Tokyo Grill
582 Yonge Street
416-968-7054
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and 2 non-alcoholic beverage: $35 (cash only)

At the corner of Yonge and Wellesley, tucked between a Chinese restaurant and an adult video store, sits an unassuming, pink-trimmed eatery that has been a trustworthy refuge for homey comfort food. Tokyo Grill is one of the few Japanese restaurants run by Japanese folks in the city. It has a tightly packed dining area that is separated into two halves by a narrow kitchen. Stay in the traffic heavy front to get cozy with a neighbour’s table and enjoy the chill of the outside wind blowing through the well worn entrance doors or head to the private-feeling, nearly secluded back room.

Once seated, friendly and ever polite servers pass out quaint laminated menu cards. The lack of raw fish or sushi may surprise many, however the kitchen excels in the preparation of day-to-day dishes found in many Japanese homes. Vegetarians can note the many non-meat choices; the health conscious may choose to substitute their meals with brown rice ($1 extra). And if proof of authenticity is required, a quick glance up from the lacquered table reveals the vast number of language students of Japanese descent bonding over steaming bowls at this home away from home. Jazz FM enthusiasts may appreciate this station’s airtime over Tokyo Grill’s speakers; those who love Christmas may find last year’s garland still hanging from the ceiling.

Continue reading The Simple Comforts of Home »

Katsu Sushi
572 Danforth Avenue East
416-466-3388
All you can eat buffet for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $45 (Mon-Thur: lunch $8.99, dinner $14.99; Fri - Sun: lunch $9.99, dinner $16.99)

Years ago my favourite Japanese restaurant closed without notice. It was a great spot for lunch, had a Japanese grocery attached, and was run by a Scotsman. Still, it served some of the best Japanese food around.

Since then there have been other sushi/Japanese restaurants but none as good. However, Katsu Sushi on the Danforth is pretty damn close.

The room is long and looks like it may have at one point been victim to a television makeover. But the back is beautiful, with a skylight and a tree growing in the middle of the space, touching the ceiling, and making the winter gloom seem not so, well, gloomy.

Continue reading Katsu Sushi »

Sushi Café Myoung Dong Soon To Fu Korea Restaurant
620 Bloor Street West
416-588-2700
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and Soju; no dessert: $42

Sushi Café Myoung Dong Soon To Fu Korea Restaurant is found in the heart of Koreatown. The steamed up windows show pictures of the many varieties of sushi found inside and boast of a “buy two get one free” special. This is a bit confusing since sushi is Japanese and this, most certainly, is a Korean restaurant.

The interior of this small establishment is a bit aggressive, with bright orange walls and panel mirrors. A single palm tree plant hugs one of the corners. The sushi bar is tucked in the back, but even so, it still seems out of place.

Continue reading Sushi Cafe Myong Soon To Fu Korean Restaurant »

Okonomi House
23 Charles Street West
416-925-6176
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and tea: $30

Despite its reputation as “Toronto the Good”, our fair city was supposedly quite the hedonistic place during the disco era. Centred around the Yonge Street strip, beautiful young things in white suits or wrap dresses and wedge heels congregated at the dance clubs to do the hustle, the bus stop and to drunkenly sing along to Dancing Queen by Abba. Like all club-goers, they likely wandered out into the night looking for a bite to eat, at which point, like so many generations of Torontonians after them, they would follow the beacon of the orange glow down Charles Street West to Okonomi House.

Continue reading The Orange Glow of the Disco Era »

kaiseki-Sakura
416-923-1010
556 Church Street

Literally translated, kaiseki means “stone in the bossom,” named for the practice whereby Zen Buddhist monks placed warm stones in the folds of their obi as a way to stave off hunger. But its meaning is derived from more than that, says Yumi Izutsu, who with her husband, chef Daisuke Izutsu, opened kaiseki-Sakura last August. Around 1,000 years ago, Buddhist monks held traditional tea ceremonies, during which they offered small, light dishes of food to balance the effects of the strong green tea, she says. At one time kaiseki was also used to describe the style of food served at drinking parties held by Shoguns, or the highest-ranking Samurai. In modern North American vernacular, think of kaiseki as a tasting, or a small plates menu.

Continue reading A Taste for History »

Combination sashimi platter of the day’s freshest seafood selection by Sushi Marché’s Chef John Lee, along with the author’s favourite negi hamachi roll.

Good food invokes all five senses; but the virtual palate can best be stimulated by sight. People also say a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case for hungry Torontonians, it is the hope that this column will help encourage you to eat also with your eyes and not just with your mouth. What better way to kick off my first contribution at TasteTO than with a series of photos of things I find extra tasty!

I love Japanese food. In particular, I love sashimi and sushi. Noting that numerous sushi restaurants populate the Toronto landscape, I’ve travelled far and wide in the GTA in search of the one location that has the freshest tasting, greatest value and the best selection of sushi. I’ve also taken the liberty to photo document some of these offerings.

Focusing on the downtown area (with a few notable mentions outside the core), we have menu items and prices that range from low to high. From simple fare that is made to order and portable (aka take out), casual dine-ins to omakase (allowing the chef free reign to create your meal) surprises, the following images are samples of what you might encounter. Once in a while, you might even be treated to something a little extra special.

Continue reading Tasting Toronto’s Sushi, One Image at a Time »

Suki Japanese Cuisine
48 St. Clair Avenue East
416-929-8598
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip, and tea: $44

The area around St. Clair subway station is home to three Sushi restaurants. There’s Sushi Garden (1560 Yonge Street), Takara (1502 Yonge Street) and Suki. Different people have different favourites but I think each place has something to offer. For instance, Takara is the only one which serves Ika Yaki (barbecued squid), and Sushi Garden has great lunch prices on Bento Boxes with larger portions. The third, Suki, has complementary salad and dessert and has the best service out of the three.

Suki is a dimly lit restaurant with room for about thirty people. The décor is interesting. Think traditional Japanese, clean and surrounded by bonsai-like plantlife meshed with wallpaper adorned with maritime ships at the harbour. It’s homely enough though, setting the right atmosphere for some good sushi.

Continue reading Suki Sushi On St. Clair »

Though Bloor Street goes through many transformations as it crosses the city, no section blends a neighbourhood feel with a bustling atmosphere better than the Annex. Let’s crop it down to just one strip: Spadina to Bathurst. The bars, bookstores, music shops, and breakfast joints get their fair share of business. But they are not so noticeable as the factors that make the Annex seem like Little Japan.

In that one stretch eight sushi restaurants vie for business. Each tries to distinguish itself in some way. Mariko (551 Bloor Street West) has an all-you-can-eat option, with sushi of admirable quality. Big Sushi (388 Bloor Street West) often squirts a special sauce on top of maki sets. Japan Sushi (482 Bloor Street West) is the only one with a patio.

Continue reading Who Rises Up From Bloor’s Sushi Row »

Mittomi Sushi & Bar
699 Bloor Street West
416-533-2888
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and sake: $55

Recollections of my first sake-soaked sushi meal several years ago are hazy, except for the unexpected and utterly sensual delight of salmon sashimi melting on my tongue. It remains a shining, transcendent food memory for me. Although I’m not otherwise doing much damage to the world’s ocean inhabitants, I count it a very good day when I get my chopsticks around a juicy, intensely-coloured piece (or several) of raw salmon. As a result, I find myself in Mittomi as often as possible to get my fix, even though I no longer live in the neighborhood.

Continue reading Salmon on My Mind at Mittomi »

Izakaya
69 Front Street East
416-703-8658
Complete lunch for two with all taxes, tip and tea: $65

It’s official, there is just too many sushi restaurants in Toronto. In the July 8th issue of the Toronto Star, Christine Sismondo reviewed two books to that point: The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, From Samurai to Supermarket by Trevor Corson and The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy by Sasha Issenberg. At the beginning of the article, Sismondo writes about the influx of Japanese restaurants, saying:

[I]f you ask a real traditionalist, you’ll find out most of us don’t really consider that stuff they serve “Japanese” anyways.

I love sushi and I agree with Sismondo. Sushi is definitely Japanese but there’s more to Japanese food than just sushi. Try Izakaya for example. Unlike Fune and Nami, two other well-known Japanese restaurants in Toronto’s core, Izakaya’s menu has skipped sushi to concentrate on traditional choices such as ramen, teppan yaki, soba, and udon dishes. It’s also relatively cheaper since fresh, sushi-grade fish tends to be expensive.

Continue reading Japanese Sans Sushi »

Koganei Sushi
3901 Highway 7 West, BDC Building, Woodbridge
905-265-2288
Dinner for two (app and mains only) with all taxes, tip and water: $40

“Table for two?” It took me a minute to answer because I had just stepped through the door. That’s right, service at Koganei Sushi is blindingly fast. We were seated in a beautiful booth and given our menus. Normally I don’t pay much attention to the paper the menu is written on, but this menu was like receiving an art book. Before I even opened it I noticed the beautiful spring green-coloured hardcover bound with a silky ribbon. Once I opened the front cover I was taken aback by the amount of colour, pictures and menu options. I was so taken by the beauty of the menu that it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted. There is no way I can describe the selections offered, but their website does a great job of it! Suffice to say they have sushi, tempura, teriyaki and miso soup. Some of the more different items include raw oysters on the half shell, and a whole fish prepared for sashimi (must be ordered a week in advance).

Continue reading Super Service at Koganei »

Heisei Market
3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
905-305-7300

Going to the supermarket has always been a favourite pastime for me. I love strolling up and down the aisles looking for new products on the shelves. It’s even more interesting when I go to ethnic-based supermarkets because I get to look at fun and unusual products. One of my favourite places to “discover” new things is the supermarket at Japan Town (J-town) called Heisei Market. Located in Markham, it is very convenient for me because it is just off Highway 404.

J-town is owned by a Japanese owner, and all the staff there are Japanese. I’ve recently reviewed the cafeteria Green Tea Café which is a very popular place for lunch among the Asian community. The Heisei Market, on the other hand, is not just popular with Japanese people. The fresh food, the interesting products, and the friend staff definitely attract people of all cultural backgrounds.

Continue reading Exploration Shopping »

Café Green Tea
3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
905-470-0758
Lunch for 2 and snack (with tax, no tip required) $21

Every time I go pick up some Japanese groceries, I always make sure I have time for lunch. Next to the market is a small food court and the Café Green Tea. It isn’t really just any regular cafeteria food; to me, it is a trip down memory lane. Ever since I returned from teaching in Japan, I’ve had a tough time finding a place that can help me get in touch with Japanese food and culture.

The staff at the café are all Japanese and they understand both Japanese and English so there are no worries of communication problems. And to make life easier, since few of the items have names that reveal anything much about the dish, their menu is all in pictures hanging proudly above the cash register so you know what to expect. Armed with my wooden block number, I have enough time to do a quick stroll at the supermarket section and buy a drink before I settle into a seat and wait patiently for my meal to be brought over by one of the soft spoken and polite Japanese ladies.

Continue reading Japanese Oasis »

Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant
49 Baldwin Street
416-596-1913
Lunch for two, including tax, tip, and tea: $30

I personally have a great affection for Baldwin Street. Cozy and refreshing, it provides a reprieve from the noise of McCaul Street and areas east as well as the “too hip for you” atmosphere of Kensington Market and locales west.

However, not even my Baldwin-bias had yet sold me on sushi. Despite multiple visits to Konnichiwa and Kuni Sushi Ya, I remained a sushi sceptic, and somewhat lukewarm towards Japanese food in general. Prepared to give it another chance, I visited Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant accompanied by a certifiable Japanophile, fresh from two of the best months of his life in his second homeland. The third of our party was a first-time sushi diner, never having sampled the fruits of the island nation. I got to be the happy, or at least pseudo-neutral, medium.

Continue reading Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant »

Sushi Island
571 College Street
(416) 535-1515
dinner for two with sake, tax and tip: $60

Sushi Island serves what I call “novelty sushi”. It is comfort food that I keep coming back to. Sushi purists should probably look elsewhere. But if you enjoy creative maki rolls, it’s a fine place to eat.

I almost didn’t write a review of this place. It’s crowded enough, and seems to get more and more crowded. On weekend evenings, the wait can be over an hour. It’s a very uncomfortable wait too - people are packed into a long narrow area by the front door. I love the food here, but it’s not worth waiting for an hour. I recommend going for lunch or an early dinner when there’s no wait. Another option is take out, which is twenty percent off the menu price.

Continue reading Sushi Island »