Kobachi

If you’re in the Sherwood Park area, I highly recommend stopping by Kobachi for some Japanese cuisine! The restaurant is a smaller space but definitely a place worth checking out. Here’s a post to recap my first experience.

Their menu consists of (mostly) smaller plates, with all ingredients being fresh, clean, and locally sourced. No added chemicals or MSG! You also won’t find any heavy, deep-fried dishes, or colorful, saucy rolls here. But I’m not complaining, it’s really nice to see simple food…Sometimes the most simple dishes are the tastiest!

 

 

My boyfriend and I visited Kobachi for date night and left super satisfied, it definitely exceeded our expectations. I know it was only my first visit, so this might sound like a huge statement but my first impression of Kobachi left me thinking they might be one of the best Japanese restaurants I’ve tried in YEG (+ area) and I can’t wait to come back again. The atmosphere was so inviting and every dish we ordered was so tasty. Not to mention, the service was wonderful!

Portion sizes are definitely smaller and prices are on the higher end but every dish was so delicious and thoughtfully made that I couldn’t really complain. You pay for what you get and at Kobachi, that’s quality food. Truthfully, it will probably cost a little more to get really full so be prepared and order wisely! The nice thing about eating at Kobachi is that you won’t leave feeling bloated since their dishes are made to order with fresh, clean ingredients.

We sat at the “bar” for our meal and it was nice watching our food being made right in front of us. It was almost like we were sitting at someone’s home, being served their best dishes. Items I’d order definitely order again are the hotate butter, kobachi salad, salmon sashimi, and aburi sushi. The other dishes we tried were good but I’d be okay to skip out on them to try something else. Short descriptions and details to follow!

To start, we had Nori Potechi ($8). These kelp flavoured potato chips were a good side to munch on as we waited for the rest of our dishes, but the chips themselves were quite simple and similar to cactus cut potatoes, in my opinion. I thought the nori flavour would be stronger but I’d have to say it was the lemon aioli dip that made the chips stand out.

On the night I went, Brussell Sprouts ($8) were a feature item. They were good and very well seasoned but again, nothing I was super crazy about. Side note – make sure you try something off their feature menu when you do visit as they’re always offering something new. You can also check out their Insta to find out what’s on feature before you go too!

Aside from the sashimi, my favourite dish of the night was definitely the Hotate Butter ($11). Seared scallops, oyster mushrooms and onions paired with butter/soy sauce… SO buttery and delicious. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the flavours worked so well together. The microgreens were also a nice touch, really refreshing with every bite.

 

 

But let’s face it, any dish that has mushrooms with butter or scallops with butter is bound to be a good one, right? It was one of my first picks the moment I noticed there were both in the dish! I’d actually come here just for this.

I was also excited to try the Kobachi Salad ($16). This dish was nice and light, the dressing was a simple vinaigrette that pulled everything together. The seared tuna was fresh and I loved the garlic chips, which added a good crunch to the leafy greens.

And last but not least, the fish here – if you’ve been a long-time follower, you might know that I used to hate sashimi… or any raw fish, really. I’ve come a long way! But when I think about it now, I feel like I used to avoid it cause I never came across good quality sashimi! Then a friend told me that good sashimi shouldn’t have a “fishy” taste at all – ironic, right? Well, coming from someone who used to hate sashimi, I can tell you that Kobachi’s fish was amazing and I may or may not have fought my boyfriend for the last slice.

At $12 for 5 pieces, I think the Salmon Sashimi was fairly priced given the quality. The slices were not oddly thick and gigantic like I’ve seen elsewhere, and every bite was buttery and soft. I loved it!

I also tried the Aburi Salmon Sushi ($3.5/peice) and really enjoyed it too. It reminded me of pressed salmon sushi, but better. I found that the nigiri here was way better than other places I’ve tried because it wasn’t just a ton of rice with a tiny piece of sashimi.

To finish off our meal, we tried their Matcha White Chocolate Brownie ($10). And you guessed it, also insanely delicious – or maybe I’m just a huge sucker for matcha and white chocolate brownies. I don’t think I’ve seen this as a dessert option anywhere else so you’re in luck if you’ve been wanting to try something like it. The brownie was denser than most but still a sweet treat to end the night.

Back story – the dessert took a little longer than the rest of our meal to come out and I noticed the staff were trying to heat up the brownie by steaming it in a pot of hot water. Turns out they don’t own a microwave and the staff kept apologizing for it! I thought this was funny because microwaved dessert or “reheated” food is normally a turn-off, really nothing to be sorry for in my opinion!

Kobachi was a huge hit for me and if you’re planning to check them out, I really hope you enjoy it too. Their casual atmosphere, tasty dishes, fresh quality ingredients, and great service all get a thumbs up from me. I recommend booking a reservation if you have a larger party as they have very limited seating!

Check out YEG Cravings’ post for another blogger review.

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Kobachi
#125 200 Festival Lane, Sherwood Park