Crab Harbour Restaurant

The Crab Harbour Restaurant is a new restaurant that just opened their doors approximately 2 months ago in the heart of Richmond Hill.  The restaurant specializes in some of the most intriguing ways of cooking an Alaskan snow crab.  Scanning their menu, there is both an a la carte section as well as a set menu which they have listed for $58.89/person.  We made reservations for the evening however when we got there, we noticed that the restaurant was only a half full.

Since there were four of us we thought it would be best to go with four set menus.  We figured it was the easiest way to go.  There was also a line on the menu that say an extra $30 per 1.5lbs.  When the server came out he said the set menu would mean we would have 6.0 lbs to spare however the first 2lbs would not count.  When he brought four crabs out (basically one per person), the total weight after the 2lbs was subtracted was 5.6 lbs. That was like 1.6 lbs over and therefore we would be charged an extra $50 for the evening.  Seeing that it was quite a significant addition, we asked the guy to find four crabs to bring it within the 4lbs difference.  After hemming and hawing for a couple of minutes, he came and said the 4 smallest crabs were 5.2 lbs in total, which means we would still be on the hook for an extra 36 dollars.  It's a tactic that is performed but some of the other restaurants in the city and I would have none of it.  We told them that if they could not find us 4 crabs for under 4lbs total then we were going to leave.  It's not a matter of being cheap or anything but why should the restaurant take advantage of us and force us to pay extra.  It's rather misleading and deceiving. If all the crabs are going to go over, either make your prices to $80.00 per person or don't price it this way.  While this was going on, the table behind us had the exact same issue and after hearing them argue back and forth with their server, they decided to leave.  A new waitress came by and said in order to overcome this juggernaut, they were going to serve us 3 crabs instead of 4 just to get it under 4lbs total.

We reluctantly agreed as the new waitress said she was going to everything right for us that night.  The first to arrive were the appetizers.  Each person oddly got something different.  I got some ginger and beets in mine, while others got seaweed and a different combination of appetizers. 

Appetizer

The Steamed Egg Custard Soup arrived and this was served inside an egg shaped bowl.  By keeping the top on, it kept the dish nice and hot.  What really made this dish standout was the beautiful taste of the Steamed Egg Custard.  It was rather smooth and went down very easily.  Although some may have found the contents to be rather salty, compared to some of the other dishes served that night, it was probably one of the more tastier dishes for the evening. 


Next to arrive was one whole Alaskan snow crab.  Basically the crab had been steamed and cooled.  The legs and claws were all individually cracked open already. Each person also got a small bowl of crab tomalley.  The crab tomalley was tasty while the crab meat itself was well, crabby.  If you ever had crab meat before, there really isn't a great taste to it.  Unless it is mixed with something else, the crab meat would taste about the same as any other crab.

Alaskan Snow Crab

Next to arrive was the Crab Legs Sashimi.  The crab legs had an interesting texture to them in that they were coarse yet soft to the tongue.  One had to literally suck the meat off the legs.  There was a sauce that also came with the legs to assist with the taste.

Crab Legs Sashimi

Next to arrive was the Grilled Crab Paste.  This was basically a mixture of the crab tomalley, crab minced meat and some green onions all served inside a crab's head shell.  Despite all the ingredients mixed together, this dish was surprisingly disappointing.  There was very little to no taste to it at all despite all the ingredients.  It also didn't help matters that the ingredients were all somewhat cold when it arrived. Even though they were only going to serve us three crabs instead of four for the evening, four crab shells arrived on a plate.  The waitress said she was trying to make it right for us so that we could all enjoy the evening so she went in and got four crabs for us instead of the three.

Grilled Crab Taste

The Shrimp Tempura arrived next.  Normally they often serve Crab Legs Tempura however we were told that they didn't have enough in stock and therefore Shrimp Tempura was all they could muster for the evening.  There wasn't anything special about the tempura.  Just simple shrimp with batter was all there was to it.

Shrimp Tempura

The Grilled Crab arrived next and this consisted of 9-10 crab legs that were grilled in tin foil and in a grill.  Again there was no special sauces that went with the grilled crab.  It was dry crab grilled in a pan.  The meat was fresh yet simple however the portions were somewhat small.

Grilled Crab Legs

Last to arrive was the Featured Crab Shabu.   To me, this was probably the best meal all night.  The mixture of lettuce, noodles, crab legs, tofu and bean sprouts mixed with a tasty soup finally hit all the right spots in my stomach.  Up until now, I was still quite hungry and felt like I hadn't anything filling all night.  All those ingredients only provided about 2 bowls per person.  In retrospect, I wish that more of this shabu was provided as it was by far the best meal of the night.

Featured Crab Shabu

I have to admit I was a little bit turned off with their whole method of trying to get more money out of our pockets.  I like people to be up front with us and not have any deception.  If the second waitress didn't come by and assist us with our orders and eventually gave us our fourth crab, we probably would have left the restaurant just like the table behind us.  The food truthfully was somewhat bland and quite simply put, too simple to be charging $60.00 per person.  There was no creativity to many of the dishes. If I was to ever come back again, I would just order the shabu and the steamed custard egg as they are the only two where I thought brought the best value.   Without the shabu and the waitress that evening, I would have given them a 2.5 out of 5. With them, I would give them a 3 out of 5. 

Crab Harbour Restaurant
280 West Beaver Creek Unit 38
Richmond Hill, Ontario

905-731-5570

Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is more than just great tasting cheesecakes.  For many Canadians who flock down to Buffalo, the Cheesecake Factory is the one place most Canadians love to frequent.  With long lineups just to get a slice of cheesecake, patrons are willing to wait for about to 30 minutes for their slice.  Their lunches and dinners however are also worthy of a go.  Often after sitting in the car for an hour or two just to get to Buffalo, a nice afternoon lunch at the Factory certainly wouldn't hurt at all. And so, on a Friday afternoon, we decided to head on out over there.  The place was half full and there was no lineup at all to get in. If this was the weekend, I'm sure a totally different scenario would be played out.  We were given a booth right away and the server gave us our drinks and menus.  We scanned the menu quickly and after a few minutes, decided to share 4 dishes of which 1 of them was a kid's meal.

First to arrive was the Pepperoni Pizza.  This pizza was loaded with pepperonis.  You definitely got your money's worth if you are a meat lover.  The pizza itself was simple with cheese dripping off to the side mixed with the pepperoni.  The thing that impressed me the most was the size and crispiness of the pizza.  This was a "kid's meal" but I could assure you that there was no way my three-year old was going to be able to finish even half of it on her own.  Every bite of the pizza was mouth watering and crispy.  The pepperonis were a tad bit spicy to the point where my daughter actually got rid of all of hers when she was eating the pizza. Still, the pizza was better than some of the other pizzas I have had in the past, and this was right to the crust.  

Pepperoni Pizza

The Seared Tuna Tataki Salad was next to arrive and this was basically five or six pieces of perfectly seared tuna served with four slices of tomatoes and a bunch of leafy vegetables and avocado.  The tuna also came with its own dipping sauce.  The only problem with this salad was that with so few leafy vegetables that it was almost impossible to split amongst the four of us.  Even for a single person did I find the salad to be a little bit on the small side.  The dish itself was excellent however as it hit all of our taste buds in a positive way and the tuna was nice and fresh.  I just wished that it contained a few more vegetable leaves in it to make a true salad.

Seared Tuna Tataki Salad

The Da Vinci Pasta looked really yummy and appeared to be quite filling.  Mixed with garlic, onion, chicken bits, parsley and mushrooms, this pasta was definitely one of my favorites for the afternoon.  The key to success and taste to this pasta was the red wine that was also added to the pasta.  The combination of all of these ingredients really brought this pasta out to the forefront.  The colors were vibrant and one could definitely taste the red wine in the pasta.  With a small sprinkle of cheese on top, this pasta really filled you up and in a very good way.  The individual penne pastas were all well dressed and none of it was overly creamy and sticky. This pasta is a very good choice to have if you do visit the Cheesecake Factory in the very near future.

Da Vinci Pasta

Last to arrive that day was the Firecracker Salmon Rolls.  These rolls contained a chili sauce mixed with spinach and salmon pressed tightly together in a crispy roll.  The rolls were a little spicy but truthfully they were not that spicy at all.  The pepperoni in the pizza was more spicier than these firecracker salmon rolls. The lack of zip in them really took away the "firecracker" in them in that there just wasn't any wow factor to these rolls.  They tasted good however I personally was expecting a little bit more especially with a name firecracker attached to it.

Firecracker Salmon Rolls

In the end however, lunch was still very good and was quite satisfying.  We actually were so full that none of us even attempted a piece of cheesecake that day.  We've them before many times before and I can assure that the cheesecake here is some of the best.  Next time we won't order as much food so that we can save our stomachs for a little cheesecake.   Other than that, the people were very friendly and it was definitely a very satisfying lunch for all of us.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.  

1 Wallden Galleria
Cheektowaga, New York

(716) 685-2600

Trios Bistro

If one misses the Trios Bistro while touring downtown Toronto, one could not be fully blamed as this wonderful restaurant is not located with the naked eye.  It's location is inside the Marriott Hotel  in downtown Toronto location most closest to the Eaton's Centre. 

The restaurant is hosted by award winning chef Abraham Garcia and has a menu that is affordable and food that is dynamic, tasty and filling.  Having gone their on and off for the past 8 years for snacks, drinks, lunch and dinners, this restaurant sure knows how to treat their customers well.

I have had their Sweet Potato Fries and their Classic Caesar Salad before and they are both very good and very filling.   Their tastes are not overly strong but just enough to get you satisfied.  This past weekend we visited the place once again to have lunch and this time I went with their Beer Battered Haddock and Chips. ($18.00)

Beer Battered Haddock and Chips

The order took a little while to arrive as there were about ten of us.  While we were waiting they kept us breadsticks and bread to keep us from completely passing out.  The waiters kept filling our cups with whatever beverage we had ordered for lunch which was pleasant and nice.

My dish finally arrived and two rather large pieces of haddock were placed in a newspaper type paper.  There were also some fries and tartar sauce that came with it.  Cutting into the fish, the inside of the fish was steaming hot.  The fish was nice and white and was cooked to perfection.  The fish was soft, fresh and with the tartar sauce, a perfect combination to a very hungry stomach.  The fries were perfectly fried, not too soggy and not too burnt.  The batter on the fish was perfectly done in my mind in that it was a rather thin layer so that it did not overwhelm the fish.  I was quite satisfied with the meal and ate all the fish and ate every fry that was on the plate.

Having been here for so many years and having had so many different dishes, I don't think I have ever been disappointed coming here.  The atmosphere is perfect for conversations and meetings and the staff is always courteous and nice.  I will miss the place when my downtown meetings come to end.  If you get a chance and you want a good healthy lunch or dinner, come on over to the Trios Bistro.  You won't be disappointed.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.

Trios Bistro
525 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario

416-204-9018

A La Kitchen

A La Kitchen boasts itself as one of the best Shanghai restaurants in the Markham area.  Located in a newer plaza just behind First Markham Mall, this restaurant offers a variety of Shangahi's best dishes.  Two of our friends joined my family of three to this establishment to check it out and see what it was all about.  We didn't really have any reservations at all going into the place on a Saturday evening but were very fortunate to be given a seat right away.  The restaurant has about 25 to 30 tables and each and every table were occupied.  Minutes after our arrival, there was a lineup heading out the door.  After checking out their menu, we decided that about four to six dishes would do the trick in feeding the five of us.

The first item we ordered which was really one of our appetizers was the Vegetarian Goose ($5.99).  This was basically bean curd wrapped around bamboo shoots and tofu.  Many vegetarians love this dish because of its purity and simpleness.  Personally, I'm not a vegetarian myself and found myself neither really liking or hating this tasteless dish.  There really was not any taste to it at all.  There was very little salt, if any, to this dish and I was told that this was one of the more healthier items to have. 

Vegetarian Goose

The next dish to arrive was probably the absolute complete opposite of the first dish that we had in terms of purity and healthiness. The Braised Pork Belly ($10.99) is about as fatty and salty as one could ever have this meal. It is probably one of the those dishes that you have once and a while if healthy and never if you are present with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or with heart disease.  Having said that, many people still love to order this dish.  The four pieces of pork bellies were all richly fat and well seasoned.  There were some baby bok choys on the side but the focus was all on the pork bellies.  Each piece of pork skin was nice and thick and all four pieces were all equal in size.  It was absolutely delicious but once again, it's not one of those type of dishes that everyone will completely enjoy. 

Braised Pork Belly

 The Crab Pork Dumpling ($6.25) arrived next and there were four dumplings to each dish.  The dumplings were well placed and were pretty big.  Inside each dumpling were some pork and crab meat.  With some of my previous postings of this same dish, it is recommended that you proceed eating this dish with extreme caution.  The broth or liquid inside these dumplings are often extremely hot and often squirt right out so caution is advised when eating this dish.  The dumplings on this occasion were satisfactory at best.  The pork was a little fatty but the crab meat was barely registering on this particular evening.  One could also dip the dumplings into a bowl of vinegar sauce to give it that extra taste.  Unfortunately, the lack of crab taste in the dumplings robs one of the feeling of eating a crab pork dumpling. 

Crab Pork Dumpling

 The Fried Bread ($4.25), also known as Man Tou arrived soon afterwards and it was exactly as advertised.  One really could not complain about the fried bread because truthfully how could one really screw up on something so simple as this.  However, after placing the dish on our table, we were puzzled because there was no condensed milk that came with it which usually accompanies this dish.  After a couple of minutes, we notified one of the waitresses who appeared a little confused that it was not there and proceeded to the back to get us the condensed milk.

Fried Bread

 The next dish to arrive at our table was the Egg White with Scallop ($13.99).  The dish basically contained steam broccoli on the bottom covered with egg white and an egg yolk on the centre of the dish.  The dish was suppose to come with scallops but as one could see there was very few that could be seen.  There were a few pieces but the pieces were relatively small and too few to count.  For the price that one was charging, one would think that there would be multiple and rather large pieces of scallops in the dish.  Unfortunately, this too was not the case.  I was told that the overall dish was not very salty or seasoned at all.  Despite the egg and the scallops that were present, it was somewhat surprising that this dish did not give up more taste. 

Egg White with Scallop

The final dish to arrive was the Braised Shredded Eel ($18.99).  The eel, although well seasoned and marinated, was mixed with some green onions, garlic and bean sprouts.  The eel was pretty tasty although I have to admit I wish the eel in this dish was more bigger and not shredded.  By shredding the eel, the primary focus of this dish is reduced to some bits and pieces.  I personally think the eels should have been left to its regular sizes which may have made the dish more presentable.  The shredding makes the dish more "smaller" and makes the dish less "appealing" in one's eyes.  Again for the price one pays, one would expect a more grandeur experience.  The eel itself was decent but again larger pieces of fish would have been more welcoming. 

Overall, the dishes were all either a little too fatty or a little bland.  We also order a Vegetable Fish Soup ($12.99) to go with all of our dishes since we were not planning to order any white rice that evening.  Personally all the dishes were satisfactory although I question whether the prices truly reflect the quality of the food.  The food did have a Shanghai feel to it although better seasoning and taste may help to enrich many of the foods that were present.  It was a decent experience however an improvement in the quality certain would not hurt.  One of the other things one has to worry about is that a greyhound bus stops in front of the restaurant which could make the restaurant go from empty to super full all within a few minutes.  Overall I give my experience a 3.25 out of 5.

A La Kitchen
Unit 18, 11 Fairburn Dr, Markham, ON L6G 0A5

(905) 946-7990

Kiko Cafe Restaurant

It was a Saturday afternoon and we had the cravings of some HK Cafe food.  We were up in Markham and Kiko Cafe was one place my group of friends and yours truly had never been before.  Located right in the northeast corner of Highway 7 and Woodbine Avenue, we ascended over to the restaurant roughly around one in the afternoon.  Hoping that most people who have eaten and be gone by then, we were a little surprised to be caught in a lineup getting in.  Despite it being a wonderful warm day and a patio that had all its umbrella pitched in the centre of the table, the owners refused to opened the outdoor patio for their guests.  After about a 20 minute wait, we were finally led to our tables.

The restaurant is not that big, probably about 15 square tables altogether.  Scanning their menu, they do however provide a variety of foods.  They also have a license to serve beer so alcohol is allowed on the premises.  Upon more careful inspection of the menu, one could see that some items had a "two thumbs up" beside the description indicating that the item was a better choice to have.  Having said that, I went with their Curry Chicken on Rice and with their "two thumbs up" Baked Salted Chicken with Vegetable in Bowl.

The Curry Chicken With Rice did not have a two thumbs up beside it however some of the other curry meats did. The curry was average at best.  There was a strong aroma of curry emulating from the bowl however when one was tasting it, one could not actually get the full taste of it.  It was almost as if the curry was diluted somehow.  There were chunks of chicken in the bowl mixed with some carrots.  There were no potatotes in side the bowl.  The interesting part was that I had some of the curry my friend ordered for his dish which contained lamb and had a two-thumbs up rating.  Surprisingly, the curry was much stronger and tastier and less diluted.  It actually tasted really good compared to my dish.  Further, it was only $1.00 dollar more which in my mind was well worth the extra dollar. 

Curry Chicken with Rice

 Their Baked Salted Chicken with Vegetable in Bowl was in my much better than the curry chicken.  Six pieces of rather large pieces of chicken were placed on top of some diced onions and rice.  There was also a small bowl of ginger-garlic sauce that came with the chicken.  The chicken meat was soft and moist which really helped to soak up a second sauce that was placed on top of the chicken.  It was a good dish to have and well worth the price.  For each meal, a cold drink also came with the selection.

Baked Salted Chicken with Vegetable in Bowl

In the end, the best way to sum it up was one good, one bad.  I would never order the curry chicken again and the baked chicken certainly warranted a second try.  The restaurant was pretty small so be prepared to wait unless you were one of the first ones there.  There were plenty of free parking and some shops to go visit afterwards to burn off the meal.  Overall, I would say this was average at best.  I give it a 3 out of 5.  


Kiko Cafe
3000 Highway 7
Markham Ontario

905-604-8677

Sake Bar Kushi

The other night we decided to go all-out or better yet all-in at an Izakaya style restaurant in the heart of Toronto.  Sake Bar Kushi is a fairly popular Japanese Izakaya restaurant located near Avenue Road and Eglinton Avenue in Toronto.  Although it's a little pricey, we decided to give it a whirl as many of us hadn't had it for quite some time. We made reservations for the evening and were given seats all to the back of the restaurant.  The place was fairly clean and they had a traditional style seating in the back where one was required to remove their shoes prior to entering the back.  We ordered almost 20 items off their menu and with that I will do my best to go through each and every one of them. 

We had to first order a California roll for my daughter.  It was pretty late in the evening and my little one hadn't eaten yet.  The California Roll had 8 pieces to it and were promptly served.  The sushi appeared to be fairly fresh with healthy pieces of avocado and crab meat located inside each piece of sushi.

California Rolls

First to arrive was the Sashimi Salad ($9.00).  It was basically as mentioned in that it was pieces of shrimp and salmon sashimi added to a salad.  There really wasn't anything special in the salad.  The salad was pretty much as is with little to no dressing added to it.  I didn't find the salad to be too interesting other than the fact that there was some sashimi located inside the salad. 

Sashimi Salad

The first main tapa dish to arrive was the Chanzya ($4.00) and this was basically tripe sashimi that was heavily salted.  According to the menu, a salted pickle ingredient was used to increased the saltiness of this dish.  One just basically ate this dish raw and although there was only a very small portion per serving, it was difficult to consume huge quantities of this dish due to the extreme saltiness of the meal.  There was really no other way to describe it except that people with high blood pressure may want to avoid this dish. 

Chanzya

Next to arrive was the Tako Wasabi ($3.00) and folks let me tell you, this one had quite the kick to it.  Served on a large ladle and with only a few small square pieces of seaweed, this dish packed quite the  monster punch. Small pieces of octopus were marinated with a heavy dose of wasabi which were then to be wrapped inside pieces of seaweed.  The wasabi was extremely strong and fresh and definitely brought tears to one's eyes.  The only problem was that there was only three or four small pieces of seaweed that came with it and extra seaweed was required to finish off this dish.  However, for only $3.00, this dish was well worth the price. 

Tako Wasabi

The salmon tataki ($7.00) arrived soon afterwards and this was perfectly done.  Only five small pieces of salmon per plate were served however.  Served on top of some ginger, each piece of salmon was perfectly seared on the outside and nice and sashimi like in the centre.  Garnished with a small wad of wasabi and a piece of lemon, this dish was very tasty and done pretty much to perfection.  

Salmon Tataki

One of the highlights of the night to arrive was the Uni Shooter ($6.50). Basically it contained a piece of Uni embedded with a couple of pieces of cucumber and laid on top of pear puree.  With a touch of gold flakes laid on top of the shooter, this was designed to make it look like one of their more appealing dishes on their menu .  After consuming the shooter in one big gulp, I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the overall taste of the shooter.  It's possible that we came in with too big of an expectation but the shooter was just lacking something.  The Uni was fresh but the pear was sour and overwhelmed the dish to the point where the focus of the Uni was lost in the shooter.

Uni Shooter

A simple salmon tempura arrived soon afterwards and this was as simple as it could be.  There wasn't anything specular to the dish.  The salmon was good and the tempura was well breaded. Somehow, this dish was on the house so one couldn't really complain here.   

Yam Tempura

The waitress then came by and deposited a crab meat salad and told us that this too was on the house.  The salad was pretty much the same salad as before except this time there were strips of crab added to it instead of sashimi.  Again, just like the previous salad, I didn't really feel all that special with it although seeing that it was on the house, one could not complain about this either. 

Crab Meat Salad

The Tuna Tataki ($11.00) arrived in a very sharp and well presented manner.  Appearance wise, this was probably one of the best presentation wise.  There were about 7 pieces of tuna that were perfectly seared and served on the plate. Sprinkled with some ginger on the bottom and on the side, this dish was certainly equivalent in quality as to the salmon tataki that I had earlier in the evening.  The outside of the tuna was not burnt and had some black pepper sprinkled on the outside.  I was quite satisfied with this dish and its overall quality of it. 

Tuna Tataki

The Black Cod came in sizzling but it sure looked like it was a mess when it was served at the table.  There were about 4 or 5 pieces of black cod but the slices were stacked one on top of another.  Upon further inspection, the cut was not completely through and the fish meat was still connected somewhere at the bottom.  I wasn't too sure if this was intentional or not however the skin was nicely seared and despite the fact that the fish was one massive clump of fish, it was still all cooked well from top to bottom.  The fish did taste sweet however with the beautiful presentation of the previous dish, this dish was almost quite the opposite.

Black Cod

The Kushi Moriawase ($17.00) arrived soon afterwards and it looked pretty yummy.  Different types of meat and one type of fish were placed in skewers, cooked and then served.  All the meats served were pretty much well done as there were no raw pieces on the plate.  Meats served included momo, bara, shishamo and chicken heart.  Unfortunately some of the pieces of meat were a little dry and chewy by the time we got around to it.  It was decent but for the price one's pays, its debatable whether this met the standard or not. Part of the problem was that many of the moriawase dishes arrived at the same time which made it difficult for one to really sit down and enjoy each of the meats that were present before they got cold.

Kushi Moriwase

The Gold Sashimi ($24.00) platter soon arrived and this too was a little disappointing.  To name it gold and to charge the price that they did, one was expecting some real good sashimi on this plate however the best pieces were the eel and maybe the red snapper.  There were some salmon and surf clams as well but that's hardly the type of fish that I would consider it to be a "gold" fish. I counted about a dozen pieces on each of their "tree stumps" which to be was excessive considering the quality of the fish served.  The fish itself were pretty fresh and nice and cold so no complaints on that end but the variety of fish served certainly didn't warrant a gold label at all. 

Gold Sashimi

The Spicy Moriawase ($19.00) came next and there were really two different types of spiciness to them, mild and spicy.  The spicy ones were pretty spicy in which a spicy barbeque sauce was marinated into the meat. The meats served included the nankotsu (chicken cartilage), hotate (scallops) , bara and negima (chicken leg).  Again, this could be just me, however I didn't find the dish to be that great.  Part of the problem was that all of the meat dishes again arrived at the same time and when one is eating these dishes, it is best when eaten hot.  With so many dishes arriving at the same time, some of it got cold and unfortunately got a little too chewy for my liking  As well, I personally didn't like the fact that the some of the meats and the scallops were well done.  It was probably a little too well done for my liking which probably contributed to the chewiness of the meat.

Spicy Moriawase

Nankotsu Karaage ($6.00) or Deep Fried Marinated Knee Cartilage arrived next.  This dish was almost like eating popcorn chicken.  It was heavy in batter and had a good sprinkle of salt added to it.  Again, like the previous meats it was chewy but because of its relatively smaller size, it was much more easier to stomach.  There were however some pieces of cartilage that were extremely chewy and basically not edible at all.   

Nankotsu Karaage

Our favorite of the night and the most expensive individual dish of the evening was the Temaki.($21.50).  Basically there were three pieces to each plate and each piece contained a large piece of uni and tuna sashimi placed on top of one another and laid on top of a piece of seaweed.  Sprinkled with some gold flakes, appearance wise this dish looked like a gem.  The key was having fresh pieces of fish and they certainly delivered on this account.  It's pricey but for the quality of this dish, to me it was worth the price.  The unis were what impressed me the most as they were fresh and rather large.  However I like its presentation and taste of it all even though some might find it pricey.

Temaki

I have to admit the worse dish of the evening had to be the Cheese Okonomiyaki. ($10.00) This was basically a mochi rice cake served with hot cheese and bonito flakes.  Although some people thought it was okay, (there were actually two plates of this stuff) I found the taste of it to be a bit bitter.  The cheese was partially to blame I think as I couldn't make rhyme or reason as to why this dish just tasted bad.  The first plate was actually okay but the second plate was hardly touched at all.  The cheese was pretty thick and gooey and the whole dish was very difficult to eat once it started to cool down.  This was one dish I would avoid totally if I was to ever return to this place again.

Cheese Okonomiyaki

The flying fish was also another "on the house" item.  Again one really can't complain since it's complimentary but there wasn't anything spectacular to this dish.  It would have been nice if there was some sort of sauce that came with it.  The meat again was a little bitter, dry and bland as there was nothing to dip the fish meat in it with.

Flying Fish

The Seafood Moriawase ($24.00)  was the last of the skewer types to arrive.  We actually ordered all 3 of their speciality moriawases. This one had the least amount of skewers even though it was the most expensive of the three.  The seafood that they used included shrimp, hotate, unagi and shishamo.  Truthfully when one thought about it, it really wasn't all that much different than the other moriawases other than the shrimp and unagi.  To pay this much more was questionable as to whether it was worth the extra few dollars or not.  Again, all the seafood was cooked too well in my mind and made it all too chewy for me to stomach. 

Seafood Moriawase

The Honey Rice Cake ($1.90) were somewhat interesting.  It was basically rice mixed laced with honey on top of it.  The honey was sweet but in my mind not sweet enough to really make it a remarkable dish.  I couldn't really make heads or tails out of it.  It was one dish that I didn't particularly liked or hated. 

Honey Rice Cake

The Negishiotan ($11.00) or grilled beef tongue was again neither a dish that was overwhelming, spectacular or interesting to have.  The tongues were all cut into smaller pieces and mixed with a salted green onion sauce.  The sauce was not overwhelming in that it would overpower the taste of the beef tongue however I found that it was not strong enough either to really bring out the flavor of the beef tongues. 

Negishiotan

Some disappointment was shared amongst the group with the Saikoro Steak ($12.00) in that many of the pieces were half fatty and half meaty.  Although the fatness of the steak provided some overall flavor to the dish, it was disappointing in that one did not expect to be consuming so much fat in one setting.  I noticed a few colleagues of mine biting off the fat and not eating it.  The rest of the steak again was a little too well done for me and as a result too chewy for my liking .

Saikoro Steak

The second most disappointing dish of the evening was by far hands down the Scallops ($4.20).  There were like three pieces of scallops on this huge plate of theirs.  There were some vegetables and some frites but wow it was bad.  The scallops were chewy and the fact that there was only three pieces was really, really outrageous in my mind.  I would highly recommend not ordering this dish as it was certainly not worth our money at all. 

Scallops

The next dish was another one of those puzzling dishes to have.   The Pork Belly Moriawase Noodle dish was exactly what it was, right to the literal sense however when one was having this dish, one has to wonder whether it was best for the dish.  What I meant was that the meat came to us on skewers, as advertised, and that the noodles came on a separate plate.  What befuddles the mind was that shouldn't or wouldn't it have been better had the noodles and the pork belly come in mixed on the same plate all together so that the flavors would intertwine?  I'm not really too sure what the right answer was.  The noodles and the pork belly were fine however many of my colleagues and I felt that this dish would have been better presented with  everything mixed as one rather than giving it to us on separate plates.

Pork Belly Moriawase Noodles

The Kimchi Pork Ishiyaki Bibimbap was very good in that everything blended well, was well seasoned from all the different ingredients in it and was very filling. The pot itself was still sizzling hot when it was left on our table.  If one is not in the mood for any sashimi or moriawase meats, this would definitely be a good alternative to have as it would certainly fill you up.

Kimchi Pork Ishiyaki Bibimbap

The Cheese Tsukune ($2.70) arrived soon afterwards and with all the meat that we had that evening, it was hard to imagine that we actually ordered more meat dish but we did!!  The Cheese Tsukune was basically a piece of cheese melted on top of a piece of chicken sausage.  Taste wise it was okay.  It was almost like eating pizza with chicken pieces on top of it minus the bread underneath it.  The cheese did give that extra aroma flavor to it but it's not something I personally would say that I really wanted.

Cheese Tsukune

If the kimchi pork ishiyaki bibimbap is too filling or dry for some then perhaps a Tonkotsu Ramen ($13.00) would be a better alternative dish for one to have.  The soup base was pretty good and the mixture of ramen noodles, slices of pork, bean sprouts, corn and seaweed was a really good combination to have.  Again, this is a very filling meal and if one is not interested in heavy meats and seafood, then this would be a viable alternative to have.

Tonkotsu Ramen

The night would not be complete without a couple of desserts to end off the evening.  I ended up with the Macha Mochi Ice Cream ($8.40) which contained a small cherry on top of a green tea mochi ice cream and a sliced up strawberry on its side.  My friend went with the Macha Ice Cake ($5.40). Neither of the dessert really provided any wow factor with this dish despite the complexity and price of it all. The green tea mochi was as simple as it could be as neither desserts were very sweet at all . The desserts to me were average at best with the best dessert going to my daughter who had just a simple vanilla ice cream.

Macha Mochi Ice Cream

Macha Ice Cake

Overall it was neither good nor bad to say the least.  We certainly have had better izakaya at other places before. Part of the problem we felt was that much of the meats had arrived much later in the evening where many of us were getting full from all the fish we had earlier in the evening.  The second problem was that all the meats arrived at the same time which made it difficult to keep up and hence some of it became colder and chewier as a result. Third many of them meats were made to well done which added further hardness and chewiness of the meat.   I personally think if you had come here just for the fish then you would have left the restaurant completely satisfied.  We had also ordered a bottle of sake between all of us and some had some sapporo beer as well to go with all the food we had.  The many complimentary dishes that came to our table tonight was a nice gesture however the quality of the food that we ordered could have been more tastier and better.  The total bill was roughly $100.00 per person for the evening.  Truthfully, much of the food tonight was not bad but it was not great either.  Overall, I give a 3.25 out of 5.

Sake Bar Kushi
257 Eglinton Ave W,
Toronto, Ontario

(647) 748-7253