Luscious, tender chunks of tuna will have you fighting with your friends for the last bite of Blüfish's tuna gomae-ae.
Blüfish
Address: 179 Bannatyne Avenue
Phone Number: 204-779-9888
Website: http://www.blufish.ca
Neighbourhood: East Exchange District
Winnipeg has a handful of consistently outstanding sushi restaurants where traditional Japanese cuisine is given its due yet there's enough room on the menu for modern reinterpretations.
Blüfish, in Winnipeg's East Exchange District, hits that sweet spot.
This polished and modern sushi house is a fan favourite among Winnipeg sushi lovers. Weekday lunches are consistently busy.
Servers are friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. Service is fast.
One caution: If you go with friends to Blüfish, you might leave a little bruised.
You won't want to share any of the rolls, sushi and signature dishes with your friends.
A visit to Blüfish is an exercise in elbows-out eating.
Start with tuna Goma-ae, a splendid affair of cubed maguro tuna and chunks of ripe avocado dressed lightly in a goma-ae (sesame) vinaigrette and tossed with black sesame seeds. You'll be fighting your tablemates for the last, melt-in-your-mouth tender piece of tuna.
Next dig into a plate of Blüfish Scallops, a signature dish that arrives at the table with flames licking the plate. Let the fire die (about 20 seconds or so) before diving into the tempura nuggets topped with a smear of Japanese aioli. These luscious (and hot!) scallop bites are worth devouring.
Meanwhile, sushi and rolls are well executed and delivered on plates and platters seemingly plucked from a design house or art gallery.
The rolls are equally as artful and use a colourful kaleidoscope of ingredients.
The Sunrise Roll will win over sushi ‘fraidy cats' with its gentle combination of avocado and yam tempura capped with salmon and dressed with the slightly sweet and salty soy tang of unagi sauce.
For a double dose of shrimp, try the Red Dragon roll, which houses shrimp tempura inside and steamed shrimp outside. Spicy mayo and unagi sauce are the final brushstrokes.
The Exchange Roll brings it all home with a cucumber avocado centre wrapped with salmon and tuna—a simple yet successful bite that showcases the straight-forward talent inside the sushi bar at Blüfish.
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