Lava Rock Grill & Sushi

Travelling can sometimes have very unexpected results. For Wilson Wen, a trip to Europe with his childhood friends Santrine Sun and Gille Wu turned into a restaurant that’s bringing a brand new dining experience to Edmonton. It’s called Lava Rock Grille & Sushi, Edmonton’s first lava rock restaurant. “When we were in Europe, we discovered these restaurants that used lava rocks,” says Wilson. “They were all busy. We couldn’t even get into one in Germany, but we ended up getting into one in Spain. It was incredible. We knew we had discovered something that we could bring the people of Edmonton.” Within a year, Lava Rock Grille & Sushi had opened its doors.

Lava rock cooking is a new dining experience that’s slowly making its way across the Atlantic Ocean. It’s similar to hot pot dining, where guests get to cook their own food, but instead of boiling water, you’re are given a volcanic rock that’s been heated to 400 degrees Celsius. “Lava rock cooking makes the meat really, really juicy,” Wilson says. “The high heat and consistent temperature locks the flavour inside the meat. It’s also really easy to do.”

If you’re worried that lava rock cooking may take some special skills, Wilson says not to worry. “You don’t need any cooking skills to enjoy lava rock,” he says. “It’s a very low-maintenance cooking method. As long as you know how to use a knife and fork, you’re good.”