Saturday June 8th 1996

"Nothing occidental about Mye's fine food"
The Spectator
By Suzanne Bourret

Is everyone eating take-out sushi in Oakville these days?

Except for all the people turning into the driveway to pick up their take-out orders. I felt like part of a Japanese painting while dining in the peaceful and minimalist setting of the Mye Japanese Restaurant on Church Street.

There must have been a dozen people trailing in and out over the space of an hour and they all carried small bags.

"Maybe they are all on diets." I said to my dining partner as I looked at my own plate. For people who like to eat a spare, light and healthy meal, this is a perfect place to come. By this, I don't mean you leave hungry. Not at all. When you depart, it's with a feeling that you've eaten well but have not over-indulged.

Mye was opened nine years ago by husband and wife, Mo and Chisa Aoki. Yoshiaki Taneichi has been his chef for eight years, ever since he came from Tokyo where he trained at a traditional Japanese restaurant.

The food is as pure and simple as the surroundings. We started out with soothing cups of Japanese green tea and complimentary appetizers of sakizuke, little blue bowls of beans sprouts with paper-thin slices of cucumber, and steamed pieces of chicken combined with Mye's own miso dressing -all which made a refreshing start.

There were no knives and forks on the table, and we weren't offered any throughout the meal. We could have asked for cutlery but we decided to take on the challenge of eating with chopsticks.

There were 10 appetizers from which to choose; we decided on yakitori-grilled teriyaki chicken, skewered with green onions- and yakiniku, Japanese style barbequed beef topped with sesame seeds. The chicken was perfectly cooked yielding buttery-soft pieces that were worth savouring with each bite. The beef was so good I was tempted to ask for a lesson on how to make it.

Mye has seven-seat sushi bar in the main area for those who want to sit and watch how the fascinating procedure is done. Sushi, a Japanese specialty is sliced raw fish on handformed boiled rice that is flavoured with sweetened rice vinegar, various chopped vegetables, raw fish, pickles and even tofu are enclosed in sushi rice and wrapped in thin sheets of nori (seaweed). The rolls are then cut into neat round slices. One of Mye's nine entrees offers sushi-18 pieces of a variety of fresh seasonal fish placed on the top of seasoned vinegar rice with three kinds of sushi rolls for $22.25.

Sample
I only wanted to sample, so I ordered my own choices off the separate sushi and sashimi menu. Sashimi is sliced raw fish served with condiments such as shredded Daikon radish or ginger root, wasabi and soy sauce. I selected the California Roll; raw tuna accompanied by fresh ginger, a dollop of bright green wasabi (the Japanese version of horseradish) and soy sauce; and six pieces of raw salmon. Because it is served raw, sushi and sashimi has to be the freshest and highest quality. Some Japanese restaurants (mostly in Japan) keep the fish alive in water until just before serving it. Special sashimi chefs are trained in slicing the fish in a particular fashion -depending on the variety for the best presentation.

Mye's fish was excellent, thoroughly fresh as if just caught, and truly pleasing. My selections, presented on a little wooden tray, came looking like a Japanese still life painting. It made the experience even more enjoyable. The six pieces of California Roll were delicate and colorful rolls of rice with sesame seeds, the red roe of flying fish, crabmeat and little pieces of green avocado standing up like spears in the middle. Six pieces of salmon roll and strips of raw tuna dipped in the fiery wasabi completed this Japanese eating adventure. Only the green salad that came before the sushi and sashimi disappointed. It was so ordinary I wouldn't order it again.

Tempura
Tempura was equally a pleasant culinary encounter. Three jumbo shrimps and five different fresh vegetables were spun in the lightest of batters and deep fried.

Everything in the dining experience was tasteful and elegant. If you're only interested in coming to taste some sashimi or sushi, you're entirely welcome. An older couple near us ordered sake (Japanese rice wine) and sushi only. But Japanese food is not only fish. There is beef tenderloin sautéed in the Japanese sauce; chicken with shrimp, scallops and salmon and strip loin cooked in special sauce - and always lots of vegetables.

I often heard about green tea ice cream but never sampled it. Japanese powdered green tea is sprinkled over vanilla ice cream, turning it a pretty soft green colour. Other than that, it tasted like vanilla ice cream to me.

Don't leave without having a look at Mye's four dressings - miso ($5), barbeque ($5), a salad dressing ($3 for 250 ml and $5 for 500ml) and a marinade ($5). The salad dressing is terrific. I know because I bought it at the Hamilton Wine & Food Expo two months ago.
Aoki plans to get into the dressing business and hopes to have his dressings sold throughout Ontario within the year and then expand all over Canada into the United States.