restaurant review: Furusato

This is my favorite japanese restaurant in Montreal. I don't eat a lot of raw fish so sushi and sashimi is not what attracts me although Furusato (formerly named Osaka) has never disappointed me on it. I haven't been to Tri Express, Jun-I, 

I prefer dishes that japanese people eat at home rather than the business/bar sushi. I also like appetizers and this place has most of what I was able to have in California. I have tried most of what they offer on the english menu and I often make a meal out of 4 appetizers.

I have been eating here since 2007 when I started to work again and I go at least once a week. The staff knows me well and these days I always get extra food. Here are my favorites:

Chicken Karaage

Agedashi Tofu

Shrimp + Vegetable Tempura

Petit Sukiyaki

Chawan Mushi

Fried Squid (no longer available)

Nabeyaki Udon

Oyakodon

Unadon

Tamago (sweet omelet)

On the raw side I like (in sashimi form)

Sake (fresh salmon)

Maguro (tuna)

Toro (fatty tuna, usually belly)

Ikura (salmon roe)

Tobiko (flying fish roe)

Finally there is a special maki using pickled plum (umeboshi) and perilla (shiso) that is a very good combination of tartness and herbal. Shiso (tía tô in vietnamese) is my 2nd favorite herb in the world, after cilantro.

There are some dishes that I like but they don't have: amaebi (raw sweet shrimp), tempura'd "golden" california roll (from Satsuma Sushi in Sunnyvale), fried fish,  Teridon (from Shogun Restaurant in Mountain View), 

Bun Rieu

There are many soup dishes in Vietnamese cuisine and my favorite is Bun Rieu. The recipe is simple but the preparation takes time. My aunt has a simpler recipe that uses less ingredients What I end up doing most of the time is to use the crab meat mixture in an omelet to get the main taste of the dish. I would eat the omelet in strips with noodle or rice and I even use it as a sandwich filling.

I made some this weekend for my super-breakfast sandwich. Eggs, crab mixture, scallions. Whole wheat pita bread (bag of 6 for 1$ at Marché Lobo), Kewpie mayonnaise and a slice of cheese.