Apr. 19, 2006 - Issue #548: Spring Style 2006
It was a regular sushi/sashimi bonanza, etiquette be damned!
This was lost on my roommate and I, however, as we stumbled raucously into Furusato on a chilly Tuesday night, ready to eat our body weights in raw fish.
Furusato means “hometown” in Japanese, and as someone who spent more than a year in Japan, I did feel quite at home. Furusato is pretty darned authentic, despite the relatively dignified tables and chairs. At least I didn’t have to twist myself into contortions on a tatami mat as I so often had, trying appear “ladylike” when eating out in Japan (I failed).
Wooden beams framed the dining room, fitted together in traditional Japanese architectural fashion—no nails, just exquisite attention to engineering detail.
We immediately tucked into two big Japanese beers. I assured my roommate that being drunk in public is socially acceptable for men in Japan; I added we could make allowances for gender parity and still remain true to the rules of etiquette.
I ordered a 500ml bottle of Asahi Super Dry, while he opted for the Sapporo ($7.95 each). Asahi Super Dry is the Japanese beer of choice for a sushi/sashimi bonanza. It is the lightest-tasting lager, with the least hint of hops. It sounds boring, but since a subtle mix of flavours is the goal with Japanese food, a heavy beer steals the thunder. Furusato’s menu held all the usual Japanese trappings: tempura, sushi, sashimi, maki and all the weird cones and inside-out rolls that seem to be the rage in North American Japanese restaurants. (I view the trend with haughty contempt.)
We nosily considered our neighbours’ tempura, but were more intrigued by the specials written crookedly on the white board above the sushi prep counter.
There are two things in the world I will not eat: both were on the specials menu. I have tried both barbecued eel and raw sea urchin (uni) on several occasions, only to be thoroughly grossed out.
To me, uni tastes like old socks. Eel is worse. I felt bad for judging Furusato based only on my Japanese experiences; I am sure that they do a mean sea urchin and barbecued eel, but I just couldn’t bring myself to try either.
The grilled sea bass ($18.99) entrée looked like a keeper, however. We ordered it, along with a handpicked selection of sashimi and two appetizers: edamame (steamed soy beans, $3.95) and barbecued squid ($7.95).
The edamame arrived almost immediately and provided the one inauthentic moment in our Furusato experience.
Japanese pub/restaurants typically put a bowl of salted, steamed, still-warm soy beans in front of their customers as soon as they sit down. The salt makes people down their beer faster. Our edamame had no salt, and they came out steaming hot, rather than warm.
Instead of sea salt, which we asked for and received a confused look from the server in return, we substituted a liberal application of table salt. If the Japanese want us to drink more beer by consuming inordinate quantities of salt, we will oblige.
But let’s not quibble over details. A bowl of miso soup arrived, and it was no packaged, msg-laden substitute. I was duly impressed by the taste of real dashi.
The barbecued squid was also made with quality ingredients; no rubber shoes here, folks, just melty-smooth, squiddy goodness. The apps were rounded out with a free bean sprout salad dropped off by our efficient server.
It was around this time that I noticed our first egregious transgression of Japanese etiquette—we had completely ignored the hot towels placed on our table. The hot towels are for wiping the hands (not the face) before one digs in, but I have rarely seen them in Edmonton. A nice touch; too bad it was wasted on ruffians like us.
The main course arrived quickly. We put the two entrées in the middle and went to town. Sea bass has got to be the steak of fish, and the good people at Furusato don’t mess around. A light basting of butter and garlic was just enough to give the dense, impressive fish a bit of kick. The entrée was accompanied by a bowl of white rice and a large helping of salad. Given the usual priciness of sea bass, $18.99 was an excellent value.
Our assortment of sashimi—tuna, smoked salmon, scallop, octopus, and red snapper for $20—was similarly well received. I was disappointed that toro was out of stock that night, since the fatty belly tuna is usually considerably more expensive than other sashimi on most Japanese menus. At Furusato it was the same $4 for two pieces.
I got over my despondency when I downed the first piece of maguro, a regular cut of ordinary tuna. It was as fresh as the finest sashimi on Kyushu—high praise for a restaurant in the middle of the bald-assed prairie.
Again, subtlety was lost on our North American palates as we loaded up on wasabi and completely blew our doors off. Through streaks of tears, my roommate offered his take on the various pieces of fish: the octopus was merely above average, while the scallop was divine. I generally judge a Japanese restaurant by the relative chewiness of its red snapper and octopus. Furusato passed the test.
We wrapped up the meal with the one dessert offering on the menu, a scoop of green tea ice cream ($1.75). Don’t expect some bland, greenish vanilla ice cream—this is the real deal, with all the earthy glory of real Japanese green tea.
My roommate and I settled in to one more beer each and called it a night. When we left shortly before 8, the restaurant was full and there was a bit of wait; not bad for a Tuesday. After a $70 bill plus tax and tip, we went home and made way for two more (likely better behaved) customers. V
Tue - Thu to 9:30 pm, Fri - Sat to 10 pm, Sun to 9 pm
Furusato
10012 - 82 Avenue
439.1335
More info about Furusato Japanese Restaurant →
New comments for this entry have been turned off and any existing ones are hidden. We apologize for any inconvenience.
