Winnipeg Free Press: March 04, 2011
By Marion Warhaft

The art of sushi

Superstar chef Makoto Ono is back at Edohei and he's creating masterpieces for the eye as well as the tongue

WITH a new sushi restaurant popping up almost every week, on almost every corner, you need a reason for choosing one over the other. And there’s one heck of a good reason for making it Edohei. Yes, I know it’s been around for years, but it has always been one of the best. It’s the place, in fact, where many local sushi chefs trained under the father of them all — sushi master Sadao Ono.

Sadao Ono is still there, but so, these days, is his most illustrious trainee -- his real-life son and Winnipeg's own culinary superstar, Makoto Ono. A few years ago Makoto put Gluttons on the map, and was later crowned gold medalist at the 2006 Golden Plates Canadian Culinary Championship, outclassing celebrity chefs from points east and west.

He has since operated restaurants in Beijing and Hong Kong (and still has toes in two Hong Kong restaurants) but expects to be here for a year, at least. Possibly longer. In the meantime, he has returned to his cooking roots, but creating inventive new twists on Japanese classics.

There are several ways to orchestrate a meal here. You can order familiar foods from the regular menu, and you should. Nigiri sushi are $2 to $3 a piece, with rolls from $5.50 to $13 -- a tad higher than some others, but so is the quality. The simple nigiri sushi are a perfect balance of moist, flavourful rice topped by dewy slices of sweet-fleshed fish. Or you can have the eponymous Edohei roll, which combines assorted fish with tobiko roe, avocado and cucumber ($10). And shrimp tempura don't come any better than these plump, juicy ones in ethereally lacy and utterly greaseless batter ($9.50).

Alternately, you can add a few of the above to a number of Makoto's daily specials, which are characterized by clean, fresh flavours and anastonishing attention to detail (most $5 to $14). My first mouthful among them was the mind-blowing mushroom soup -- a dairy-less but substantial purée with the earthy flavour of several different kinds of mushrooms, floating a myriad of tiny enokis, and garnished on the side with tempura fried criminis, which were lovely on their own and even better after a dip in the soup.

The first fish dish that night was near-see-through slices of flounder, decorated with little swirls of daikon, moistened by a clear vinagrette of puréed Japanese plum and crunchy with the occasional grain of maldon sea salt. It was exquisite. In fact, exquisite was a word that kept coming to mind for such other stunners as cubes of red tuna with seaweed in soy and sesame-seasoned vinegar; snapper carpaccio with slivers of apple and a dijon-spiked, citrusy ponzu; and horse mackerel tataki with ginger and scallions -- my least favourite dish, actually, but only, because mackerel is my least favourite fish.

On other nights the featured specials might include cured salmon with cucumber in a soy and saki-seasoned shiso crème fraiche; a caesar salad garnished with torched red tuna; snapper or hamachi with grapefruit segments and shaved fennel in a ginger emulsion.

For a truly special treat, put yourself in Makoto's hands and opt for an omakase tasting menu. It will vary in price, usually from $60 to $75, depending on the number of courses and kinds of ingredients, and should be ordered two days in advance. Then be prepared for course after little course of whatever ingredients he thinks are best on that particular day.

Our $75 dinner started with four amuse bouches. The first was tuna tartare topped by crunchy orange roe in a light, clear dashi sauce, followed by salmon lomi lomi with bits of tomato and cilantro, and then little tempura of flounder with shiso greens. The most astonishing of them, possibly, was the hamachi cubes with cucumber under a ball of shaved wasabi flavoured ice -- a little wasabi goes a long way with me, but I could have gone on eating that one forever, and then lapped it up as it melted.

But those were just the mini-starters. Dinner proper started with a kind of cole slaw topped by minimal shavings of foie gras in a plum wine gastrique, and was followed by scallops seared to the precise second in a clear mushroom-dashi broth, and then by nigiri sushi of albacore, salmon and flounder and two maki sushi of barbecued eel, avocado and strips of omelette.

The meal progressed in degrees of richness, culminating in moist, fabulously flavourful pan-roasted quail brushed with a film of citrus-miso sauce and garnished with strips of eggplant and fennell. The finale was a velvety panna cotta in a gossamer green tea sauce, topped by little red beans.

The wine list is short, and mostly Canadian, but there are eight sakes to choose from, and an assortment of Japanese beers. Service is impeccable, and the setting is serene and charming, with typically Japanese sleek lines and polished blonde woods accented by a stunning ceiling of back-lit glass panels, a huge Hiroshige on one wall, and attractive artifacts on others.

There are areas where you can eat in traditional, shoeless fashion, but if you choose a conventional table and chairs you'll be very comfortable.

Edohei is open for dinner only at present, from Wednesday to Sunday, but will be open for lunch as well in a few weeks.

WHERE Magazine: May/June 2008 Issue

The best way to catch up with your girlfriends is over sake and maki at Edohei. Winnipeg's pioneer of sushi Chef Sadao Ohno celebrates 20 years of hospitality at his downtown location. The city's current Japanese food culture all started with this man. Try the omakase, a multi-course dining extravaganza that puts chef in charge of your party's menu. Sit back and let Chef Sadao take care of you.

Mouthfuls of Magic

WHERE Magazine - Winnipeg

What's the latest? the jaded reader asks, hoping I can offer something new, something exciting, something different.

I rack my brains and come up with nothing - I'm happy enough just finding food that is good, even if it resembles much of the other good food in the city. But new? Exciting? Different? That, I tell him, is rare in these parts. But that was before I learned about Makato Ohno's wizardry in the kitchen at Edohei.

Ohno has returned to Winnipeg after studies in Vancouver, and working stints at such fabled Michelin-starred London (England) restaurants as Mirabelle and Vong. The latter is owned by world-renowned, superstar chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whose initial reputation was based on French cooking with Asian influences. Makato is blazing his own personal trail and infusing his Japanese culinary heritage with French influences.

Masterful

The results are stunning, almost worth five stars for sheer ambition alone, and certainly for his masterful execution of beautifully conceived dishes. Only those who are passionate about even obsessed by their craft, could cook like this. And they don't come along often.

Makoto cut his gastronomic teeth at Edohei under the tutelage of his father, under whom many of the city's other sushi chefs also trained, and to this day, Sadao Ohno's sushi are still among the finest, the freshet, the most flavourful I have found. Recently I shared a half order ($7.95) of the House Special, a combination of flying fish roe, salon, tuna, scallops, clam, avocado and cucumber, so delicious I could probably have demolished the full order ($13.50) on my own.

Sushi apart, there have been dramatic changes on the rest of the menu. Many former listings have vanished, such old standards as chawan mushi, sukiyaki, or shabu shabu, although regulars know that some of their favourites will be made on request. Not, it turned out, my favourite breaded pork tonkatsu (there was no pork in the kitchen, although it does show on on the lunch menu) but yes, we could have deep-fried soft shell crabs (understandably, since they would have to be on hand for the spider roll).

Never mind. Whatever you do you have will surprise and delight you, especially if you put yourself in Makato's hands and try his omakase chef's choice dinner, ($45 each, for a minimum of two), which is his Japanese equivalent of a French tasting menu. One bite and I was bowled over, entering a state of excitement that increased from course to course, and lasted through two subsequent meals.

The omakase dinners will vary from day to day; ours opened with a skewer of seared, pepper-crusted tuna paired with caramelized apples, and went onto a scallop ceviche with crunchy wonton chips dusted with black sesame seeds and slivers of seaweed. Then came a square of seared salmon crowned by a mini -slice of very rare foie gras-too rare actually, for my taste, its flavour overwhelmed by even the admittedly light teriyaki sauce.

The meal became a bit of a blur, but I do remember sushi of shrimp with mango, avocado, and cucumber, scorched fatty tuna, halibut and baby yellow tail in a balsamic glaze, followed by asparagus wrapped in thin slices of beef, paired with shrimp, and cream cheese tempura. And a memorable finale - the ne plus ultra of desserts, a little alabaster cup of sumptuous lightly gingered, richly creamy creme brulee, with a slice of firm and slightly winey fruit gelatin at it's side.

Although the number of courses may sound intimidating, the portions are truly tiny. In any case, there are several interesting a la carte alternatives, such as the superb tuna tartare sparked by the saline crunch of flying fish row ($8). Or a warm spinach salad in a garlicky soy dressing dotted by thin slices of sweet, tender squid and shiitaki mushrooms ($8). Or two big baked tiger shrimp, each topped by a sea urchin ($12). Or crunchily deep-fried tiny frog legs ($7.50).

Set Dinners

There are also a few set dinners, among them a fabulously flavourful roasted duck breast in a sake maple glaze ($21, or, on request, $18 without the soup, rice and ice cream). Also such a la carte standards as moist, gingery gyoza pork dumplings ($4.80), or yakiniku thin slices of beef sizzling on a skillet. Or, for that matter, conventional tempura (i.e. without cream cheese,which , in fact I prefer) of gosamer-battered shrimp that were the juiciest and tastiest I can remember ($9.50).

That great creme brulee is on the a la carte menu too, and there's also a dark, chocolatey fondant paired with green tea ice cream ($5.50 each). There's sake for those who like it - my preferred tipple is Japanese plum wine with soda.

Could I pick a nit? Yes, the menu could use more translations and clearer explanations of some of the dishes. But the service is excellent, the Japanese setting is charming and cozy, with a little lush garden of greenery just inside the entrance, and a ramble of gently lit rooms offering both tatami seating and conventional tables and chairs.

As for the food, it's a marvel of harmony, balance and beauty - not quite fusion (an overworked term, in any case), and if the term nouvelle hadn't become passe, nouvelle Japanese might be appropriate. But by any name, it just doesn't get much better than this.

Restaurant Offers Quality, Quantity

By Marion Warhaft
Free Press Correspondent

This months' weather calls for serious consolation. And although Autopac payments now are staggered throughout the year, those post-holiday bills aren't, so that consolation had better not be expensive.

Expensive is relative, however - you'll pay a lot less for perogies, for instance, than you will for seafood. But the following restaurants' seafood dinners are genuine bargains, for both quality and quantity.

Edohei (355 Ellice Ave.) offers a $21.95 special lobster dinner (available indefinitely, for a minimum of two) in a spacious, attractive setting. Also available is a special crab dinner (unsampled) at $22.95.

Service by kimono-clad waitresses is efficient, possibly too efficient - finish one course and the next appears almost immediately. You might ask them to slow down since this dinner is a multi-course affair. Even before it starts there is the gracious gesture for a complimentary appetizer du jour - in our case, two mini-slices of smoked pork.

The courses, although many, are managable since portions are small and all the food is light. There isn't a lot of lobster, but there are lots of other things; you won't come away hungry. Course one is a cold custard moistened by lemon juice. This is followed by lobster claws with sunomono - a refreshing salad of translucent vermicelli and cucumber slices in a delicate vinegar dressing - and then by subtle-flavoured miso shiru soup, dotted by cubes of tofu.

Everything else arrives on a single platter with a side bowl of rice and two little saucers of soy-based dipping sauces. This course would be even better if the hot and cold items were served consecutively, so the hot parts would remain hot while you consume the cold.

The cold part of the platter is raw seafood - pearly nuggets of lobster on seaweed - wrapped sushi and as sashimi, along with slices of salmon and chunks of tuna, all succulent. These are garnished by sinus-clearing green wasabi mustard and paper-thin slices of pink pickled ginger.

The hot foods are shrimp and vegetable tempura - crispy, greaselessly fried in fragile batter and a lobster shell stuffed with an almost creamy mixture of shrimp, crab and lobster.

The only dessert is ice cream - a bit of a let down, but by that time you won't much care. Tea is extra. Closed Mondays.

WHERE Magazine: September/October 2004 Issue

The number of sushi restaurants and takeout places in Winnipeg has exploded in the last few years. It's become so popular that grocery stores all over town offer freshly made maki rolls. Yet it was not that long ago that Sadao Ohno of Edohei was the only sushi chef in town. In 1988 he opened his ground-breaking downtown sushi emporium, bringing with him a consummate background in traditional Japanese sushi legerdemain. Having apprenticed at the legendary Edohei Tokyo he arrived in Winnipeg as a sushi missionary.

At the time Ohno-san faced many challenges. He had to educate suppliers as to the intricacies of fresh seafood, inspire customers to try this new type of food, and train sushi chefs to work at his level.

After fourteen years in business it's clear that he was successful on all fronts. Today seafood suppliers bring in ever fresher and more exotic fruits of the sea, while the number of sophisticated sushi aficionados has grown exponentially. In recent years a number of Ohno's apprentices have gone on to open their own establishments in the city, which has led to a new challenge: competition. In response to this next generation of sushi chefs Chef Ohno has given more responsibility to his own progeny, the supremely talented Makoto Ohno.

The father/son team works together, consistently turning out some of the finest sushi in Canada. While Makoto learned the art of sushi from his father, he describes his cooking style as personal cuisine; reflecting Japanese culinary heritage, Canadian youthful favourites (note the bacon lettuce tomato roll on the menu), and top-notch formal training in Michelin-starred French restaurants in Britain.

The younger Ohno has infused Edohei's menu with some of those French influences, including frog legs karaage and seared foie gras. There is also an innovative lobster dinner, which includes boiled lobster claw served cold, lobster salad, raw lobster sashimi, and the lobster head baked, with chopped scallop, shrimp and crab. But what he wants to do next is to engage Winnipeggers fully in his culinary quest, and this is best done by omakase, which literally means "choose for me". To foodies, omakase means "astonish me", and that is exactly what Makoto will do. Omakase includes dishes not featured on the regular menu, yet doesn't need to be ordered in advance. However, if you want to give the chef some time to assemble specific ingredients call in advance, and if you want to spend more, you certainly can. The six or seven course-meal is prepared for $45 per person. By contrast, the omakase at the newly opened Masa in New York's Time Warner Centre is $500US.

At Edohei each plate of omakase is a small taste, artfully prepared and elegantly presented. Cold cucumber soup is frothed to give it a rich mouth feel and an elegant texture. A few drops of oil float on the surface, creating an artistic pattern. The salad consists of shaved greens and seafood served in a wine glass. Bison, a Manitoba regional specialty, is popular here and is served raw and thinly sliced as sashimi. But it can also appear seared and succulently accented with soy caramel sauce.

One of the things that Makoto tries to do is engage all of the senses. Certainly visual appeal is a Japanese culinary trademark. And the taste of everything he does is sublime. But texture is also highlighted, such as the pairing of two ebi (shrimp) on the sushi course: one set raw atop vinegar rice, all silky and supple; the other cooked, and paired with avocado, offering a firm counterpoint to the first. More textural playfulness occurs in a buttery foie gras sushi topped with grilled unagi (eel), while ahi sashimi is paired with caramelized apple to match the textures.

Where to Eat in Canada

The Edohei has been completely redecorated and now has several tatami rooms, where waitresses kneel to take your order. Or, if you prefer, you can sit at the open bar and watch the chef at work.

The menu is familiar but extremely well handled. There's a variety of sashimi and all the usual sushi: ikua (salmon roe), mirugai (clam), kaibashira (scallop), sake (salmon), amaebi (sweet shrimp), unagi (eel).

The shrimp (our favorite) is translucent and tender, beautifully fresh. The tempura (shrimp or vegetable) is thin and feathery as magic. There's also a light, clear fish soup (made with fresh red snapper) and an inviting chawan mushi (steamed egg custard with chicken, seafood and vegetables).

They have Gekkeikan sake, Kirin and Sapporo beer, Suntory and Japanese whiskey. Edohei is well appointed, with cool service and an elegant kitchen.

Open Tuesday to Friday 11:30 am to 2 pm, 5 pm to 10 pm, Saturday and Sunday 5 pm to 10 pm. Closed on Monday. Licensed. Amex, Master Card, Visa and Interac available. Wheel chair access.