My wife and I got a chance to try out one of Saskatoon’s most-anticipated new restaurants over the weekend — Sulu. This upscale Asian restaurant has taken over the space on 2nd Avenue downtown, formerly occupied by Sticks n’ Stones (and briefly Food and Beverage). It’s owned by the Yuen family, the same people responsible for The Odd Couple, another great spot.
And yes, it’s named after that Sulu. Lieutenant (and later Captain) Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek. It might seem an odd name for a restaurant, until you remember that Sulu, played by George Takei, was a ground-breaking television character. He was an Asian character that wasn’t relegated to the stereotypes of the time; villains, subservient labourers, or exotic ‘others.’ Sulu was the helmsman of the Starship Enterprise — portrayed as a competent and respected officer in the crew. Side note: I am a bit of a Trekkie.
There’s also a delicious double meaning; Su (甦) can translate to “revive,” or, “rebirth,” and Lu (龍) can mean, “dragon.” Owners Andy and Rachel Yuen have said that Sulu, “represents the revival of this space in the Year of the Dragon.” It’s also worth noting that in 2024, when they began this journey, the Chinese zodiac cycle is the Wood Dragon phase, which speaks to growth and creativity, suggesting a year for bold ideas, transformation, and forward-thinking progress.
Walking into the space, we set our faces to stunned (forgive me a little Star Trek pun). Sulu is a minimal, elegant space, with chic wood accents and subdued lighting. Red lanterns hanging from the ceiling provide a pretty, calming ambience.
Jenny ordered a glass of wine, but I’ve been on a martini kick lately, trying many of Saskatoon’s best restaurants’ versions of this venerable drink. I couldn’t resist the Sulu Martini, a combination of Hendricks gin, Ketel One Vodka, green apple, lemongrass, and pickled ginger brine. The menu calls it, “smooth, nuanced, and light,” which I would agree with. It’s definitely made my list of the best Martinis in the city (a future article in this space, no doubt).
While you certainly can order a main or entrée for yourself, the menu is also set up well for sharing dishes, which is what we did. We started with a variety of skewers. Sulu has one of the only two authentic Japanese grills in the province. It uses binchotan charcoal, a traditional Japanese charcoal made from ubame oak and prized for its purity, high carbon content, and long burn. There were a variety of skewers, including chicken and beef, but also tomatoes, Brussel sprouts, and grapes wrapped in prosciutto. The charcoal did its work, as the meat was juicy and tender.
After this we tried one of two varieties of bao buns, the vegan mushroom buns, which were fresh and imbued with the flavour of hoisin.
We also tried the Vietnamese beef pho roll, with Black Angus beef striploin, jalapeño, and sriracha hoisin.
I’ve eaten a lot of Korean fried chicken within the walls of that space in its former incarnation, so I continued the tradition with Sulu’s take. It was one of the best dishes of the night, using huge pieces of locally-sourced chicken, smothered in Korean chili sauce. They were sweet, with bold flavour and a bit of tang.
The best dish of the night, truly a star, was the sweet potato dumplings. Vegan, pan-fried, and bursting with the taste of sweet potato and Thai red curry. Gyoza is one of Jenny’s favourite dishes, usually filled with pork or other meat. These were an innovative and creative take on a classic.
Some of the fare at Sulu is boldly going where no dish has gone before. Warp speed to Planet Flavour. Sorry, I had to cram a couple more Star Trek jokes in there. In all seriousness, I can’t wait to beam back aboard Sulu to try more items off the menu — and get my hands on another delectable martini and more of their fried chicken and dumplings. Cheers!
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