I’ve had sable fish in Whistler’s best fine dining establishments, but nothing compares to the flavourful, truly-one-of-a-kind preparations you’ll find at Kaze Sushi at the Westin Resort.
I never knew sable fish could taste so good. The secret? Kaze owner Tokyo Tom’s lips are sealed shut. Dare you to try to do the same with his barbecue-seasoned sable wonder that will leave you shaking your head at how this zealous fish could be prepared any other way.
Anything fish at Kaze is the equivalent of what Rolls Royces are to cars, what powder is to skiers and what nigiri is to sushi.
Although Kaze showcases one of Whistler’s most unique and innovative rolls, an evening out at this intimate locally-owned sushi place is all about the nigiri. For optimum ordering picks, there is no better positioning for a memorable evening than sitting at the sushi bar manned by Tom himself.
Walking into Kaze, there are a few tables to choose from, along with traditional-Japanese box seating for two separate large groups. Half a dozen seats line the sushi bar along with reserved signs posted on each mat.
These are the best seats in the house, where you can safely place your faith in a man who takes great pride in the authenticity of anything he plates from his traditional Japanese menu. For a man rarely without a smile, the way his nose wrinkles in distaste when uttering a truly dirty, dirty word — California roll — it signals what pains he has taken to ensure Kaze is more than just a sushi experience, but an authentic one.
For the westernized, Tom humours California roll evangelists with the item listed on the menu, although I noted Kaze uses fresh real crab instead of the fake kind.
Like the roll, everything on the Kaze menu is the real deal, from the nabe (hot pot soups) cooked right at the table to nigiri pieces that feature a special fish each month.
“So what’s good today?” asked a couple of Kaze seasoned veterans.
The Okanagan couple only comes to Kaze for a sushi fix on their vacations. Kaze is their first and last stop on their trip. On learning Kaze sushi is also served at the Roundhouse on Whistler Mountain, the wife (who doesn’t ski) shrilled to her husband, “You can’t have Kaze without me!” Just another reason to go up the mountain, and that’s where you will find Tom, who teaches skiing during the day.
But he doesn’t want to talk about himself. If you look at the ski photos placed inconspicuously around the restaurant they’ll do the talking. But one of the smiling powder hounds pictured ploughing through white is former freestyler Tokyo Tom.
“Konbanwa!” he welcomes a couple as he does every guest walking through the door.
Kaze is a personal dining experience, with both Tom and his wife greeting you as you enter.
Kids love to watch the hot pot soups boil and bubble right at the table. One nabe throws in everything but the kitchen sink, with pork, chicken, salmon, prawns, nappa cabbage and yam noodles steaming in a miso broth. There is also a duck nabe as well as a traditional nabe of beef and vegetables.
Kaze claims their restaurant as the only one in Canada that showcases Kobe beef. Named after the region of Japan where it comes from, the cows are not only regularly fed beer, but massaged with it as well — I can see them now lounging on the Longhorn patio.
The Kaze menu also hosts a set dinner for four people or more at $35 a head. Guests begin with appetizers such as edamame, yakitori chicken (shish kebab), gyoza (dumplings) and barbecue fish. Sushi fans then move onto a sushi boat of California rolls (with real crab), tobiko, tuna rolls, cucumber rolls and Kaze’s most famous and largest roll, the Kamikaze Roll.
The Splitz-mile-high-hamburger-equivalent rolls everything wonderful onto one plate. Spicy tuna and giant prawn tempura is wrapped in avocado, salmon and barbecue eel then topped with Tom’s special sauce and tobiko. The Okanagan couple order one every time they visit, sharing the monstrous roll you’ll never find anywhere else in the world.
Although I stuck with Kaze’s special nigiri for dinner, the tropical roll with mango, salmon, tempura shrimp, cucumber and avocado is on my to-do list for my next visit.
For this evening, however, I was fishing, with nigiri taking centre stage. The red tuna, stripjack and, to my surprise, the scallop were my favourite — I’ve never enjoyed scallop nigiri at other places I visited, but like the other nigiri pieces the texture was exquisite and the taste fresh, with Tom using only the best quality seafood prepared and cut expertly.
Eighty per cent of the people walking through Kaze’s doorway are return visitors and I can see why. Not only is the menu authentic, the fish superb and the rolls innovative, but tucked away from the hub of the village core, the place has got that wonderful Whistler laid back vibe. There was a great sense of camaraderie at the sushi bar, with friends and staff toasting a great New Year over glasses of sake.
Kaze is the Westin’s best-kept secret.
