Monsoon Izakaya Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Calgary

Dec 27,2022.

Hou ji cha Lots of bitters with a slight hint of sweetness, overall a good drink that balances sweet/ tasty flavors.

This is just tea Ice tea with a little fizz. Kinda like twisted tea with herbs and honey

Caviar lover ( blue fin sushi with cavier and gold flakes, uni) The bluefin is really soft like butter, the saltiness of thr cavieer and the Sweet uni mixes so well. The rice is so sweet and slightly sweet

Sunset oyster Little hint of sweetness, the oyster is so clean and almost no seafood smell/taste. The sauces definitely complemented it and the spicy radish is so good

Tonkatsu ramen The broth is rich and flavourful, not too salty or too dense. The noodles were soft and not squishy

Mango roll Soft puree of mango on top with crunchy shrimp. Thr mango is subtle  ut not over powering

Bluefin roll Bluefin was really soft like butter, avocado was sweet and creamy, .

Grilled abalone Abalone is really clean and soft with a strong umami flavour. The creamy sauce is not too salty and the tobiko is really flavorful.

Overall, a good place for a izakaya that isnt scared to experiment with their seafood premiums. Definately a go to place in Calgary for sushi and seafood.

March 24, 2023 updatw Food came really fast, great atmosphere and good food.

Truffle special prawn roll Strong truffle taste with soft rice and a sweet ABC like sauce. The prawn was okay and it was an average roll.

Umami/opus oyster The umami with the red sauce was really good. Thr red sauce was a bit of a vinegar spicy kick. Better than the lemon sauce with vinegar. The opus is clean and not as intense.

Lobster bisque udon Creamy like clam chowder, the sauce is nice with a little sauce. Udon noodles felt a little tacky, but more of a Chinese style

Abalone lover Creamy and salty. The cavier adds with its poppy bubbles and chewy abalone. Really good and still amazes me

Bunbunbun Really soft bun with lettuce sauce, and choice of protein (chicken, shrimp, teriyaki chicken), it was okay...

I like this restaurant but just not today… I usually eat with my family so it’s usually one bill before. Today I ate with my team coworkers a big group 9 people so we were planning to split the bill… We were in the restaurant very long time before they take our final order. And there was only one ordering paper on our table the whole time. We waited patiently and we were pretty understanding. Until that Cantonese speaking manager/server took our order, he was like “one bill right?” asked and turned away and left within few seconds. We were starving so we planned to tell him we want to split the bill after. Yeah I planned to leave around 6:30 so I start asking help from a server to split the bill before 6:10. Even though the process of splitting took quite long, I didn’t want to complain… because there are things that make the splitting more difficult I know because I worked in restaurants for long time.

I just want to complain about that Cantonese speaking guy… when I asked if I could pay because I really needed to go. He told me “That’s why we asked you if it’s one bill you guys said yes.” I said “No. You just assumed so. We never said yes. There was only one ordering paper on our table the whole time. We didn’t correct you because you left right away.” I didn’t like his attitude at all. And their service was not perfect that we needed to wait long time order but no one double check how we would like to pay/ do we want to order on different papers, things like that. No one asked. When servers came to ask, they were all about more drink or more food. But it’s fine because we know we need to clarify ourselves. I gave more than 20 minutes time for clarification as I mentioned. So why there was an arrogant manager/server telling us what to do when you guys did not do enough confirmation...

I absolutely love this place and come here at least once a month. I'm not a fan of fish, so I can't say much on any of the sushi rolls with seafood, however everyone I've gone here with has loved their food every single time. I didn't like sushi until I went here, and now I am eager to try any rolls that I can eat. Staff are very attentive to your orders and making sure your table is comfortable, clean, and spacious. They give you a warm welcome every time you enter the restaurant, create a wonderful environment, and are super friendly and kind! They're attentive to ensuring you know ehat their specials and deals are daily. They celebrate events with you and make you feel special. They're attentive to allergies. If you become a regular here they will absolutely recognize you and thank you for coming back every time. They've always made me feel happy that I've returned. They've gifted me free drinks, a bottle of saki to take home, a free tray of rolls, and free pokey to take home. I've only had issues with my order once, some broccolini was burnt. The staff offered to either remove it from our bill or make us a fresh order of it to make up for it. The place is always clean. My only complaint about the place is that it isn't very accessible disability wise. There are a lot of different floors and levels in the place, and unfortunately no ramps. The main door is large and heavy with no accessible button to open it. But that's a building issue not a restaurant issue.

I love this place and cannot wait to come back again to celebrate my upcoming birthday a...