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Saturday, May 02, 2009
Yummy Mummy Sushi
Sometimes Knox craves fish. Raw fish. Sure, once in a while I liked a well-prepared piece of cooked fish, especially in an island atmosphere where a chef who knows what he's doing can put together some great, fresh island fish, but I always prefer my fish raw. Sushi or sashimi in virtually any and every form tickles my fancy. Hell, even Costco ahi sashimi in Maui makes my palate dance.
However, with the exception of the West Coast (read Vancouver), Western Canada can be a grim place when it comes to fresh, well-cut raw fish. Lac Le Biche has a commercial fishery, and I don't mind the pickerel that comes out of there and is for sale at the Calgary Farmers' Market, but you won't find a good sushi joint on the main drag in town. You will however find fantastic food at the rear dining room in the Le Biche Inn, but I digress.
Calgary has a few solid sushi places though. Sushi Hiro, Zen 8 and the overrated Globefish all provide a decent inland sushi experience. Edmonton's Mikado and the Tokyo Noodle Shop on Whyte Avenue can also satisfy a fish craving. None of these places are anything to write home about though, so when a friend told me that he had a secret sushi place in Calgary that served some of the best and oddly, cheapest, sushi in town I was skeptical. When I heard that it was located in a Glamorgan strip mall (beside the famous Mountain View Bowling Alley) confidence did not flow. When he said that the place was called something like "Yummy Mummy Sushi", I must say that I was intrigued, but still not optimistic. That said, I agreed to go and indeed, I am glad that I did.
Momoyama Sushi (sadly, not "Yummy Mummy Sushi") is a small space in the previously mentioned strip mall that is neither fancy, nor terribly well-appointed. There are a handful of tables and a small sushi bar that seats about 10 if I recall correctly. Upon being warmly greeted and sitting down I caught a glance of the sushi chef (and owner I believe), hard at work with his dyed blond mane fluttering as he worked on the fish before him. The man showed prowess and bore a striking resemblance to a Japanese Bruce Hart, who was one half of the legendary Stampede Wrestling tag team "Bad Company" (the other half being the deceased former Calgary Stampeder - "Flyin'" Brian Pillman). It was an unconventional, but sharp, look. We ordered our sushi, a mix of sushi and sashimi, both conventional and on the edge.
All of it was fan-damn-tastic. The fish was super-fresh, the cuts were generous and expertly done and the service was near perfect. It was as good of a sushi experience as a guy could expect and dare I say, was as good as any sushi that I've had on the West Coast (modern jet planes are a seafood miracle). Without question, this is Calgary's best and true to my friend's word - among the cheapest - sushi that your man Knox has had the pleasure of sampling. I will be back to Yummy Mummy Sushi often and, like Homer Simpson, will wear my "eatin' pants".
Posted by Knox Harrington on May 2, 2009 in Food and Drink | Permalink
Comments
This is a great review, Knox.
Well done.
I'm going to check this place out tomorrow, with my special "eatin' pant" with the elastic waist band.
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2009-05-02 1:04:41 AM
i was sold until i googled them - see link above.
Posted by: dan | 2009-05-03 1:21:54 AM
actually see link below - under dan
Posted by: dan | 2009-05-03 1:23:47 AM
Danny my man, a few comments in reply.
First, the government doesn't tell Knox where to eat.
Second, a place that has been beaten up by the inspectors is now probably the safest place in the world to eat.
Third, the alleged incidents were 3 months ago and that's close to an eternity. Quit living in the past.
Fourth, and most importantly, the place is goddamn delicious. I may head there again tonight....
Posted by: Knox Harrington | 2009-05-03 6:19:52 PM
"First, the government doesn't tell Knox where to eat."
Ahem to that, Knox. You tell those fat cats in Washington that if they don't like it, they can....
"Third, the alleged incidents were 3 months ago and that's close to an eternity. Quit living in the past."
Yeah. How long does the average maggot fly live, anyway? Three days? Rats have better longevity. There were no rats, were there?
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2009-05-03 9:33:28 PM
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