Yuzu
236 Adelaide Street West
416-205-9898
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and cocktails: $100
Yuzu, named after the delicate Asian citrus fruit, is the kind of Japanese restaurant that makes me regret all the time wasted in others. Located half a flight above street level in an unlikely spot next to Crocodile Rock, it’s almost hidden from the street and tragically easy to miss. I’ve eaten my way through dozens of Toronto sushiyas, including similarly priced and well-respected Ematei and Hiro Sushi, but Bruce Bu’s Yuzu, opened in the fall of 2008, has deftly become my unequivocal favourite.
The restaurant is just a two-minute walk away from the office where I toil, so I’ve enjoyed many lunch hours there. The space is long and narrow with the sushi bar stretching along one wall and the kitchen tucked in the back. The decor is clean and understated, lending a calm, peaceful atmosphere that is mentally miles away from work.
The lunch and dinner menus are almost identical with only a few items available exclusively in the evening, like the oyster dishes (on the half shell, in shooters). Lunch and dinner à la carte sushi prices are the same and hot entrées cost only a few dollars more at night along with an increase in portion size.
For appetizers, the pan-fried gyoza ($7) and tempura ($9) are solid choices. The deep-fried versions with pasty filling found in discount joints aren’t even the same species as these juicy, beef-filled ones with their crackly, seared skin. The tempura is made with quality vegetables like squash, shiitake, asparagus, and eggplant and is served as it should be with dipping sauce and daikon oroshi (grated radish). The radish counteracts and tempers the deep-fried character of the dish.
The menu includes many hot entrées like the nabeyaki udon ($15 at lunch; $17 at dinner), which is full of thick noodles, deep-fried shrimps (complete with heads and roe), mirin-marinated whitefish, slivered vegetables, a gooey cracked egg, wakame, and nori. The beef teriyaki ($13 at lunch; $24 at dinner) is an actual thick, lean beefsteak grilled to the customer’s desired doneness, sliced, and drizzled with sauce that is balanced and not too sweet. The salmon variation ($12 at lunch; $16 at dinner) is a soft, plush filet enveloped in the same excellent dressing. The most non-traditional Japanese item on the menu is ironically one of my favourites. The hot stone bowl ($16 at lunch; $19 at dinner), based on a Korean bibimbap, is topped with Japanese ingredients like steamed shrimp, tempura shrimp, grilled scallops, crabstick, tobiko, and cucumbers along with a raw quail’s egg and a dollop of Kewpie mayonnaise.
Believe it or not, the best is yet to come. At lunchtime, the Sushi Lunch ($15) features familiar fish like maguro, salmon, and cooked shrimp. Everything is beautifully fresh and skilfully prepared in the appropriate one-bite size, but trust me—have the sushi at dinner. The Deluxe Sushi Dinner ($29) is a chef’s selection of 12 pieces of nigiri and 6 pieces of maki that is so exquisitely artful and delicious that it wouldn’t be out of place at the former Susur. The butterfish nigiri is topped with tiny pieces of crispy garlic and a thin film of fresh melted butter. The torched skin on the snapper floods my senses with the memory of barbecuing shishamo fish at home with my parents. The trout is just a brief sensation on the tongue before melting away.
The cocktails are amazing enough to warrant a visit on their own. The Samurai ($7.95) - a mix of sake, lemon juice, and Cointreau - is a strong, refreshing drink that the waiter recommended to go with the sushi. It worked perfectly to clear the palate, allowing all the wildly different flavours to be enjoyed in isolation. The Yuzu Sangria ($7.95) is served on ice, but has a spiciness reminiscent of hot, mulled wine. All of the cocktails we tried were well-balanced and sophisticated.
Service is kind and extremely respectful. All the cooks, servers, and Chef Bu himself carefully thank all patrons as they leave. Yuzu is a place to proudly bring visitors or spend a luxurious, yet affordable, dinner with a friend on a regular work night. The sign of the great one is a red logo depicting a five-petalled yuzu flower.
Kaori Furue is a Toronto-based blogger who bows to the skill of sushi chefs everywhere. Her adventures big and small (mostly small, and mostly about food) can be found at: I can’t believe I’m back in Toronto.
