi and sashimi can be ordered individually, some may find the fact that there’s no sushi list for you to fill in with a little golf pencil a little inconvenient. (My brother’s been known to be able to recite a long list of the sushi he wants.) Fortunately, there’s a wide selection of sushi and sashimi combos available (from $8.95 for an appetizer-sized combo to $32.95 for the 20-piece “Deluxe Sashimi” combo) and it’s all very fresh and delicious, so you don’t have to stumble over tough names like “Hokkigai” (surf shell clam) and “Hotate” (scallop).

Assorted sushi – $16.95

If you’re not in a raw fish mood, the noodles are a great option. A large, steaming bowl of udon (thick, rice noodles) or soba (thin, buckwheat noodles) sets you back $9.95-$10.95. The zaru soba ($8.95), or cold soba noodles, are perfect for the warmer weather we’re having these days. I personally don’t like the rice bowls though, because I find that there’s way too much rice and the sauce is too sweet for my taste.

On the less traditional side of things, Misato admittedly doesn’t have a roll/maki selection as extensive as say, Globefish or Towa, but it does have its own stars aside from the usual California or Dynamite rolls. My personal favourite is the Rocky Roll ($8.25) which is tuna, avocado and green onion wrapped with smoked tuna, but I can’t possibly talk about Misato without mentioning its Calgary Special Roll, a behemoth that crams almost everything behind the sushi bar into a roll – there’s salmon, red tuna, white tuna, shrimp, crab, avocado and lettuce and one piece is about as big as the palm of my hand (you must consider though, that I have tiny Asian hands). An 8-piece order ($22.50) can probably feed two people who aren’t getting anything else, but you can get a half order for $11.95.

Since it’s lobster season right now, Misato has a new roll called the Cosmos roll ($32.50), which they describe as “deep fried lobster tail”, but I’ve seen other tables order it (it looks like a full-on dragon) and it looks like it has asparagus and other fixings.

Speaking of deep fried foods, aside from the usual prawn, veggie and yam tempuras, Misato also does a seafood tempura ($13.95), where in addition to prawn, you get deep fried salmon, squid, and scallop on a stick.

If you’ve somehow managed to save room for dessert, there unfortunately isn’t much in the way of any at Misato – there’s mango or green tea ice cream, Coconut Surprise or chocolate pear, all from Mario’s Gelati. A better bet would be hopping over to Sunterra, in the same strip mall, for some of their delicious pastries.

Misato
420-1851 Sirocco Dr SW (West Market Square, where Sunterra is)
Calgary AB T3H 4R5
(403) 217-3000
Lunch: Tues-Fri 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM; Dinner: Tues-Sun 5:00 – 9:30 PM
Take out available. Reservations recommended