14Solo Sushi Ya

The best Japanese restaurant in Toronto is in Newmarket. Put yourself in the hands of sushi artist Jyo Gao, from Yokohama. His omakase is almost overwhelmingly pleasurable. There are often several kinds of raw shrimp, from differing depths of water and hence with different tastes. Mr. Gao slices raw sushi fish on the diagonal for great favour and texture; he sources sweet almost crunchy wild white clams from Eastern Europe for sushi, and the freshest smoked mackerel which he stews with sweet soy and chilli. Even his sushi rice is ridiculously fine, the rice grains warm and moist. Deep-fried tofu becomes poetic topped with a flurry of smoked shaved bonito. The dough on his dumplings is gossamer, his chawan mushi (savoury egg custard) is the texture of silk underwear. Inhale.