Japanese highlights around town

It’s long been curious to me how you can be from one culture but be so thoroughly smitten with another. Perhaps it’s not odd at all but it isn’t easy being a Japanophile in Ottawa. It is, however, getting a little more interesting. So here’s a list of places, some known, some unknown, that will help you to indulge.

Mergi Shop

Located at 382 Rideau St., Mergi Shop opened last year and offers a large variety of Japanese (along with a sprinkling of Chinese and Korean) beverages, sweets and savouries. Yes, it includes cult faves like a considerable selection of crazy Kit Kat flavours and potato chips such as beef & sea urchin. They also offer a variety of frozen foods like the Japan-raised A5 Wagyu beef at an eye-popping $35 per 100 grams. This is fun shopping.

Eden's Café

When you enter 329 A Elgin St., you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve walked into a hair or nail salon. When you get inside, you’re met by a maze of greenery that gives way to an espresso bar, more greenery, and then a fridge that holds sake and Japanese beer. Of course. Why not? At the moment they carry only sake from a brewery I was privileged to visit and that ranks among Japan’s finest: Masumi. You’re not at the wrong address.

C’est Japon a Suisha

The Grandfather of Japanese fine dining in Ottawa is C’est Japon a Suisha (formerly Suisha Gardens. Owner Mike is still helming this august institution at 208 Slater St. He's worked there since the 1980s, and has owned it since 1995. He hasn’t aged much and I’ll put that down to his decades of teaching the martial art Kendo. It’s little wonder that with attentive service, the downstairs water features, tatami rooms, and emphasis on quality fish, this is the destination for Japanese dignitaries. It is fine dining without the stuffiness and it still taps my value-for-money experiences in Ottawa.

Shinka Sushi

Shinka Sushi offers a slightly modern twist on sushi with an emphasis on broad variety (although many of its offerings are not always available) and freshness. The restaurant is in the process of moving, but you can visit them at their temporary location at 281 Kent St. for takeout. They also have delivery in rotating neighbourhoods throughout town, which they announce every week on their Facebook page. Their prices are stratospheric and I consider them outside of reasonable compared to top-level Japanese dining in Vancouver. Their food is very good but you need to have a casual attitude to your pocketbook to make this a regular haunt. Shinka is clearly an EAR (Expense Account Restaurant). When you see one piece of uni nigiri on the menu for $16, you know you’re in the hands of experts of a different sort.

Orchid Sushi

Orchid Sushi, located at 445 Laurier Ave. W, has an awkwardly shaped dining area that does not make for inviting dining. It is, however, a preferred go-to for takeaway. While not the most cost-effective of Japanese takeaways it proffers with regularity, a high-quality standard in both presentation and freshness. You’ll find some inventive rolls and I do suggest you indulge in the rice paper wrapped shrimp salad roll, cut into maki pieces. I never complete an order without it. Their tuna and salmon tartare are also worthy of repeat visits.