Climb Ev’ry Yama

Yama Japanese Restaurant
2370 Bloor Street West
416-762-5402
Dinner for two with all taxes and tip: $50

I wonder how many people intend to go to Yumi Japanese Restaurant and ended up at Yama instead. The two storefronts, with names like twin sisters, are a mere half block apart on Bloor Street West near Jane, which must have caused its share of confusion over the years. Both are long-time Bloor West Village pillars, but Yama (“mountain” in Japanese) had a previous life under the same management as a more casual place called Delite Sushi and Noodles. Then about 5 years ago, seemingly overnight, the simple facade changed and a bold new sign went up announcing: Yama Japanese Restaurant. At the time, I was terrified that ownership had changed, but thankfully the transformation fancied up the menu and decor only and left the restaurant in the same caring hands.

This small, 22-seat space contains mostly booths for four with discreet screens between them at just the right height to lend privacy. The sushi bar is at the back facing the dining room allowing the lucky tables close by to watch the artful sushi chef at work.

The menu contains an enormous list of à la carte sushi, including nigiri, traditional maki, and Western-style maki (spicy mayo this, deep-fried that), but due to the cold weather, the bentos catch our attention. Three dinner bento boxes are available with the most comprehensive selection being the first one in the list ($18.95), which includes: salad, miso soup, three pieces of sashimi, three pieces of nigiri sushi, four pieces of “special rolls”, gyoza, agedashi tofu, shrimp and vegetable tempura, teriyaki (chicken, beef, or salmon), and rice. It seems impossible to have all this for under $20.

The typical starter iceberg lettuce salad and miso soup arrive first. The iceberg lettuce is standard and the dressing quite sour, but the sprinkling of kuro goma (black sesame seeds) brings it up several levels. The miso soup is good quality with tiny cubes of tofu and strands of enoki mushroom.

The sashimi, sushi, and special rolls come separately from the rest of the bento like an appetizer and are arranged beautifully on a long, white plate. The sashimi and sushi are both comprised of salmon, maguro, and red snapper that are incredibly fresh and unbelievably soft. The special rolls that day were made with maguro, avocado, and rice that was dusted with panko breadcrumbs, deep-fried, and topped with spicy mayo and tobiko. Say what you will about new-fangled sushi – this was delicious.

The rest of the bento comes together in a lacquered box. The variety of food is fantastic, but can’t compete with the spectacular sushi. The gyoza is deep-fried, which pales in comparison to plump and juicy pan-fried ones. The tempura and agedashi tofu are well-cooked, but the dipping sauces are very, very sweet. The salmon and rice are perfectly fine, but the bed of shredded cabbage lacks crispness. It’s evident that the best items on the menu are the sushi and sashimi and if eaten as appetizers, they’ll upstage anything that follows.

Dessert isn’t included with the dinner box, but the server asks if we’d like some ice cream. She brings miniature bowls of mango with dainty spoons, just the right amount after our large meal, but she doesn’t charge us for it.

Service is, and has always been, exceptionally attentive and kind. I’ve never felt so well taken care of in a quiet, pleasant way. This wonderful quality, in addition to the stellar sushi, is probably why Yama/Delite Sushi and Noodles has been a mainstay in the neighbourhood for the past 14 years.

Kaori Furue is a Toronto-based blogger who thinks panko makes everything better. Her adventures big and small (mostly small, and mostly about food) can be found at: I can’t believe I’m back in Toronto.