Izumi Sushi Yokozuna

posted on September 2, 2014 (updated on June 22, 2016)

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One of the most inconvenient things in Calgary is trying to find a restaurant on a holiday. We stumbled upon Izumi Sushi, a Japanese restaurant on Macleod Trail, when a group of us attempted to feed our hunger on a long weekend holiday back in February. We were almost drowning in tears when we finally found a place that was open.

The old, traditional Japanese decor delivered a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere. Maybe no one in the city actually dined out over the Family Day long weekend, we found ourselves were the only customers in this spacious restaurant. It was quite hectic when the 9 of us trying to figure out how and what to order. Nonetheless, the staff were exceptionally friendly and accommodating. At the end, we decided to divided ourselves up and order in small groups.

Kev and I ordered a regular-sized rupture roll ($15.95) to share with a friend. The roll contained avocado, cucumber, prawn tempura and masago (capelin roe) wrapped with salmon and tuna. Then, topped wtih green onions, sesame seeds, garlic chips and spicy sauce. Despite this being the regular size, the three of us were all astounded by its humongous portion. The roll itself would probably fill all of us up. The rice was too moist that they were all stuck together. In spite of all the ingredients, all I could taste were the rice and green onions.

Rupture roll

Kev ordered the chirashi don ($17.95). Tasting the sashimi, he found that some pieces were still quite frozen. The kitchen didn’t thaw the seafood completely before it was served! We could also tell from the color that the seafood was not fresh…

Chirashi don

I opted for a bowl of tempura udon ($12.95). The tempura portion was quite small. I was only given 2 fried prawns and a piece of fried veggie. They tasted cripsy, but the dipping sauce was too sweet for me. As for the soup, the seafood broth was lightly flavored. But the noodles were over-cooked- too soft and soggy.