Sushi & Ramen at Yujiro

Perhaps this is becoming something of a tradition now. After the most recent night of call, I forced myself up from the post-call slumber in search of food. Opening up my refrigerator, I found nothing appetizing in there, and began to search Urbanspoon for possible lunch locations. Yujiro had been on my bucket list of places to go to. Featuring fresh fish and authentic ingredients, many raved about the quality of this establishment. With a renewed sense of energy, I made the quarter hour drive to Yujiro.

Yujiro is located in River Heights close to a strip mall. It still amazes me where the best restaurants end up and how they end up there. Without word of mouth, I would not have ever considered dining here.

A nice touch are wooden re-usable chopsticks. Not only do they give a sense of authenticity, but is environmentally friendly. The complimentary hand wipe is also welcome, although some more upscale Japanese restaurants dole out warm hand towels to their customers.

I ended up ordering two lunch sets. Both came with a starter Vegi salad and the bento came with a Miso soup. The salad was nice, crisp and light with the ponzu dressing. The soup was above average with a nice miso flavour.

I cannot resist the temptation to order ramen. This Miso Ramen features a large bowl of noodles topped with sliced pork, half-boiled egg, marinated bamboo shoots and seawood in a rich miso broth. The broth was the real winner here! Wonderful rich, smooth and bursting with savoury flavour, it was the best rendition of miso soup I have had in Winnipeg.

The BBQ Saba Bento was on special ($1 cheaper) today so I had to order it. The most impressive part of their special bentos is the amount of fresh fish. Going clockwise from the fish, you have a nice portion of BBQ Mackerel, Assorted Sashimi, Tekka Maki (tuna roll), Light Seared Tuna in soy and oranges for dessert.

The Mackerel was very well done. Wonderfully cooked, intentionally non-seasoned, you really get an appreciation for the subtle sweetness of the fish. Make sure to accentuate it with the lemon!

I also wanted to take some time to focus on the assorted sashimi. Two thick pieces of salmon, three of tuna (both white and red), and one scallop. I was immediately impressed by the quality, size of cuts and freshness of the fish. Plump, juicy, flavorful, this was among the best sashimi I have had in Winnipeg. Highly recommended.