HIBIKI JAPANESE CUISINE

Hibiki is a new-ish Japanese restaurant in Markham located along a non-descript stretch of Highway 7. With a bevy of positive reviews online and mouth-watering Instagram photos, I suggested the restaurant to a group of friends for dinner. Our group of 10 was set up in the private section of the restaurant, which ended up being a double edged sword.

Atmosphere: Although Hibiki counts Dominos as a neighbour, the restaurant was sleek and modern. A row of pendant lights hung over the sushi bar. Natural wood was featured throughout the dining area including columns shaped like trees and an intricate lighting fixture. On a Saturday night, the restaurant was full and busy with servers rushing around. Even in our enclosed space, we felt the hectic energy.

Service: Plainly, service was bad. Orders were mixed up, forgotten and tea refills were near impossible. Between the two of us, The Hubby and I ordered some sushi and a grilled salmon neck. Our sushi item arrived and we munched away, patiently waiting for our cooked dish. It never came. We couldn’t flag someone down until nearly the end of dinner to ask about the grilled salmon, and the the dish was magically ready right away. I can’t help but think the servers forgot to bring it to us. When she did arrive with the plate, our table was full and she just stood there, looking annoyed while we scrambled to clear a spot. At one point, one of the servers arrived with a bowl and asked us who had ordered “this”. When we asked what “this” was, she didn’t know.

Food: The Hubby and I ordered the Sashim, Sushi and Roll combo platter, a spicy tuna roll and grilled salmon collar. 6 thick slices of sashimi were included, two each of tuna, salmon and yellowtail. I liked that the selection of nigiri had a few different varieties of fish. All of the fish was good quality, fresh and sweet in flavour with a buttery texture. I also enjoyed the rolls that had a thin layer of rice and lots of filling. Dinner was tasting great. and then I found a fish bone, and we were still waiting for our grilled salmon collar. Honestly, I could have overlooked our service experience based on the food at Hibiki until this point. The grilled collar was fatty and flavourful with a charred, blistered skin.

Overall, while I enjoyed the quality of sushi at Hibiki and their daily specials looked promising, the abysmal service was such a turn off. My interest is still piqued by their lunch menu, but returning for dinner would be a hard sell.