SULU offers Asian-style tapas, with food fired on an authentic Japanese grill

Naomi Hansen · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Where successful Saskatoon tin you bask bao buns made from scratch, a cocktail featuring rum from the Philippines and skewers grilled to perfection connected an authentic Japanese grill?

The reply is SULU, present unfastened astatine 226 Second Ave S.

Local foodies volition beryllium acquainted with the location. Previously location to some Sticks & Stones and Food & Beverage YXE — owned by Grassroots Restaurant Group — the abstraction is nary alien to unthinkable eats. 

SULU is nary exception. It's the 2nd Saskatoon edifice opened by Andy Yuen and Rachel Kong, the mates down the beloved Odd Couple edifice successful Riversdale.

"We ever loved the layout of this space," Yuen said of the Second Avenue spot. "Rachel and I really utilized to travel present aft our shifts astatine Odd Couple. So we spent capable clip present as customers already."

Yuen is excited to connection a paper astatine SULU that combines Vietnamese, Cantonese, Japanese and North American flavours to present an Asian-style tapas menu.

• Read much Saskatoon Bites columns.

From 1 edifice to 2

Yuen and Kong opened Odd Couple successful 2014, alongside Yuen's parents. Yuen grew up successful Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada with his parents successful the 1990s, portion Kong archetypal came to Saskatchewan from Guangzhou to survey astatine the University of Regina.

Although Yuen's parents had operated Chinese restaurants successful Saskatchewan for years, Yuen wasn't initially funny successful opening his ain restaurant; he trained arsenic an engineer. But erstwhile the accidental to unfastened a edifice presented itself astir 11 years ago, helium decided to instrumentality the plunge with Odd Couple.

The roadworthy to opening SULU began aft the mates welcomed their archetypal lad successful 2024. They decided to enactment successful Saskatoon and proceed to physique connected their web and relationships present with different restaurant.

They got the keys to the Second Avenue determination successful October 2024 and began renovating. They kept the archetypal layout, including an expansive wood barroom successful the backmost of the restaurant, but added caller upholstery and decor, including stunning reddish lanterns that bent passim the restaurant.

SULU's doors opened successful February 2025. The mates chose the sanction to signify caller beginnings.

"Every dependable successful Chinese tin beryllium a written character. 'SU' tin mean galore things, but 1 of them is 'revive' oregon 'reborn,' and past 'LU' for america means dragon," Yuen said. "So we were reviving this abstraction successful the Year of the Dragon, and past our lad was calved successful 2024 arsenic well."

WATCH | Come with maine to SULU restaurant: 

An evening spot with a paper to match

Yuen said that erstwhile helium was planning SULU's menu, determination were 2 things connected his mind. The archetypal was creating an Asian-style tapas paper that would beryllium cleanable for airy dinners, aft enactment drinks or precocious nights.

The 2nd happening connected his caput was a repast that helium and Rachel ate successful Osaka, Japan, anterior to the COVID-19 pandemic, astatine a edifice that featured an authentic Japanese grill.

"It was the past repast we ate retired earlier COVID-19," Yuen said. "I conscionable kept coming backmost to it."

Yuen decided to enactment 1 of these Japanese grills successful SULU. He said there is lone 1 different grill similar it successful Saskatchewan.

The grill cooks skewers to a cleanable tenderness utilizing charcoal and infrared heat.

SULU offers respective skewers, including chicken, tofu and prosciutto-wrapped grapes, which are a lawsuit favourite. The skewers are a must-try astatine SULU, fixed the unsocial grill, and a cleanable enactment to commencement with.

Other fashionable items see their bao buns and dumplings — some of which are made in-house — and their Korean fried chicken, which is the archetypal look from Sticks and Stones. Be definite to besides effort 1 of their hand-crafted cocktails oregon mocktails, which are a cleanable paper accompaniment. The Lucky Rabbit cocktail, for example, incorporates White Rabbit candies that person been melted down into a syrup, alongside section vodka from Lucky Bastard, to make a saccharine and citrusy drink.

Yuen said the menus astatine SULU and Odd Couple are precise different, but some restaurants person beardown focuses connected curated selections of delicious eats successful a mounting that's modern, warm and inviting.

"It's astir the nutrient and the drinks, but the satellite is brainsick close present truthful we privation radical to beryllium capable to travel successful and find an flight — some astatine Odd Couple and SULU," Yuen said. "I'm grateful, and radical truthful acold locomotion retired of present happy, and that's what we wanted."