Sushi and skiing go great together. Fernie has Yamagoya. Whistler has Sushi Village. And now Lake Louise can claim entry in that club with the recent opening of Kuma Yama, a new full-service ramen and sushi bar within the Lodge of Ten Peaks at the base of the ski resort.
Kuma Yama (Japanese for “Bear on the Mountain”) is located on the upper level of the lodge across from the Powder Keg Lounge, which offers more typical North American-style pub fare. Kuma Yama is anchored by its traditional sushi bar, where a crew of chefs assemble the various menu offerings. While you can sit at the bar, there are also full-service tables. On cold days, grab a table by the cozy riverstone fireplace if you can.
Photo Courtesy Lake Louise Ski resort
Kuma Yama interior.
The Kuma Yama menu contains all the sushi standards. Starters include miso soup with tofu and chopped green onion, regular and crab sunomono salads and edamame (served plain, with salt and pepper or dressed with truffle oil).
Photo by Shelley Arnusch
Miso soup and cold Sapporo beer – a classic combination at Kuma Yama.
There are four ramen offerings, including one with a soy-based broth for vegetarians. Kuma Yama also offers sashimi and by-the-piece sushi (your standard toro, salmon, unagi, uni, octopus, etc., cut from fish flown in three times per week from Vancouver) and a dozen different maki rolls, from basic spicy tuna to more adventurous signature items like the “Locke Stock & Barrel” roll (a reference to the Locke family which owns the resort) with lobster salad, seared Alberta beef and beef jus. Alberta beef also shows up on the menu in tataki form. The sushi arrives on heavy stone slabs for a nice little “alpine” touch.
Photo by Shelley ARnusch
Assorted sushi at Kuma Yama.
The beverage menu has the de rigeur sake offerings (served cold) as well as domestic and Asian beers and signature cocktails, among them the hangover-busting Sake Caesar and Wasabi Bloody Mary (the caesar comes in a mocktail version as well for the pregnant and the underage).
The prices are pretty much on par with your basic upscale urban sushi joint, with rolls running from $8 to $15; sashimi from $11 to $16 for higher-end items like toro, nigiri from $6 to $8 for two pieces and ramen bowls from $13 to $14.
Open daily for lunch at 11 a.m., it’s a welcome addition to the Lake Louise dining lineup, particularly if you want to avoid heading back out to ski for the afternoon all sluggish after filling up on burgers and poutine.
Lake Louise Ski Resort, 1 Whitehorn Road, Lake Louise, 1-877-956-8473, skilouise.com