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    Kobo Gourmet

    3.5 (27 reviews)
    ModerateJapanese, Sushi Bars
    Closed 12:00 pm - 2:30 PM, 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM

    Kobo Gourmet Photos

    Business Info

    KOBO GOURMET ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Lunch specials on the blackboards. Only one I'd be interested in is Chirashi Don.
    Tex S.

    In the Japanese-food wasteland of Chinese-run Monster Truck McSushi Rolls from Hell (tm) AYCE emporia (with those stupid iPads, God I hate them), is this light at the end of the tunnel. Kobo Gourmet is Japanese owned and operated! If you've heard about Zen (formerly in Scarborough, but moved to Markham), Kobo is Zen's cheaper kid brother in Pickering who is (almost) as authentic. No iPads, no language barriers, no missed orders here. Just authentic Japanese food (sadly, with some McRolls for the gaijin... if you want those, go over to Dragon Rolls, why are you here wasting Chef Nobu's talent?) When ordering sushi, to me you either get the Omakase Sushi (meaning a plate of Nigiri, $22) or the Omakase Sashimi (no rice, just fish, $24). At Zen you'll pay $80 or $90 respectively for these. So if you're new to REAL sushi but don't want the sticker shock and the drive to Markham, this is the way to go. And don't go making that Yoda sauce either... you're a grown-up now. Leave Yoda sauce (and the stupid rolls) to the high school kids over at Dragon Rolls. For appetizers, you can't go wrong with any of it, but i feel Miso soup is a tired old cliche and you see it everywhere. Change things up and get the Ushio Soup instead, which is a nice large bowl of clear bonito dashi soup stock with shrimps and scallops in it. Delicious. If you've had Beef Tataki at any of the AYCE iPad places, get it here and you'll be stunned at the difference in taste, it's like night and day. The beef is lean, not gristly, and the ginger sauce is perfectly prepared. The green tea is one of the best I've had in recent memory; only the kind served by Sushi Kaji in Etobicoke was similar. (and you'll spend $120+ per person to dine there!). For under $3, it's a treat! Bottom line, Chinese-run "Japanese" places (whether AYCE or not) are all crap. Just the same dozen or so stupid rolls that all taste the same and are not authentic at all (you won't find them at any respectible sushi place in Tokyo). If you want authentic Japanese food, make sure the place is run by Japanese, and this place is the real deal. Come here and you'll never want McSushi again, in fact you'll probably be calling Zen to reserve your next food experience! Welcome to the big leagues!

    These Amaebi are scary. They look like undercooked shrimp and their texture was like a stiff microwaved crunch.   Not fresh !!!
    Chantal Y.

    Tried this place out in hopes that I could find a closer location for my sushi fix. I am not surprised this wouldn't suit my boyfriend and I. I really tried to like this place as reviews seem to speak well. However the food was just awful. The sashimi wasn't fresh at all, definitly been frozen and unfrozen incorrectly several times, the Amaebi wasn't fresh, it had been dosed in salt to I guess preserve it from going bad, the HOTATE was also looking a weird colour and had a sour taste rather than a fresh sweet taste. Their sushi rolls no taste. Congee would have had more taste.... Overall the food was bland and the flavours were missing something all of it. Salad dressing we tried both kinds, that seemed appetizing but were mainly oil base but no flavour. Only good thing was the tempura and the waiter was nice. The prices of this sushi are expensive for the shit quality you get and the freezing cold dining room. After all it is Pickering. The sushi here cannot even compare to the worst AYCE in Markham. And you truly need to go to toronto or Markham to get your fix. Sorry to be harsh but this was so unappetizing and not fresh at all...... we both had mild sickness after eating here.

    Front

    Kobo is the best sushi in Durham and possibly one of the best in the GTA. It is the opposite of cheap all-you-can-eat places. You pay more, get less, but it's memorable. The quality of the dishes sushi and the flavours are clearly a notch above anything else. I believe it is Japanese run, which makes a difference -most sushi restaurants are not. Omakase is the "chef's choice" and is recommended. They will provide the a mix of sushi of high quality and variety. The tempura is flavourful and lightly battered, never heavy. Decor is minimal and outdated, verging on retro. The service is cold and to the point, like the sushi. Watch the opening hours, they like to close early and don't arrive for dinner past 8:30PM it may not work so well.

    Shrimp tempura roll
    Karen L.

    Wonderful, real Japanese cuisine. Veggie friendly, too.

    Sashimi Omakase

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    Good food and nice environment. The chef always can make sth special for you. Most of the customers here are regular ones.

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    15 years ago

    absolutely wonderful! Kobo takes really great care to ensure you have a pleasant visit. Must try the Green Dragon roll. :)

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    Yakyoto - Shrimps

    Yakyoto

    4.1(28 reviews)
    7.0 km

    Just 30 minutes from Toronto, Yakyoto Grill in Pickering is a must-visit for Japanese BBQ…read more(YAKINIKU) lovers!! The King Kalbi short ribs are juicy and flavorful, while the Tsubo Harami (marinated beef in ceramic jars) is unbelievably tender. They also serve fresh seafood, crispy fries, and the perfect desserts -- from housemade gelato to every flavor of Melona bar. Friendly service, cozy atmosphere, and top-quality food make this one of the best Japanese grills in the GTA.

    Great AYCE BBQ place similar to Gyubee. Not related to other restaurants…read more In comparison to the other bigger brands they have very similar variety and quality food. The quality and seasoning of meat were great. The spicy shrimp was lovely. The miso salmon was nice and soft. The same clams were lacking a little flavour and there were no vermicelli. The fries, takoyaki, wings and cheesy corn were great. I was surprised to see takowasa. It was not bad but could use more of the crunchy veggies and more wasabi flavours. The bibimbap was meatless and could use more sauce but the rice and egg was perfect. They offered a good Melona variety. The creme brulee was ordered to torch and came in a legit ramekin but I wished the sugar crust was thicker. Great service and environment. I did find the seats a bit cramped especially when sharing the middle booth. We were reminded of the 1.5hr last call and 2hr seating limit a few times though. And also reminded that if we cannot finish the food that we should set it aside... Overall, happy to see a nice AYCE BBQ place make it further into Durham!

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    Gorgeous!!!

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    Fuwa Fuwa Dessert Cafe - Smoked Salmon

    Fuwa Fuwa Dessert Cafe

    4.6(17 reviews)
    1.4 km

    Fuwa Fuwa has done it again! Their food is really good, so whenever they introduce new dishes, I…read morehave to try them! This time, it was their new Japanese Fried Chicken Karaage, available in several flavours: Classic, Teriyaki, Sweet Heat, Maple Jalapeño, and Hot Yuzu. They were all delicious and are available as small plates or meal-sized. It was hard to pick a favourite. We also tried their Egg Sando, and Miso Udon Carbonara. As good as everything was, the udon dish turned out to be my favourite. Those flavours really appealed to me. Maybe it was the generous amount of crispy bacon in it! No visit to Fuwa Fuwa would be complete without having some of their delicious beverages. We had the Butterfly Pea Latte, Strawberry Matcha Latte, and Dragon Fruit Refresher. Everything tasted great!

    Tip: This cafe has ube baked goods and Japanese meals…read more A few Saturdays ago, I was at Chuck's Roadhouse for lunch. Afterwards, I drove around the plaza to figure out what businesses were there. I was happy to see Fuwa Fuwa Dessert Cafe. I had flagged coming here. Well, it took a gathering of three friends with me to visit this cafe last Thursday. I had only visited the Fuwa Fuwa location in Vaughan. This one in Pickering is special for a bunch of reasons. There was lots of parking at 6 pm on a Thursday evening that was threatening freezing rain. Luckily, we only got rain. Yay! I backed into a tight parking spot. The tight part was due to a snowbank that was in front of the row of parking. I threw out some garbage from my car into a receptacle near this business. I saw one of my friends in the cafe already. Another one said hi to me when I grabbed the door. Our third friend came in a few minutes later. We are a punctual group. It was nice. I looked at the desserts display that I was sitting next to. First, it's deadly to be that close to baked goods. Second, there was a lot of ube. This cafe has Filipino and Japanese influences in its menu offerings. It's cool to me! I had meant to get something with ube in it. I need to go back! We were here for dinner. Normally, you think of fluffy, giggly pancakes when you're at Fuwa Fuwa. This restaurant had a Japanese eats menu. We got the following Japanese combos: - Combo A for two people: - Teriyaki pork katsu rice - Chicken karaage curry - Two miso soups - Two cans of pop - Combo B for two people: - Udon noodle soup - Teriyaki chicken karaage - Two iced matcha lattes We shared the mains and soups family-style, so we could sample everything. Our mains and miso soups came out first. The drinks came out last. The teriyaki pork katsu on rice was yummy. The katsu was crispy on the outside and perfect inside. The rice was fluffy and had some green onions and furikake (dried seaweed flakes). One friend wanted more furikake on it. The rest of us were fine with what we got. I've been into Japanese curry for the longest time. This place made it well. The chicken karaage was crispy, as the curry was separate on the plate and so flavourful. We got rice. It had this sesame shredded cabbage as a side. It was yummy, but we all suggested that it needed red cabbage to add a colourful pop to the dish. We gave the most feedback on the miso soup. It was salty. I ended up taking water that I had filled a cup up at the station in the back and diluted my soup. It was less salty. The problem was that my water was cold and it made my soup cooler. The owner on the store apologized. We did a taste test between a batch of miso soup from yesterday that he had brought to our table versus the saltier one today. I tasted both. Yesterday's didn't have a strong miso flavour. Today's was too salty. I ended mixing the two. The miso flavour was perfect, but it was on the salty side. We got two cans of Coke zero. I can do Coke zero. One of my friends can't. We ended up trading one of the cans for regular Coke, which he likes. My can was cold. It didn't cause a sugar spike. All good. I also had one of the iced matcha lattes. I was thirsty from my miso soup. I loved it. It was cold. The matcha flavour was excellent. It was creamy from the milk in it. Three of us had the udon noodle soup. One of our friends can't have beef. The beef was thinly sliced and yummy. We all loved the chewiness of the udon. The broth wasn't overly salty. I liked it. The jammy egg was perfect. The green onions enhanced this dish. We got teriyaki chicken karaage. I love that it had kewpie mayo drizzled on top. The chicken was moist inside and crunchy on the outside. This dish came with rice and a runny fried egg. Delicious! We ordered a couple of jiggly pancakes: - Berry - Matcha It was my first time having the berry. It was excellent. I loved the berry compote poured all over the pancakes, which absorbed everything like a sponge. The pancakes were fluffy, jiggly, and delicious. I've had the matcha pancakes before. I loved the matcha sauce and the strawberry slices. It was nice having them again. I used the washroom before we called in a night. There are two single stalls. The one that I used was decent. I loved visited this cafe. It was nice spending time with friends over dinner and jiggly pancakes. I will return for the ube goodies! (115)

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    Azumi Sushi - 3 rolls & miso soup

    Azumi Sushi

    3.9(50 reviews)
    4.0 kmScarborough
    $$

    Azumi Sushi is a cozy neighbourhood spot for sushi, rolls, sashimi and other popular Japanese…read moredishes. My volleyball teammates often come here for sushi after our games. Food arrives at our table very quickly and it's always freshly made. The star of the show was the salty-sweet taste of the chicken teriyaki bento, followed by the beef as a close second place. Service is on point and very pleasant to answer any allergy questions.

    I decided to try this place out for a quick lunch when on my way back from the GO station…read more I was impressed with their selection of Lunch Specials, but ultimately decided to go with my 3 favourite classic rolls. Which were: Spicy Salmon Roll Dragon Roll Yam Tempura Roll I called ahead and placed an order and they told me it would take about 20min. When I arrived, I saw that they offered a cash discount for 10% off. When I inquired, they told me that the discount only applies if you buy their loyalty card. This is the first time I've heard about purchasing a loyalty card, but anyway I decided to opt out of that as this was my first time here and I wasn't sure if I would become a regular here yet. My total bill came out to $27 which is a tad on the pricey side, but I was willing to give it a go, especially based on their great reviews. They food it self was pretty good. The quantity was great, but the quality wasn't amazing, mainly for the Yam Tempura roll. Overall, I did enjoy my food, but I don't think this will be my new regular spot. Side Note: They do accept Credit, but they don't accept AMEX

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    Azumi Sushi
    Azumi Sushi - Chicken teriyaki bento

    Chicken teriyaki bento

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    Kobo Gourmet - japanese - Updated May 2026

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