| The emergence of smaller, boutique-style restaurants scattered throughout the city has added a new layer of vibrancy to Calgary’s restaurant scene. Each has its own taste, style and personality, and many double as hip lounges when the night starts to fall. They’re perfect places to linger with friends over bottles of great wine.
The newest addition is Blowfish Sushi, occupying a spot on 11th Avenue S.W. near the design district and other worthy destinations like the Red Door Bistro. When previous tenant The Barfly closed shop, young local real estate investor Helen Wong snapped up the space and gave it a modern facelift. The result is a funky, muted industrial space warmed with small splashes of juicy colour, innovative lighting design and two long, glowing fish tanks.
Assistant general manager Jemmie Li seated us. The chopsticks were tucked delicately into black linens and oversized glassware. All too often, the menus are given, the food is served and the table is cleared, with little more interaction than to order your food and give the nod that all is good. It was the complete opposite at Blowfish – as it states on the restaurant’s menus, "entrust us to take care of you." That is exactly what Li and Wong did for us throughout the meal. From wine and food recommendations to friendly chatter, we were very pleased.
I brought my most informed/experienced sushi friend L with me. L advised me in her most academic tone that the true test of a sushi restaurant is in the quality of the "toro," the belly of the tuna.
Li advised us that they were currently featuring the Blue Fin toro, the best of the best. Blowfish serves sushi pieces as duos ($8 for the toro), one served traditionally and the other enhanced by the chef. Our pieces were truly buttery tender and we enjoyed the chef’s choice to sear the second piece and top it with marinated diochin, a type of radish.
The pork and vegetable gyoza ($7) were perfectly cooked, soft with a slightly crisp fried exterior and thin, soy-flavoured sauce. We also tried the Blowfish special tempura ($13) that features a variety of melt-in-your-mouth seafood and vegetable pieces coated in a sweet and salty tempura batter. It comes with two dipping sauces and a special salt to drizzle over the food.
We shared some rolls, including the Cajun shrimp rolls ($11.50) and the Blowfish special roll ($14). The former was fantastic, featuring spicy shrimp wrapped in tempura and cooked, drizzled with a cool mango puree and a few homemade root chips. The latter was also very good, with more shrimp and cream cheese topped with a delicious piece of salmon.
As it got dark out, the candlelights got brighter, the ambient house beats got a little louder and the chic restaurant did its slow morph into a modern lounge. A group of girlfriends settled into the underlit bar for cocktails and appetizers as we wrapped up our delicious meal. Begging off the dessert recommendations, we paid $90 for food, two glasses of wine and tip.
We were certainly well taken care of and for those who’d like the ultimate in service, Blowfish offers Omakase, a Japanese tradition where the guest entrusts the chef to take care of them. For $69 per person, you’ll get a five-course meal of the chef’s selection. We’re saving this for our next visit,
Blowfish Sushi is located at #100-625 11th Avenue S.W.; phone, 237-8588. |
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