Click on the red pinpoint(s) below to centre the map on a specific location

Editorial Review

Reviewed in Mar/Apr '04 Issue of WHERE

Along with spices, creative wardrobes, and fresh baked focaccia bread, Kenaston Village Mall, located at the corner of Grant Ave and Kenaston Blvd, has welcomed sushi into the fold. Bimi Japanese Restaurant offers artist-rendered presentations and innovative tastes.

Its 50-seat interior is utilitarian, with basic tables and chairs, charcoal grey carpeting, and a large, glowing Pepsi machine. Ambience is created, however, with soothing Japanese music, an ivy-covered fountain, and a TV running Japanese cooking shows.

For a traditional experience, dine tatami-style. Thanks to the many Japanese diners who sit nearby, you will learn useful insider information. Bimi, according to the woman on our left, means “beautiful taste”. And wasabi, according to the man on our right, was originally believed to be an antidote for food poisoning.

The food brought to nearby tables reveals that owners Tommy and Yong Kim will prepare dishes that don’t appear on the menu. Grilled squid is one such example. Exceptionally tender, the squid is cut into neatly ringed slices which are kissed by a sweet and spicy orange-based sauce.

For an appetizer, look to the menu for goma maguro. Made with sweetly marinated tuna, akin to Hawaii’s poke, it is coupled with cubes of nutty avocado and anchored by daikon. Though Japanese cuisine is not usually associated with rich foods, this is precisely the case with the seafood motoyaki appetizer. Baked on a frilled half shell, a large oyster is hidden under a thick blanket of miso mayonnaise sauce that is spiked with crab and shrimp.

Bimi’s nigiri sushi and sashimi come in generous portions, with large slices of fish draped on the plate or completely hiding bundles of rice. One nice alternative to the stand-by salmon sashimi is yellowtail. Pearly white in colour, it is sweet and mild in taste. Scallop, which comes lined up like coins atop the rice, is also interesting for its especially silky texture. Alternately, the barbecued sea eel is very firm, with a sweet, smoky taste similar to Korean bulgogi.

You will also find three types of tuna on the sashimi list. In Japan tuna is graded and priced according to fat content—the fattiest fish is the most expensive. Aka maguro, or bluefin, is the Daddy Warbucks of tuna, with a high fat content and a bright red colour. Toro comes from the belly, is faint pink in colour, and has an extremely soft mouthfeel. Maguro comes from the fillet of the middle-grade pink tuna.

For outstanding presentation, order the fantasia rolls, which boast mystical names like dragon’s eye, bonsai, and tiger. Some of these rolls are cooked briefly on a yaki bar, a Japanese grill. The lion king roll is filled with soft crab, cucumber, and massago (smelt roe). It is then decorated with salmon and a torched line of mayo, which looks like a burnt marshmallow. The Bimi’s house roll is filled with avocado and cucumber, and then topped with chopped scallop, surf clam, spicy mayo, and tobiko. These extraordinary rolls are also filling—one is enough for two to share.

Any of the donburi options will quench a desire for sticky rice. The tekka don comes with tea rose petals of tuna arranged in a flower over a bed of rice. Fine slivers of seaweed are lightly sprinkled over top, and a bouquet of pickled ginger lies on the side. The donburi is accompanied by miso soup, a salad (rice noodles, cucumbers marinated in sugared vinegar, and two batons of pollock), and two deep-fried gyoza, which, unfortunately, are too coated with a mayonnaise-based sauce.

Bimi’s green tea is a cozy accompaniment and comes with nutty roasted rice floating in the brew. Sake also comes steaming in delicate china. Follow the Japanese tradition and pour for the other people at your table, never for yourself.

Get daily Canadian travel tips from Where's regional editors at where.ca/travel

Sign up for our newsletter

The WHEREmail newsletter is filled with travel tips and hot picks in top Canadian travel destinations from locally based editors and travel experts–plus trip discounts, Q&As, and contests where you can win prizes including vacations, spa getaways, and travel gear. Direct to your e-mail inbox each month!

See a sample newsletter

View our privacy policy

For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Where Canada on Twitter or via RSS

Winnipeg Current Issue

Get your copy of WHERE Winnipeg upon arrival in your hotel room, or ask at your guest services desk.

Current Contests

Links and Offers

• Jersey Boys Ticket Deal