May 24, 2012

Sake to me baby

Delectably fresh sashimi? Daring and inventive sushi? Here’s where to go for the good stuff

by Joanne Kates

Sushi Kaji

Mitsuhiro Kaji practises his art in a schleppy strip-mall in Etobicoke, but once inside Sushi Kaji, it’s a magic carpet ride to old Japan. Kaji apprenticed to sushi masters for 13 years in Japan. They taught him to view the cutting of corners as gastronomic hara-kiri, and his skills match that commitment to excellence. There is no à la carte menu. Thirty lucky diners reserve in advance for one of three set dinners ($80 to $120 per person). The set meal unfolds in a stately minuet of Japanese splendours. His sushi is poetry on the plate, the freshest fish fashioned into edible art — a sea bream rose with cucumber peel “leaves.” Raw squid masquerading as egg white with sea urchin “yolk.” Cooked items are the likes of tiny clams in buttery sake broth. A baby eggplant fanned out and deep-fried, with crisp fresh lotus root sandwiched between two barely grilled scallops. Eating Kaji’s food leaves no doubt about the place of food in the world of art.

Sushi Kaji is located at 860 The Queensway, 416-252-2166.

Omi

Give chef John Lee $70 and let the omakase (set) dinner unfold, for every evening at Omi is an edible dream come true. Sometimes he does a silken purée of edamame to start. There are always variations on the theme of raw fish, always delicate, always impeccably fresh. But chef Lee’s finest hour is his signature sushi pizza. He tops feather-light sushi pizza with a torched barely charred scallop and tops that with wasabi, red fish roe and scallion. Around each scallop is a moat of blanched bean sprouts, seaweed salad and shredded carrots. Chef builds each one of these little sculptures just before he serves them. The resulting sushi pizza is simultaneously delicate and full of flavour. Such is the perfectionism of John Lee that he smoked soy sauce for added flavour punch. To accomplish that, he pours soy over burnt hickory wood and then filters it. This is the passion of John Lee, master of omakase.

Omi is located at 243 Carlton St., 416-920-8991.

EDO

This is where Forest Hill folks in the know go for sushi, all for good reasons. EDO is to the plethora of bargain sushi joints as a Bymark burger is to a Big Mac. The fish is impeccable, the kitchen both expert and careful. Whether it’s pristine fatty tuna sashimi to be inhaled with joy, or complex handrolls assembled à la minute to be eaten while the nori is still crisp, EDO’s sushi chefs are among the best in town. There are the likes of amaebi (sweet raw shrimp), unagi (barbecued sea eel) and uni (sea urchin roe) for enthusiasts, and less challenging sushi items like shrimp tempura rolls and superbly tender Kobe beef for sushi virgins. Owner Barry Chaim, a nice Jewish boy from Toronto with a lifelong sushi fetish, knows that the eye eats first, so the garnishes are always gorgeous ... and it’s easy to park. The only weak link is service, which can be haphazard.

EDO is located at 484 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-322-3033.

Hiro Sushi

Since Hiro made his name in the ’90s, sushi joints have multiplied like mushrooms after a rainstorm. And the service at Hiro has not improved. It remains painfully slow, made more irritating by the poor English communication skills of the servers. But nobody has fish as fresh as Hiro’s, and nobody slices it like the master. His sushi of raw cherrystone clams melts like butter on the tongue. He barbecues freshwater eel perfectly. He slices raw beef so thin you could read through it, and he titillates the taste buds by matching the sweet beef with thinly sliced onion, ponzu sauce, scallions and grated chili-spiked daikon. This is sushi for grown-ups.

Hiro Sushi is located at 171 King St. E., 416-304-0550.

This article appears in the November 2011 issue of Post City Magazines

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Reader Comments:
Jan 27, 2012 02:01 pm
 Posted by  Better than Better than Ezra

Kates really should get out more. John Lee sold Omi two months ago.

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