I was so excited to hear a conveyer sushi restaurant was coming to Yorkdale! The place looks fancy but due to it being on the top floor, the building still looks a bit under-costruction, as the walls are grey and there is only a logo design on the top corner. So architecture definitely could be better.
My boyfriend and I had gone on Valentine's day and it was surprisingly not busy. We arrived around 3:45pm and was out by 4:30pm. When we get to the door, there is a woman standing there who greets us and gives us a ticket for seating. You have to take the elevator up and I was honestly expecting a more fancy elevator but it was just a regular elevator, haha. When we get up there, we stand around the elevator area, not really sure where to go as there isn't someone standing there to greet us. A customer leaving the restaurant tells us that we have to walk in and we thank her because god knows how long we'd be standing there otherwise! Once greeted by a worker, he takes us to our seat and he's very friendly and welcoming. He seats us and disappears after telling us our server will be here shortly.
Our server comes after a few minutes and he asks us if we've been here before. We hadn't, but the system seemed pretty self-explanatory. They use a iPad to order and it's the same as other places. He explains that you can only order four items at once, but you can immediately order again right after and only asks for us to not reach out and touch the conveyor belt while it was still moving. He also explains many times that drinks are in a separate menu on the side and disappears and we don't see him again. They have a service button on the ipad and if you click it, only then will someone come to help you. So service is a bit futuristic? Lazy? You decide.
We got 8 plates, totaling in 21 pieces of sushi in total,~11 pieces between two people. Our bill was around $65, which my boyfriend compared to a regular Joey's bill but you have to think about how Joey's you have a proper meal. I had left TORA at a satisfied place. It is definitely not somewhere to come to get full. Think of TORA as somewhere to get a little snack, where you're not super hungry.
That being said, the sushi we got was nothing spectacular. My boyfriend had always wanted to try Bluefin Tuna and it was a honking $12 for three pieces and as someone who isn't a huge fan of tuna, it was alright. Sockeye salmon is also pretty pricey ($6.50 for three slices), but I learned I like regular Atlantic salmon best. Also not a fan of their tuna tataki. The one plate I will rave about to my grave is the Aburi Salmon Oshi. It is a chef's recommended Aburi dish and it was so good, we ordered three of these in total. It was delicious, creamy and smooth, bursting with flavour. The best out of everything! I'd go back just for these two pieces of sushi.
TORA has tough competitors being near iQ and RH and the others, though also pretty pricey, I believe TORA takes the cake in terms of expensive food. However, I believe sushi-enthusiasts will stop by often as I understand they allow takeout. In conclusion, I'd go back to try the rest of the menu, as trying everything in one sitting would be too expensive, and for that aburi salmon oshi. read more