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Food by Beth Weisberg It was Sunday night, and we didn't think of making reservations for a place in a northeast strip mall. But the parking lot was full and so was the Misai Japanese restaurant. We managed a table for two next to the sushi bar and settled in with two huge menus. The Misai is as close as Calgary gets to an izakaya – a type of Japanese restaurant/pub that has enormous choices of irresistible foods and drinks. We intended to cover as much menu ground as possible. I started with the hiyayakko ($2) – cold tofu topped with grated ginger, finely chopped green onion and shavings of smoky dried bonito fish. It's a personal summer favourite, and my friend liked it so much he wanted to drink the light, citrusy soy sauce dressing. The yaki gaki ($7.50) came next – four large grilled oysters served on their shells, topped with melted mild cheese and a final flourish of bright orange flying fish roe. The cheese is so mild you mostly taste the butter in it; the oysters were beautifully cooked, juicy and several bites large. Delicious. The motion of the cooks behind the counter was ceaseless, and waiters streamed by our table. It's an energetic place, but no one seems harried. My friend swiveled about to take in the cedar beams, the sand-coloured walls, the red lanterns hanging in the front window. My gaze settled on the narrow horizontal strip of uncovered glass in the front window, an attractive slice of view just large enough to appreciate leaves trembling in the wind and the changing colours of the sky – you'd never guess 32nd Avenue is just a few metres away. One of the wonderful smells drifting over the sushi counter was that of our yakitori moriawase plate – an assortment of grilled chicken on wooden skewers (8 skewers/$10.50). Four skewers had juicy chicken pieces with green onion. Another was of deliciously crunchy skin, then there's one of cartilage from the chicken breast – sounds strange, but it's good. Long strips of what appeared to be dark meat were threaded onto the last two skewers. "Kidney," said the waitress. It was still delicious. Deep-fried dishes are a significant part of an izakaya menu. We ordered the ika geso ($4) – deep-fried battered squid legs. If you like kalamari, you'll love this as it’s light and flavourful. The lemon wedge accompaniment is typical, while the tartar sauce is a Canadian concession, but not a mistake. The classic version of yaki-onigiri is a handful of plain rice, shaped into a triangle, brushed with sauce, and grilled until the outer rice becomes crispy and brown. For their yaki-onigiri ($3 for two), the Misai mixes their rice first with bits of dried egg, sesame seeds and other seasonings. My friend – who's new to this dish – liked these, but I still much prefer the classic. We'd sampled a few pieces of sushi earlier in the meal and they were quite tasty, so now we thought we'd try some cooked fish. The nanban wakasagi is a plateful of whole smelts, two to three inches long, done in a sweet and salty soy-based sauce, topped with a generous scattering of lemon slices and green onion. The fish were delicious and tender with a slight bitterness that offset the sauce's sweetness. A bowl of plain rice is a good accompaniment. We didn't need this much food, but we managed to save room for dessert. My friend chose the green tea pudding ($3.80). More of a custard, it was topped with ground black sesame seeds – a surprising choice, but it worked. The green tea flavour was nice, but less pronounced than in a good green tea ice cream, which is also available. The cute little mould of coffee jelly ($3.80) was comparable to a jellified unsweetened Vietnamese ice coffee, topped with sweet thick milk. Very delicious and very light. The only major fault we could find with the Misai Japanese Restaurant (#7-1916 32nd Avenue N.E., phone 250-1688) is that it's difficult to select from all those choices. Not a problem – we're already planning to book out one of the private tatami rooms and try more of the menu soon.

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