Where to find great sushi on a budget

Good morning,

Good spirits seemed to abound last evening at the Lansdowne Christmas Market. It’s certainly more established and festive looking than just a few years ago. I’ll have a few images for you below.

There will be two more newsletters before the New Year’s rockets go off including a year-end summation on Dec. 29. Part of that list will include a restaurant that came as one of the biggest surprises of the year. You can expect that report in this Thursday's Insider.

Let’s get started.

Ralf Joneikies, food and drink editor. [email protected]

REVIEW

Quality sushi on a budget

• Name + address: Sushi Umi 1311 Wellington St. W.

• Type of food: Japanese

• Appetizers: $3.50-$14.99

• Mains: $12.99-$23.99

• Lunch Specials: $14.99-$39.99

• Diet: Meat, seafood, vegetarian

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes, washrooms downstairs

• LCBO Licensed: No

• Website Sushi Umi

People who read this newsletter must sometimes smile and think, “Yes Ralf, we know. This restaurant has been around for a while.” That's likely the case here but in my defense I'll say that Sushi Umi is a tiny slip of a restaurant and while I've driven past it dozens of times, I've only just seen it recently. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try a new — to me — sushi place, so I popped in.

It's a small space seating about a dozen or so at most. They do their best to manage what they have to work with but there is a bit of clutter at the far end towards the kitchen. 

For a kitchen that size they offer an impressive array of maki rolls and 18 varieties of sushi and sashimi. Their cooked fare is limited to four bento boxes and four different udon dishes.

They also have four different lunch specials each day and I was pleasantly surprised that both the portions and quality were what even an experienced sushi aficionado would appreciate. The accompanying miso soup was good and no different than what you find at almost all Japanese eateries.

I don't recall how or when this started, but I need to have two pieces of Ika (squid) sashimi with every Japanese meal. I can see myself lying on my deathbed and having this be the great life mystery I try to solve. 

Ideally Ika will be tender, resolving to an almost sweet creamy texture as you chew. It's easy to serve Ika that's too tough, but at Umi they have enough respect for both the fish and the customer that they give you something fresh.

In fact, all the nigiri and maki were on point, leaving me putting a mental pin on this part of Ottawa’s sushi map. 

Lastly, I found the service both gracious and friendly but I couldn't leave before taking away a little souvenir from my visit: a jar of their excellent ginger salad dressing. Umi has a variety of delicious take-away dressings and marinades including a kimchi made for them by a Korean friend.

For a quick lunch or take home dinner, Sushi Umi is a happy find for those who want quality on a budget.

Here's some other stories you might like:

• Ottawa’s best sushi reopens as takeout only

• Affordable, high quality sushi makes this a must-visit spot

• Japanese highlights around Ottawa you need to check out

• Green Fresh offers downtown residents high-quality Asian groceries

CHRISTMAS MARKET

Food, drinks and crafts making spirits bright

Christmas markets, as we know them today, first appeared in the Saxon town of Bautzen (now famous for mustard production) in 1384. Markets back then sold only meat but thankfully evolved to other things such as handmade crafts and baked goods.

Centuries later churches would encourage markets to take place next door to encourage the public to attend services, but they soon found themselves competing against the markets. The tradition of gift giving traces its roots back to this symbiotic relationship.

We are fortunate in Ottawa to have an ever-expanding outdoor Christmas market with a few of the sights you will find in markets throughout Germany. It makes for a warming image to see rows of wooden huts, some festooned in lights, welcoming patrons to inspect the goods for sale.

It's a bit of home and unlike other cities in Canada, it's free.

It's always been offensive to me that cities such as Vancouver and Toronto charge for admission to attend what is ultimately a people’s festival. Yes, for some there is a traditional religious component to the experience, but it's also about all of us coming together in a darkened time of year to create our own light. Charging admission for such moments is as close to cynical as it gets.

My first time at the Lansdowne Christmas market years ago, I recall seeing just one food vendor: a jerk chicken place. I laughed. 

Now the offerings are greater with cider and cake ball huts, wood carvers, soap makers, fried spiral potatoes and spirits of all kinds. 

Curiously absent from the proceedings is anything remotely German. I did find one hut named The Little German Baker out of Perth that produces some rather good soft pretzels. According to one of the owners they are set to open a storefront in Carleton Place this coming February.

Given the attendance, it's obvious that there is interest from the public and I expect this market will only grow in the coming years.

There are warming and seating stations throughout the enthusiastically decorated corridors with the laughing and crying of children only adding to the color. How courageous they then became as they stood in line waiting for Santa. It's as it should be.  

If you've not yet been, get out there. Even if all you take away are a few photos and the memory of meeting good people, it will have been worth the effort.

Insider Edition

(Members Only) Fresh pasta makes this restaurant an Ottawa institution

This story is for Insider members only. Become an Insider today to get access to some amazing perks. 

Ottawa has a number of legendary Italian institutions: Sala San Marco, DiRienzo Deli, Mama Teresa’s and this restaurant that was reviewed last week.

Every city, town and village needs a restaurant like this. It’s the type of restaurant that, decade after decade, delivers well-prepared food with friendly prices and friendly service. It’s a place where folks can bring elderly members of their families and everyone can have their culinary needs met.

Discover Ottawa's hidden gems before anyone else

See that review above? The entire story is only available to Insider members.

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Becoming an Insider member also helps us with our end-of-year crowdfunding campaign. Your membership fund Ralf's restaurant reviews, the food he tries from local restaurants, gas and other expenses (running an independent media company isn't cheap!).

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