But the office where I toil away at my day job is located in a sushi dead zone. There are lots of other options (including one of Winnipeg's only wine bars). But there isn't anywhere nearby where I can scarf down some raw fish.

Edohei is about a fifteen minute hike away in good weather, and Asahi is close enough by bus. But there's nowhere that I can walk to for a few pieces of salmon and a bakudan roll. So when I saw that BluFish, a new sushi restaurant had opened up on Bannatye (a mere three blocks from my door), I was curious.

But proximity is one thing. Taste (and quality) is another. So I ventured in there last week in the hopes of finding a new lunch spot to call home. And I came away both full and impressed.

The space is small, but tastefully decorated (although the orange walls could have been a shade darker). Service was very friendly and professional, but not so speedy. It was very busy in there, so I'll see what the speed is like next time.

And the food? Dee-freakin'-licious. My dining companion and I split a number of dishes. The nigri sushi was huge and fresh (the salmon required two bites).

There were a number of interesting rolls on the menu, including the Bannatyne (spicy tuna with fresh salmon sashimi and avocado on top) and the BluFish (crab meat, tamago, ebi, hokkigai, vegetable, avocado, tobiko on outside). If it weren't for the fact that I am dangerously allergic to crab, I could have happily gorged on nothing but BluFish rolls.

We also tried the excellent spicy tuna tataki rolls (Japanese and Vietnamese herbs wrapped in fresh strips of lightly torched tuna sashimi) and their shiitake mushroom rolls - which contained nicely diced shiitakes instead of huge chunks. Everything was fresh and very well prepared - especially the rice (which didn't fall apart at all).

The wine list was very small, but well chosen. Since I was heading back to work, I had to content myself with green tea. My dining companion was under no such constraints and enjoyed a very tasty Chardonnay for a reasonable price.

And not only is the location convenient to work, it's also within easy walking distance of MTC, the Warehouse and the Concert Hall. I share seasons tickets to the Warehouse, so I know where I'll be going before my next play!

I don't normally do restaurant reviews on this site, but I couldn't resist putting in a good word for this restaurant. They will do fine at lunch, but there isn't a lot of evening foot traffic in that area if there are no plays or concerts on. So if you're looking for a new sushi bar to frequent, you would do well to stop in at BluFish.

Actually, I intend to change the focus of this blog a bit and will be branching out into some food writing as well. So today’s post is all about Winnipeg’s best-kept secret, the St. Norbert Farmer’s Market, which is open all day Saturday from July to October. In July and August the market is also open on Wednesday evenings, but the pickings are slim compared to Saturday.

After weeks of missing out, we finally made it down there this weekend. The Saturday morning trip to the market is one of my favourite summertime rituals.The market has expanded a lot from last year, and there was lots of great produce on display.

I missed out on strawberries (which are over by now anyways and apparently didn’t like the heat and dryness of this summer) and I didn’t see any fresh peas around. But there were still green and yellow beans for sale, along with beautiful lettuce, raspberries, lots of herbs, onions, baby potatoes, baby leeks (early) lots of zucchini, summer squash and (my favourite) patty pan squash. There were even a few field tomatoes out, but those won’t be in full swing for another few weeks.

Highlights of the trip included the delicious purple carrots and red lettuce from the Weins Family Farms stand, some chipotle pepper cornbread from a bakery stall (the name of which escapes me – but it’s good) and the fabulous turkey-apple sausages from Pembina Valley Meats.

(Note - the photo to the left is by Janice Lukes and was taken from the market's photo gallery)

Parking isn’t too much a hassle and there are usually spots available in the arena lot. And although it was packed, the lines were short.

We didn’t get out there until nearly 10:00, which is the peak time. I prefer to arrive a bit earlier as a lot of the good stuff is picked through by 10. If you can, 8:30 is the perfect time to arrive. Bring your own coffee and have one of the JT Spring Rolls for breakfast.

I noticed that a few of the vendors now have certificates stating that they have grown the produce they are selling. It’s about time. I’ve always wondered about the stalls with suspiciously perfect produce which is mysteriously re-filled from cardboard boxes with BC labels of origin…