It seems this place has got a lot of bad reviews...and maybe it's because I am Asian (?) that I had such a fabulous experience but I am a fan of this place.
My visit was on a Wednesday (maybe this makes a difference?) evening , and we had to settle for this place because the original destination was closed; I was thrilled since in this part of town, oriental food(I dunno how to call Korean, Chinese and Japanese food as a group, but that's what I mean) - unless Thai - has slim pickings.
We were greeted and seated right away. The waitress was rather friendly as were the chefs. I enjoyed the simple decor - I HATE places that's littered with trinkets and pieces of what they THINK is from that culture -so tacky. I digress. I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the popular Korean food on the menu as well, but only ones which compliment the Japanese cuisine, instead of having all the popular ones (like Pork Bone soup would have been a weird choice, although wildly popular).
Pros.
I love that they put SOME thought into the presentation; this is something that seems to be lost in a lot off Oriental restaurants which open here, which is strange because in its native home there is a strong emphasis on them. Food should first be aesthetically pleasing.
The service was excellent; they didn't check on us often but were there whenever replenishing and clearing was required. The staff whispered to each other to not disturb customer conversations which is VERY much the Japanese way...although it made eavesdropping hard XD
The food was delicious; sushi pizza and rolls and the fish was fresh and cut and prepared in perfect bite sizes. The sesame ice cream was just like the ones my grandma used to make.
MOSTLY IMPORTANTLY, the ginger tasted like GINGER. In fact, it was VERY fresh ginger - as if it was just marinated and have yet lost all its...gingeriness?? lol Of course the complimentary strawberries with drizzles of chocolate was just the right touch. We were full but not with itis, which is the way it should be.
Cons.
I don't have much to say about this.
Yes, it is a bit higher priced; but Japanese food always is higher in price. We are so used to cheap bulk Sushi here that if it's cheap we will eat it even if it's old food. BLAGH.
The point of sushi is freshness and I am personally willing to pay a bit extra for freshness and attention to presentation which seems to be a dying art. I mean, aren't we all willing to pay extra at a high end restaurant for a quarter worth of food that's well presented and is fresh? I mean WHEN do you ever go to a Keg, and pay less than $50 for 2 people?
And really thinking about it, I think the price here is very comparable to the Kyota place near King & Dufferin, though the quality of food and atmosphere here is much better.
THE BEEF I have is, that the KOREAN food on the menu is also expensive; I don't think Bulgogi anything should be over $10. Hwe- dup-bop is like Chirachi -raw fish on bed or rice, which merits the price the $10.50 price. Even so, I assume they are well presented and considering that this is one of the FEW (three as far as I know) places with Korean menu, I am willing to swallow the price - but I am, crazy so.... :P
Also WHERE IS that Sake? I can't believe I ate sashimi without Sake, although that was a refreshing change. One point for those who are sensitive about sodium intake; they don't have a low-sodium Soya sauce available, just the regular one in a cute ceramic teapot pouring thingie.
Extra star for being a decent place in this part of the city ; yes I will be returning for some sesame ice cream and that Crazy boy roll and the sushi pizza and ....well everything else on the menu. read more