Making Japanese food accessible to everyone
Tokyo Station aims to give customers Japanese-style food at a happy price point
When things like budget, feeding kids or trepidation in approaching an unfamiliar meal come into play, aiming for the most critically renowned (and likely most expensive) version of a dish isn't always a practical way to go. That's the philosophy behind a collection of Japanese restaurants that have been popping up in the city, all overseen by Terry Ke, whose name may seem familiar given that it adorns his flagship restaurant Ke Charcoal Grill and Sushi. Ke has made it his mission over the last year and a half to make Japanese-style food more accessible to people all over the city.
In addition to Ke Charcoal Grill, Ke took over the Tokyo Market restaurant in Crescent Heights last year, opened Ikusa Izakaya in Bridgeland in July 2020, and then this spring, opened a new concept called Tokyo Market just off of 14th Street S.W. While each has its own style and focus, the driving concept behind all of them is Japanese food that doesn't come with the price tag that keeps some customers away from higher-end Japanese restaurants in Calgary.
The new Tokyo Station is a small two-storey building with an interior designed to resemble a Japanese train station and a quick and tasty menu to match. The upper level and one half of the main floor are dedicated to dine-in, while the second half and basement are filled with a takeout counter, a shelf full of Japanese candy and other sundries, an ice cream station with flavours like miso and wasabi (yes, it actually tastes like wasabi), and grab 'n' go items including sushi and bubble tea.
The main meal here is ramen, which isn't necessarily as rich and painstakingly crafted as what you'd find at a place like Shiki Menya, but at $9.50 a bowl, the price is right and the to-go orders come in special packaging to separate the noodles and toppings from the broth to avoid that dreaded sogginess. There's also a side menu with bites like gyoza, takoyaki (dried and battered octopus), and a sweet bun stuffed with pork chashu, which all sell for $5.49 each.
“Calgary has an appetite for ramen but a lot of what is already on the market is quite costly,” Ke says. “We thought we could do a style of ramen that was more price-friendly so that everyone could enjoy this Japanese cuisine. I'm always trying to find different Japanese concepts that everyone is welcome to try.”
Tokyo Station is located at 1505 15th Ave. S.W. and offers dine-in and pick-up or delivery through Skip the Dishes.
The restaurant can be reached at 403-719-2288 or through tokyostreetmarket.com/ tokyo-station. Here's some exciting news: The District, a new development that will feature a food hall and several restaurants and events spaces at the base of a trio of office buildings that take up the 200th block between 11th and 12th Avenue S.W., is still in construction, but the developers have confirmed many of the tenants that will hopefully start to open in the late summer and early fall. The dining hall itself will feature quick service kiosks from notable local chefs like Duncan Ly (Foreign Concept), Darren Maclean (Nupo, Shokunin) and Adam Ryan (The Coup), but there
will also be a number of proper sit-down restaurants, including a still-to-be-announced concept in the main “market shed” from Craft Beer Market's P.J. L'heureux, a new micro-brewery, and other delicious things.
Many locals were saddened when
Workshop Kitchen + Culture announced that it would be moving out of the Grand Theatre earlier this year, but it's now been revealed that chef Kenny Kaechele will be launching a new restaurant in The District called Kama. The new place will be a 120-seat restaurant (with an ample patio) with an open kitchen and a menu full of “modern rustic Mediterranean” cuisine, drawing influence from both Europe and the Middle East.
And in the “when one door closes another opens” department, earlier this month Von Der Fels (1005A 1st St. S.W.) announced that it would be closing at the end of July so its team could move over to operate the food programming at The Ranchmen's Club. After a long year and a half, VDF'S Will Trow says that he and chef Douglas King are looking forward to a less hectic and more stable environment in which to serve their food and wine, and one can only guess, a kitchen that's larger than a broom closet. The club has been very enthusiastic about injecting VDF'S much-lauded vision and creativity into their organization. Trow says that there may be some opportunities for non-club members to enjoy the food after they get situated in September but, for now, VDF fans can get their fix at the original restaurant over the next month, provided there are reservations to be found.