Recently, Sushi & Sake bar is sprouting everywhere hitting Toronto food industry like a storm. It is odd that Toronto is quite behind on this type of food trend. Guu from Vancouver opened its first store in Toronto and rapidly become the talk of the town. Whereas, lounge style Japanese dining is now taking off like a hot air balloon.
This kind of new contemporary take of Japanese cuisine has to come from the traditional Kaiseiki Ryori, where the quality preparation (slow food) and display artistically is focused. The new fusion style is a simpler take of such interpretation. Enough talk, let’s dive in.
A great opener for the meal. The seaweed is prepped nicely, which gives of the right tenderness and crunchiness. In combination of the vinaigrette and light sesame aroma, this wakame salad really grows on you and ready you for the meal.
Naban style fish
Naban refers to a vinaigrette sake based sweet and sour dressing. In combination of the freshness fish it brings out the sweetness of the fish nicely. The fish was cooked perfectly tender and juicy. Nicely executed.
I don’t like the name shrimp karage for this dish, because karage generally refers to heavier battered. The grapefruit yuzu sauce gives off very fruity citrus flavors that really accompanied the sweetness of the shrimp. Its yuzu sauce is impeccable, no wonder it is in its name.
O-Toro Sushi, beautiful cut, but in my opinion it is a little bit too well formed for O-Toro. It definitely DID not melts away in my mouths. For O-Toro it is definitely lacking the fatty substance. I really wonder if this is true O-Toro. Without the melts away, decorating it with gold leafs is the least they could do for 8 dollar a piece.
I came here for the Nigiri and Maki as this is the sister restaurant of Japango. Yet again, I was disappointed. The vegetable rolls were bland, carried out from the back kitchen not from the sushi bar, Salmon roll is quite tasteless as well. The salmon is already lacking of its integrity.
Overall, the hot appetizer is all very well executed. The restaurant did not miss the expectation of its Yuzu name. Nigiri and Maki, however, are way over priced and did not delivered. This is a place to go if you want to have a fancy night out. Probably focusing on the lounging rather than the eating.
Worth the drive? Maybe
Food: 22/30
Decoration: 25/30
Service: 24/30
Price: $50~100
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