We cheated.Sort of.
We said to each other that we would try to focus on NEW places, places we have only driven by or some we haven't even heard of. Well, its only review #3 and we have cheated. We went to an old favorite. In our defence though, it fits EVERY other criteria: its within a 3 block radius and its not a big chain (there are two restaurants in Edmonton).
Kyoto is a place that we enjoyed often during our dating days when Heath would come to the city on the weekend hungry for something different and unavailable in Lloydminster. We would often wander into the Japanese restaurant for sushi and warm miso soup as well as delicious bento boxes full of goodies. It occured to us as we walked in today that we hadn't been there in a couple of years due to finding a place on Whyte Ave that we loved for a while, and then an unfortunate sushi "accident" that landed me (Jess) in the emergency room before a final exam. I have been slow to warm up to the idea of raw tuna since, but today I was feeling a bit impulsive, so decided to give it another go.
We wandered into the restaurant around 3 in the afternoon, thinking it would be pretty dead on a long weekend Sunday. We. Were. Wrong. Apparently Lupper is a new thing in Edmonton and we are the last to catch on! The place was packed! We were able to get a cozy booth on the far side of the restaurant though and were quickly seated amongst the new decor.
The server took a while to come over to our table, but in her defence she was the only server in the restaurant and must have had at least 15 tables. When she did come over, she took our order quickly for food and drinks and miraculously returned in lightning speed with two diet cokes. I honestly don't know how she managed to put the order in and pick them up and deliver them in that short of time! Soon afterwards, she was back with a smile on her face and a couple of bowls of soup and bean sprout salad that come complementary with every meal. The miso soup was the same as I remembered, warm but not scalding, and with a lighter form of miso that lended a savory and slighly salty taste. The bean sprout salad was doused in what tasted like miso and ponzu sauce and was deliciously peppery. We devoured both in minutes and were greeted by our mains just in time for the last bite.Heath ordered a beef rice bowl that consisted of cooked beef, silver noodles, rice, onions, zuccini, 
and more onions. He added some soy sauce and dug in with some chopstix and thankfully let me have a taste before it was all gone. The beef was simple but delicious and perfect with a bit of green onion in ever bite. I in turn shared my Rainbow Roll and offered him one of my two pieces of Toro (Tuna Belly) sushi, but he declined and told me to "enjoy it" as he knows it used to be my favorite sushi dish before "the incident", and he is a smart man who also knows that if I love it again we will probably be going for a lot more sushi! The Rainbow Roll was huge with 8 pieces of tempura wrapped in salmon, tuna, avocado and mackerel. I enjoy a fair amount of wasabi in my soy sauce and gingerly dipped whole pieces in before not-so-gingerly stuffing them in my mouth. I was only able to eat 4 pieces before starting to get full, so I decided I should probably move on to the Toro. It was just as I remembered it. Beautiful. The meat was so tender it fell apart and the little bit of wasabi rubbed underneath the meat as well as the green onion on top put it over the edge. The "incident" was soon forgotten (it didn't happen at this restaurant anyway) and I professed my love for all things Japanese again.
and more onions. He added some soy sauce and dug in with some chopstix and thankfully let me have a taste before it was all gone. The beef was simple but delicious and perfect with a bit of green onion in ever bite. I in turn shared my Rainbow Roll and offered him one of my two pieces of Toro (Tuna Belly) sushi, but he declined and told me to "enjoy it" as he knows it used to be my favorite sushi dish before "the incident", and he is a smart man who also knows that if I love it again we will probably be going for a lot more sushi! The Rainbow Roll was huge with 8 pieces of tempura wrapped in salmon, tuna, avocado and mackerel. I enjoy a fair amount of wasabi in my soy sauce and gingerly dipped whole pieces in before not-so-gingerly stuffing them in my mouth. I was only able to eat 4 pieces before starting to get full, so I decided I should probably move on to the Toro. It was just as I remembered it. Beautiful. The meat was so tender it fell apart and the little bit of wasabi rubbed underneath the meat as well as the green onion on top put it over the edge. The "incident" was soon forgotten (it didn't happen at this restaurant anyway) and I professed my love for all things Japanese again. Heath polished off the last of the rainbow rolls and we both sat back stuffed. Our server brought us our bill with a big smile and we paid and left the warm restaurant into the pouring rain to continue our afternoon. Total bill with tip: 34.76.
Atmosphere: 8/10. The new renovations have modernized the space and the red coral tile mosaic on a very large wall is an interesting piece to look at! The private rooms as well as the sushi bar make this space versatile for a nice date, a bite with friends, or even a solo adventure.
Service: 8/10. Considering the waitress was actually RUNNING from table to table, she was very friendly and very very prompt once we got our order in. From a former server to a now server: she rocked!!
Food: 8/10. The sushi is good and BIG and fresh. Delicious and the free starters are a nice touch.
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