Wabora is a leader of Muskokan restaurants, offering patrons the myriad of tastes from the land of the rising sun.

Where Magazine named the Bracebridge Japanese fusion restaurant as the best new restaurant in the Muskoka/Parry Sound area, in its list of the Top 10 New Restaurants in the country.

This annual award program was started in 2003 to recognize top chefs and innovative restaurateurs across the country by regional editors.

Owner Min Soo Kim said it was an “honour” to be recognized, but it has motivated him to get even better.

“It’s letting me know I should try harder,” he said. “Now that I’m in this list I have to work harder to stay or get better. Honestly, my biggest concern is to continue to take steps forward, not to move backward. I’m always working on different menus, listening to my customers. I don’t want them to get bored,” said Kim. “My goal is for people to come and have an exciting dinner or lunch. . . . I want people to have some fun and eat quality food. It has to be good enough to feed my own kids. That’s what am I looking for.”

He said this award also shows Muskokans want “healthier eating” that includes sushi. He said everything on the premises is made from scratch, with more than 40 sauces that do not have any monosodium glutamate.

“That’s why I have 14 chefs preparing them for me,” he said.

He had no idea this recognition was coming. After the Where Magazine editors finished their meal and told him of the announcement, he was floored.

“I was shocked to be honest,” he said. “It’s one of the Toronto magazines. They told me a lot of people in Toronto talked about the restaurant and that’s why they came.”

The fusion restaurant that offers a blend of western and eastern dishes is co-owned by his mother Sara Kim, Uncle Chulho Lee and aunt Joanne Wi.

It opened this past year on June 13 and has an extensive Japanese and Korean menu, including steak, bento boxes, sushi rolls and bulgogi.

Along with more than 40 rolls on the menu, from the usual California roll to the blend of sweet and spicy of the Crispy Crunch that is a blend of fresh avocado, cucumber and shrimp tempura, crab meat and spicy salmon, the restaurant boasts seating for 200, and employs more than 25 wait staff (in the winter) and 14 chefs.

The restaurant is fully licensed and offers customers a “fun” experience with its entertaining hibachi tables where the food is prepared and cooked in front of patrons. Last year the restaurant received The New Restaurant of the Year from the Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce.

Located at 292 Wellington St. Unit 17, the restaurant accepts reservations and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily except in the winter, when it is closed on Sundays.