Chorney-Sales space: Shijo Café turns sushi flavours into new breakfast classics

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In Calgary, brunch tends to imply eggs, meat, some type of bread and, if we’re being sincere, not an entire lot of flavour. There are an growing variety of outliers popping up round city — the superb Asian/German dishes at Maven, the Filipino influences at Bro’Kin Yolk, and the Center Jap flavour at Park by Sidewalk Citizen — however most new brunch locations persist with the usual eggs benny or candy French toast with maple syrup. Whereas the consolation issue that comes with customary brunch dishes will be interesting, typically you simply need one thing extra attention-grabbing within the a.m. hours.

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Why not get pleasure from some sushi together with your morning cup of espresso?

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That’s the spirit behind Shijo Café, a brand new breakfast and lunch restaurant up within the northwest neighborhood of Royal Oak. If the identify “Shijo” sounds acquainted, it’s as a result of the café’s house owners Ziqiong Wu and Ding Chen Lu have additionally owned and operated Shijo Sushi on Kensington Street for the final decade. Enterprise at Shijo Sushi has been going nicely, however the couple weren’t pleased with simply providing the anticipated bento packing containers throughout daytime. A analysis journey to Japan gave them some concepts for various sorts of mid-day Japanese meals they usually started planning to open a café model of their restaurant whereas shifting Shijo Sushi to dinner service solely.

“We seen most individuals in Japan do breakfast in a really Western type of approach,” Wu says. “They often solely have a conventional breakfast with rice and different dishes on a protracted weekend or vacation. We needed to point out a distinct approach of placing Japanese sushi components right into a breakfast, which is turning into a development with youthful individuals in Japan.”

The couple arrange their second store in a big and trendy room situated in a brand new strip mall simply north of Nation Hills Boulevard. The 80-seat room units the tone for Shijo’s breakfast and sushi mashup with heat picket partitions and soft terracotta and cream-coloured seating. There’s additionally a grab-and-go pastry counter separate from the primary eating space the place prospects can decide up house-made baked items, a cup of espresso, or an on-tap kombucha.

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Lu’s menu does precisely as promised utilizing acquainted Japanese components and flavours in progressive methods. Key highlights embody soft-shell crab served with tempura kale, scrambled eggs, and hollandaise over house-made sourdough toast ($27), a play on a savoury Japanese okonomiyaki pancake with mushrooms, shrimp, and cabbage, adjusted to work with the feel of North American greens ($21), and eggs Benedict topped with wealthy miso pork stomach rather than bacon ($22). There are already a number of Japanese soufflé pancake homes in Calgary and quite than competing with these, Lu retains his fluffy pancakes pretty easy with fruit and a yogurt cream ($19) and goes savoury by topping the French toast with smoked salmon and tempura yam ($21) and pairing wholewheat waffles with tempura shrimp ($21).

If you happen to want a few of Shijo’s signature sushi, that’s on the menu too together with sushi home appetizers and rice bowls. Whereas Shijo Café does promote alcoholic drinks, Wu emphatically encourages me to pair a sushi roll with a cup of the café’s custom-roasted Ethiopian espresso. Stunningly, like all the opposite combos at Shijo Café, it truly actually works.

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Shijo Café is situated at #3120, 2 Royal Vista Hyperlink N.W. and will be reached by way of Instagram at @shijocafe.yyc. The restaurant is open each day from 8 a.m. to three p.m.

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Wine and Meals Pageant is returning to the BMO Centre this weekend, operating on Oct. 13 and 14. Cooks and winemakers from over 25 eating places and 225 wineries will probably be available to coach foods and drinks lovers and, after all, hand out some samples of their wares. A ticket to the occasion will get you thru the door, whereas sampling coupons will be bought on-site. There will probably be workshops, particular tastings, beer distributors for many who want a break from wine, and rather more. For tickets and extra info, go to rockymountainwine.com.

Lastly, some unhappy information in our native meals media panorama: meals author and former Metropolis Palate editor and co-founder Kathy Richardier handed away on Sept. 16 after a protracted sickness. Along with heading up “The Palate” as she was keen on calling it, Richardier wrote extensively for the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Solar for a few years. A neighborhood meals champion of the very best order, Richardier was a real pressure of nature with an uproarious snicker and an infectious curiosity, particularly when it got here to meals and the individuals who make it.

Richardier retired from writing in 2019 after 23 years at Metropolis Palate, however her spirit and affect in Calgary’s native meals and media scene proceed to make an influence. Richardier is survived by her husband Douglas Proctor and her daughter Chloe in addition to the thriving meals neighborhood that she did a lot to foster. She will probably be tremendously missed.

Elizabeth Chorney-Sales space will be reached at [email protected]. Comply with her on Instagram at @elizabooth.

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