KAKA ALL YOU CAN EAT JAPANESE

Located in First Markham Place, Kaka All You Can Eat is currently one of the most popular restaurants uptown. Attracting diners with their high quality sushi and huge selection of cooked dishes, reservations are highly sought after. When the restaurant first opened, I tried to book a table on a Friday night for a group of 10, two weeks in advance and had no luck. Since then, Kaka remains a hotspot, filled to capacity even on weeknights until well past dinnertime. I did get a chance to stop by recently to check out their newest menu items with Sweven Media.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

One of the main reasons for Kaka’s popularity is the number of premium items on their AYCE menu that includes pressed and torched sushi. The quality of sashimi was also excellent. Each fish was fresh and sweet, with a firm but tender texture. Orders were placed via an iPad system and confirmed by the server. Both kitchen and sushi items arrived quickly and our table soon filled up with small plates and bowls. The majority of cooked items had a default order quantity of 1 portion, which meant being able to order 1 takoyaki ball, 1 piece of tempura and 1 piece of kalbi.

Kaka is always refining their menu and introducing new seasonal items. Launched in late July, new menu items included a selection of 3 poke bowls, 2 tacos, an Udon Carbonara, Chicken Meatball Skewers and 2 creamy desserts. My favourite poke bowl was the Citrus Soy Poke that had salmon, nori, sesame, avocado, cilantro, green onions and tempura bits. The poke was well seasoned and the two bite portion size was perfect. The Chicken Meatball Skewer was tender, juicy and had a crispy exterior. Between the fish and shrimp taco, my preference was for the fish as the batter on the shrimp was a bit heavy and overwhelming. Of all the new items, the Bacon and Mushroom Carbonara Udon was my favourite with chewy noodles in a rich and creamy sauce.

Some other menu items, which aren’t usually found at AYCE restaurants, I really enjoyed were the Spring Egg, Ox Tongue Skewer, Baked Oyster with Cheese and Blow Torched Beef Tataki Rolls. The spring egg was a poached egg served in a light bonito broth that had a perfect runny yolk. I would eat one daily if I could. Of course, the blowtorched sushi was also very tasty. The Salmon with Jalapeno and Spicy Mayo was my favourite piece.

After feasting for a couple of hours, there was still dessert. Reading through the choices, which was far more extensive than just ice cream, I wanted to try everything. Dinner had been really filling though. Luckily, Kaka had thought of this dilemma on their customer’s behalf and serves all of their desserts in shot glasses, a bite-size portion, allowing diners to eat more than just one. I ended up trying the creme brulee, chocolate mousse (x2), lychee panna cotta, and a scoop of green tea ice cream. All sorts of diets were put on hold that night.