Tachi opened early 2018 and brought a whole new way of eating sushi to Toronto. The restaurant, located in Assembly Chef’s Hall, has only 8 standing spots and serves an omakase menu in under 30 minutes. I’ve been drooling over their social media posts since doors opened and seriously contemplated visiting while babywearing Alivia. Fortunately for her (and me), I had the chance to attend a private tasting while she hung out with Daddy and Grandma.

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

Atmosphere: Inside the crowded, bustling industrial style food hall, Tachi was a moment of zen. Diners waited outside until their reservation time. Once inside, a large door slid closed and created a wonderfully intimate and cozy feel. Two chefs stood behind a wooden L shaped sushi bar, expertly serving piece after piece of edomae sushi. Each standing spot was marked with a small wooden block bearing a number in kanji and set with a bamboo leaf where the nigiri was placed. The focus was all on the sushi. I loved how peaceful and calm the space felt.

Service: While the meal was quick, every interaction with the hostess and sushi chefs was welcoming and efficient. Outside the restaurant, a digital clock shows “Tachi Time” and counts down to the next seating. Once I picked my spot, number 7, the server took my drink order and I hung my coat on one of the many wall hooks available. There was also a convenient shelf underneath the sushi bar for bags. Every spot had a prime view of the sushi chefs at work.

Food: Tachi’s menu changes often and is posted at their entrance, 12 pieces for $55. There is also typically a daily special like uni or wagyu that can be added for an additional charge. The selection of fish was diverse, including premium pieces like uni, otoro and scallop while the quality was on par with other, far more expensive, omakase restaurants in the city. There was also less common fish served like sea bream, fluke and bonito. In fact salmon wasn’t even served that night and I didn’t miss it, instead savouring my pieces of ikura and anago. Each piece of fish had a great texture and tasted incredibly fresh. The flavour of the seasoned soy sauce was salty and sweet without masking any of the natural fish flavour.

Overall, the omakase experience at Tachi was delicious and such a steal for the quality and variety of fish. The first lunch seating is at 11:15pm, last at 2:15pm (a perfect splurge lunch) while dinner begins at 5:15pm and ends at 8:15pm. I would highly recommend reservations.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is one of my favourite documentaries. After watching the film I had dreams of visiting Chef Jiro Ono’s 3 Michelin star restaurant but after learning how difficult it was to secure a reservation, I had little hope of them ever coming true. While planning our trip in 2016 to New York I read about Chef Nakazawa, one of Jiro’s apprentices, who moved to the US and became a head chef at his own restaurant in Manhattan. I made reservations immediately. This was likely as close as I’d get to Sukiyabashi Jiro.

Atmosphere: The entrance of Sushi Nakazawa opened to a waiting area with a handful of seats and a fully stocked bar. We arrived early for our reservation, so after checking in with the hostess, we ordered cocktails to sip on until our table was ready. Complimentary coat check was available. There were no seats available at the sushi bar while we were in New York, so I settled for the dining room, which was in a completely separate room with no visibility to the chefs. The dining room was dimly lit, quite the contrast from the bright sushi counter, and tables angled away from each other for added privacy.

Service: From the very first step into the restaurant to our last bite, service was exceptional. Before the meal began, our server walked us through a display of classic Japanese ingredients that would be used throughout the meal like yuzu, shiso leaf and pickled plum. Compared to other omakase experiences, sitting in the dining room paled in comparison to the sushi bar. Dinner still flowed at a comfortable pace but I missed watching each piece come together, especially when the price difference was minimal. Stephen found a piece of shrimp shell in his bite of tamago and we were offered a complimentary piece of wagyu beef nigiri as apology.

Food: The omakase at Sushi Nakazawa featured 20 pieces plus a hand roll. The quality of the fish was top notch, sweet, buttery with textures that ranged from melt in your mouth to firm and chewy. A trio of salmon nigiri was first, three different species that varied in fattiness and flavour. Next was a selection of white fish and scallop, each uniquely garnished. Snow crab, prawn and mackerel were next. The nigiri on this plate all had stronger natural taste and I liked the progression from sweet salmon to fishier fish. Following this was a variety of tuna cuts from lean to medium fatty. No o-toro but still delicious. Two pieces of uni were next, one from each coast of the US. Our meal ended with a negi-toro hand roll followed by a piece of conger eel and tamago.

At the end of the omakase meal, our server left us with the a la carte menu to order additional pieces if we so wished. I usually double up on pieces like uni and spot prawn or try a fish that wasn’t included, however I was surprised with just how many other fish were available. Double the selection of our meal. To me, ordering omakase infers that a variety of the day’s best selection of fish will be served. While the variety was there, seeing many more premium types of fish available a la carte was frustrating. I would’ve liked more transparency upfront with their menu or a tiered pricing model to include pieces like o-toro and Hokkaido Uni from the get-go. But, I guess that’s part of trusting the chef.

Overall, I feel like my expectations for Sushi Nakazawa may have been to high based on the hype and price tag (over $200 CAD/person after tax and gratuity). It was still a memorable meal, but not my favourite omakase experience.

We can all agree that aesthetic is an important part of meals. When a dish makes me drool just by looking at, that’s a plus. At least until the first bite. In today’s age of Instagram visual appeal has become an even more important part of marketing and how restaurants gain popularity. However, taste is still key and should be the primary focus. No matter how pretty a restaurant’s interior is, how many succulents they house or how many edible flowers they use to plate, if the food tastes only ok, I just don’t see longevity. Aburi Room had a lot of promise. High quality torched sushi at a mid-range price and their aesthetic was on point (especially the takeout option). After eating lunch there, I’m not super surprised they’re already re-branding.

Atmosphere: Located in the first floor of a condo in North York, I was excited to venture back to our old neighbourhood for lunch at Aburi Room. This was one of our first outings with Alivia and I scoured pictures online to make sure there was plenty of room to fit a stroller next to our table. We made a reservation for 11:30am, right when doors opened and were the first diners seated. Tables were nicely spaced out with a few for large groups and comfy armchairs. Decor was modern with lots of greenery, pendant lights with an exposed industrial ceiling. Lunch was relaxed and busy but not to capacity.

Service: Our server was friendly and patient. Being our first time out in awhile, we were busy catching up with friends and took some time to decide on our order. The pace of the meal was comfortable and when our Smoked Chirashi Tart arrived, she was happy to wait for Stephen to get his camera and pose for our shots. Our reservation was made with a baby and our table had been set up with a high chair, an added touch that I now truly appreciate.

Food: After my lengthy intro I have to start with, the meal was good. Not amazing, but pleasant. My biggest challenge with the Omakase at Aburi Room was that for the price, I’d much rather spend either a bit more for amazing quality and fewer pieces (lunch at JaBistro $28 for 7 pieces) or much less for quantity ($15 Chirashi from Ichiban on Spring Garden). The menu relied heavily on the trend of aburi style sushi and presentation to distinguish themselves, which almost worked. It’s a hard neighbourhood to compete in when there are multiple Japanese restaurants every block.

Stephen and I both ordered the Signature Omakase (10 pieces + 2 hand rolls) for ourselves and split a Smoked Chirashi Tart with our friends. First to arrive were three square bowls with edamame, a cabbage salad and two slices of sashimi on seaweed. The sashimi was a white fish, very fresh and sweet; a good start.

The 10 pieces of aburi sushi was served on a rectangular white plate. There were 6 pieces of torched nigiri and 4 pieces of pressed, then torched sushi. Each piece was paired with a unique garnish ranging from jalapeno to tobiko and a thin slice of okra. I really enjoyed the salmon and truffle shrimp sushi, which were sweet and flavourful. The yuzu peel garnish on the scallop was interesting, a tart and bitter contrast to the sweet seafood. I liked it but not everyone at the table agreed. With the pieces of pressed sushi the layer of mayonnaise was generous and caramelized to a delicious flavour after being torched. However, it did mask the flavour of the fish a bit and all the pieces aside from mackerel tasted the same.

I admit, I ordered the Smoked Salmon Chirashi for the visuals and it did not disappoint in that department. Served on a round plate under a glass dome filled with smoke, presentation was on point. As for actual flavour, there was a lot of sauce. The layered tart of rice, chopped salmon sashimi and avocado was smothered with spicy mayo and nikiri sauce. This was not a subtle dish and I couldn’t really taste much smokey flavour.

We had almost forgotten about the two hand rolls when they arrived, which were filling and completed the meal. A piece of tamago would have been a nice touch. Overall, lunch at Aburi Room was good and I am happy to have tried the omakase. I’m interested in seeing how the restaurant evolves as there is a lot of potential.

Every year Bento Sushi hosts a sushi competition, inviting their 2000 sushi chefs from all over the world to think outside of the box and create an innovative, new roll that will be offered for a limited time at Bento locations! The top 6 rolls, chosen by region, and their chefs gather in Toronto to face off in person. The finalists are given an hour to plate their creation for both a panel of judges to critique and for guests to vote for the People’s Choice award. This year’s event was held at The Chef’s House, which meant all the chefs had access to a full kitchen to cook and roll.

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

The Bento Sushi competition was first held in 2012 to showcase the talent and creativity of their chefs. Now an annual event, the champion gets more than just a cash prize, bragging rights and having their creation served all over North America. It could be the next California Roll. Bento Sushi currently has over 540 locations, including a presence in several States, and their menu has expanded to include sushi burritos, udon and bento boxes.

While the competitors were hard at work, guests mingled, sipping on wine and munching on an endless parade of sushi platters. As always, the salmon and bbq eel pieces were the first to get snatched up, followed by the Salmon Volcano Roll. I also quite enjoyed the vegetarian platter that had pieces of inari and tamago nigiri. As the timer wound down, beautifully plated rolls were lined up ready for the judges. Quickly, the counter at the kitchen became packed with onlookers vying for the best shot. Compared to last year’s competition, I thought the aesthetics of this year’s rolls definitely leveled up.

The 6 rolls in this year’s competition were:

• Sushi Hero 1: Jie Xu, Toronto – Eight Treasures Rooster Roll (with gold flakes and served with a variety of sauces)
• Sushi Hero 2: Haruo Oikawa, New York – Cupcake Roll (delicious shredded sweet potato wrapping)
• Sushi Hero 3: Qing Feng Tan, Winnipeg – Chasu Nakudan Roll (surprising use of asparagus)
• Sushi Hero 4: Kelly Lim, St. Catharines – Sakura Roll (pop of flavour from pickled radish)
• Sushi Hero 5: Tony Wang, Calgary – Jiong Roll (intricate and geometric)
• Sushi Hero 6: King Yeung, Montreal – Spicy Strawberry Roll (strawberries and crispy flakes)

Of the six entries, my favourite was the Sakura Roll. I really liked the creaminess from the slices of avocado and the sweet and sour from the slices of pickled radish. Whenever I eat sushi, I pair it with a ton of pickled ginger, so for me Sakura roll was perfect. Bonus was the topping of red and yellow tobiko, adding a bit more sea flavour. I also really enjoyed the Cupcake Roll by Haruo Oikawa, who was last year’s winner. The roll was incredibly creamy and sweet from the crunchy sweet potato exterior. However, I found I could only eat a few pieces of the roll as it was quite heavy.

After the votes were tallied, the winner of the People’s Choice was the Cupcake Roll by Haruo Oikawa! Then it was time to announce the judges’ choice. One of this year’s judges was fellow blogger Karen, who carefully analyzed each roll for visual appearance, taste and creativity. With all the scores in, the winner of this year’s Sushi Championship was the Sakura Roll by Kelly Lim. Second place went to the Cupcake Roll and third to the beautiful Eight Treasures Rooster Roll.

I can’t wait to treat my tastebuds to the Sakura roll again!

Every year over the holidays, The Hubby and I stay with my in-laws in Markham for a few days while his siblings visit from out of town. During that time, we are always well fed with great home-cooked meals and visits to some of their favourite restaurants. This past holiday season, I heard about Ai Sushi, a new Japanese restaurant that opened just a few blocks from my in laws that was receiving great reviews. I mentioned the restaurant a few times during conversations and my mother-in-law was very much on board with picking up sushi platters for one of our lunches.

Atmosphere: Ai Sushi was located in a strip mall on the north east corner of 16th Ave. and Markham Rd. The restaurant was small with half of the space inside devoted to a sushi counter and the other half set up with 5 tables, each seating 4. Decor was modern with pot lights and bar stools. One wall was decorated with adorable chalk drawings of sushi and a lucky cat enjoying some nigiri. There were also a handful of lucky cat statues watching over the sushi counter. When we stopped by, there were only a few customers eating in but a queue of platters to be picked up.

Service: Based only on the pick-up experience, service was pretty straight forward. We called to place our order around 11:30am, asking to pick-up 30 minutes later. When we arrived, our order was prepped and packed on time and we checked out smoothly. The trays were packed securely with plenty of utensils, soy sauce and wasabi. I liked that the wasabi and soy sauce were in separate small containers, not on the tray themselves and not soy sauce packets. I would have like more pickled ginger, and will be asking for extra next time.

Food: To feed 5 people, we ordered two platters, 50 pieces of assorted sashimi ($48) and 60 pieces of assorted rolls ($38). There are also platters of assorted sashimi, sushi and rolls together in various sizes. I loved the sashimi platter for both the variety of fish included and quality. Making up the 50 pieces included 5 pieces of scallop and sweet shrimp, my two favourite types of sashimi. This was the first time I’ve seen both included in an assorted platter by default and so generously. There was also octopus, herring roe, tuna, yellowtail, surf clam and salmon. All of the fish was fresh and sweet. The octopus was tender and the salmon fatty. I was also happy with the size of each piece of sashimi, generous but still one (big) bite.

Moving onto the platter of assorted rolls, while good, couldn’t compare to the sashimi. I think the platter was necessary to make sure everyone was full, but in hindsight I would have ordered more sashimi. All of the rolls also used great quality fish and had an excellent rice to filling ratio. Included were rainbow rolls, a salmon avocado roll, a cucumber roll, california topped with tobiko, a shrimp roll topped with mayo, another topped with spicy mayo and one topped with tempura bits. For the price, it was a great deal and a decent variety. My favourite was the one topped with tempura bits and the unagi and cucumber one. I did feel like the cucumber roll was bit of a filler, but even then, the platter was a good value.

Overall, I really enjoyed our meal from Ai Sushi and am looking forward to trying out their chirashi bowls in the near future. I have high hopes for them maintaining their current level of quality and value. Note that when I visited, only cash was accepted.

Ever on the hunt for delicious sushi, as I scroll through my Instagram feed I’m always on the lookout for mouth-watering photos of raw fish. Almost a year ago I noticed Aoyama, specifically a stunning chirashi bowl full of my favourite types of sushi. Hubs and I stopped by for an impromptu Monday date night as part of my birthday celebrations this month.

Atmosphere: Pulling into the parking lot of a block of restaurants in Scarborough, Aoyama was the definition of unassuming. The storefront was understated and the interior was similarly simple and unembellished. Walking in for our 5:30pm reservation, I was shocked that all the tables were set with “reserved” plaques. However, we had the restaurant to ourselves until 6pm when other guests began arriving. Dinner was cozy and quiet, great for conversation and perfect for our date.

Service: I only decided on dinner at Aoyama early that day and called around 3pm to make a reservation. At first, I thought about just walking in, but went with a reservation just in case, which was the right decision. I’d recommend always making a reservation if you can. I have to assume that many customers order the omakase because our appetizers arrived immediately after we ordered, and the platter of nigiri quickly followed. Two servers took care of us and both were friendly and efficient. One girl was far more proficient with English than the other, she was the one to take orders and chatted with us about sushi restaurants in the city. I do wish our plates were coursed out. As is, I felt a little overwhelmed with the continuous arrival of plates that quickly filled our table.

Food: For the two of us, we ordered the Omakase Sushi set, which comes with a trio of appetizers, soup, 20 pieces of sushi and a 6 piece salmon maki. On top of this, we added a plate of assorted tempura and unatama (unagi with egg sauce on rice). We didn’t actually need the unatama to be full, but I had been tempted my Instagram photos and our server informed us it was a good dish for take-out, perfect for my lunch the next day.

With our sushi set, the appetizers served alongside were edamame, a few chicken teriyaki skewers and two medallions of monkfish liver. A flavourful, clear seafood broth was served in a clay teapot and little tea cups. This was not the highlight of the meal, but a nice start to the meal. The assorted tempura had three pieces of shrimp and a largey variety of vegetables. The batter was light and the vegetables were fresh. However biting into each piece, they looked more crispy than they were. This could’ve been because the plate arrived while we were still working on the appetizers and let the tempura sit for a few minutes.

The sushi was where it was at. The pieces included were unagi, uni, sweet shrimp, scallop, crab, salmon belly, hamachi, chutoro, otoro and tamago. All of them were amazing, sweet and buttery. They’re also all my favourite types and what I would order a la carte myself. The salmon belly was fatty and almost as good as the toro, almost. Although the sushi set can change everyday, based on social media photos, the same selection of fish is served fairly consistently and otoro is guaranteed. The uni was also quite fresh, one of the better quality ones I’ve had in Toronto, but did still leave a slight aftertaste. Overall, for the price and quality of the fish, while not exactly a true omakase meal, the omakase sushi set was easily worth the $89 price tag

We did dig into the unatama that night before taking away the bulk of it, and it was delicious. I loved the sweet unagi sauce, mixed altogether with the eel, rice and runny egg sauce, created a perfect spoonful.

My first experience at JaBistro was back in 2013 for my birthday, when I was wowed by both the exquisite food and wonderful service. Since then, I’ve stopped by for lunch (what a deal!) and a few more dinners. With each meal, JaBistro continued to wow me and remains my go-to spot for high quality sushi in the city. Needless to say, when I was invited to check out their outdoor patio space, I was beyond excited.

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

Atmosphere: Stepping onto the rooftop patio, I immediately felt at peace. With plenty of natural wood, clean lines and a minimalist design, the space felt like a zen oasis in the middle of the city. The patio has been open since 2012, but was renovated this summer and fitted with a retractable roof. Now diners can enjoy the space even if there’s a drizzle of rain. Hanging string lights light the space and adds a touch of whimsy. Reservations aren’t taken for the patio and tables are filled first come, first serve.

Service: The Hubby and I were shown upstairs by the hostess and walked to our seat. Our server was friendly, soft spoken and efficient. I especially appreciated how she carved our fish head table side and chatted with us while expertly separating meat from bone. This was an intricate task and our server did an excellent job making sure all of the large bones were removed. She also checked in on us throughout the evening and at no point was my water glass less than half full.

Food: Dinner began with a sashimi platter with two slices each of Tai Sea Bream, Chutoro, Salmon and torched Wagyu Beef. All three types of fish were fresh, sweet and so buttery. I loved the slight torch on the sea bream that added a hint of smokiness. The chutoro just melted as I chewed.

Next up was an appetizer platter that included a whole grilled Sea Bream fish head (the showstopper), a mug of Lobster Miso Soup, Ebi Mayo and a few Calamari rings. Being served a whole fish head was definitely a woah moment and I applaud JaBistro for serving the entirety, teeth and all. Whenever I have a whole fish with my family, my mom and I always fight over the head. The amount of meat on this one, would’ve been plenty to share. The cooked fish was also tender, juicy, mildly seasoned and full of natural flavour. A sip of the savoury lobster miso soup was perfect after each bite.

Following appetizers was the sushi course, 3 pieces of nigiri and 4 pieces of JaBistro’s aburi oshizushi. Similar to the sashimi plate, the quality of fish on each nigiri piece was top-notch. My favourite piece was the lobster with ikura, which had a great balance between sweet (lobster) and salty (ikura). I also enjoyed the texture of the lobster, that had a bit more structure than other varieties of fish. All 4 pieces of the torched sushi had to be savoured. They were rich, flavourful and smokey.

Dinner ended with a slice of Matcha Mousse Cake and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Both the cake and ice cream were not too sweet or too heavy, fitting after a full meal. The ice cream was creamy but light with a strong vanilla flavour. The cake was airy, with multiple layers of textures and tastes.

JaBistro’s rooftop patio was a beautiful space and weather permitting, I will now always be choosing to head upstairs.

Saku Toronto is another restaurant that I heard about through Instagram. I drooled while scrolling through photos of elaborate rolls and fresh sashimi. Knowing that dinner at Saku would involve lots of photography, I stopped by with fellow blogger Grace of FoodintheCityToronto to indulge our cameras and stomachs.

Atmosphere: Saku was pretty, hip restaurant with exposed brick, a stocked bar and neon lighting accents. Halfway through dinner, the lights dimmed to create a more intimate atmosphere. The leather booths were roomy and comfortable.

Service: I ran into a lot of service hiccups that night, right from my first interaction with the hostess. We had made a reservation and I was running a bit late. I told the hostess the name of the reservation and she showed me to a booth at the back of the restaurant. Once I settled in, I spotted Grace sitting at another table. Dishes came quickly, but aside from dropping off plates, no one checked in on us and it took some frantic waving to get our bill.

Food: Saku had a regular dinner menu and a special menu. Reading through both, I was tempted by almost all the rolls and sushi. I would say we ended up ordering enough food to feed 3 or 4 people, but still had room for dessert.

From the selection of rolls, we narrowed down to trying a torched salmon roll with avocado and crab meat, and the Saku roll with tuna, scallop, cilantro and jalapeno. Between the two, I really liked the torched salmon. Topped with creamy mayonnaise, the salmon was fresh, sweet and worked well with the fillings. With the Saku roll, I liked the spice of the jalapeno and the cilantro, but didn’t expect the filling to be minced. This meant each bite had no variety in texture, just a consistent mush, and could’ve used some kind of crunch. Both rolls had a good rice to filling ratio and fresh ingredients.

The quality of the fish at Saku was truly showcased in the Chef’s Selection sashimi bowl ($18). Our half order had over 12 pieces, a great value for the selection and freshness. I loved that seared tuna and fresh scallop was included. From the tapas menu, we tried the Saku ceviche that included chunks of salmon, tuna, mango and avocado. The dish had a strong acidity, perfect for a ceviche, and the chunks of mango added some sweetness.

At this point, we still had a platter of Chef’s Special Aburi to devour. A platter of 12 stunning pieces of nigiri was served, that was almost too pretty to eat. Each piece was already dressed with sauce, lightly torched and individually garnished. This platter was only $20, an amazing deal. The photos really speak for themselves. I would highly recommend trying out the aburi.

We ended dinner with a slice of match tofu cheesecake, which was light, and not too sweet. Perfect after a full (very full) sushi meal. Overall, I would be back in a heartbeat for the quality and selection of sushi at Saku, but there were a few service wrinkles to iron out which knocks down their rating in my mind.

Bento Sushi began in 1996 as a small takeout shop in downtown Toronto. Today, they’re an essential feature of most grocery stores and is Canada’s largest sushi company with over 450 locations throughout North America. Bento’s california rolls are one of my favourite grab and go lunches. Every year, Bento challenges their chefs to get creative with their Sushi Champion Competition. Chefs are encouraged to stretch their imagination and submit new roll recipes to the contest. The top 6 rolls are chosen by region and the finalists are gathered to face off in a live event with a panel of judges. I had the chance to attend this year’s competition, themed the Bento Sushi Hungry Games and spent an afternoon munching on delicious sushi creations.

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

During the competition, the finalists had one hour to plate their roll for judging and prepare enough to feed a hungry audience. I had a chance to watch each rolls come together from start to end, chat with the chefs from each district of course, enjoy some delicious sushi from Bento. Each time a new sushi platter was brought out, the first pieces to disappear were the BBQ eel and salmon. I had to keep reminding myself to save room to for the main event, at least one piece each of the 6 finalists.

Once the hour of cooking was up, the panel of 4 judges (including Bento Sushi’s Director of Product Development and a MasterChef Canada finalist) tasted each contender and contemplated pretty seriously. The winning roll will become available at Bento locations for a limited time and the winning chef would receive a cash prize, so the judging was intense. At the same time, guests at the event voted for the people’s choice award.

The 6 rolls up for the championship were:
District 1: Sukhe Lee, British Columbia – BBQ Bulgogi Roll with Nuts (bulgogi beef, shiitake mushroom, cabbage, pickles, mixed nuts)
District 2: Sarina Yoth, Quebec – Maple Apple Crab Roll (crab, apple, maple syrup, tobiko)
District 3: Haruo Oikawa, New York – Haru Roll (tuna, tempura shrimp, unagi, jalapeno peppers, tartar and unagi sauce)
District 4: Mei Zang, Ontario – Prosciutto Roll (prosciutto, basil, tomato, lettuce, balsamic vinegar, feta cheese)
District 5: Huang Yan Fang, Ontario – Shrimp Roll (tempura shrimp, ebi shrimp, avocado, fried onion)
District 6: Hao Mai Vu, Manitoba – Torch Lobster Roll (torched lobster, scallop, pineapple, chili, avocado, teriyaki sauce)

My favourite, and the people’s choice winner was the Torch Lobster Roll. I really liked the sweetness of the pineapple combined with the fresh torched lobster and scallop. I also liked the Maple Apple Crab Roll for a similar combination of sweet and savoury. The avocado added a creaminess to each bite and the chili a touch of heat. Bothe the Bulgogi Roll with Nuts and Prosciutto Roll were inventive and used ingredients I don’t typically associate with sushi.

After quite some deliberation, the judges announced the winning roll to be the pretty pink Haru Roll, that was also packed with flavour. Each had crunch from the tempura, heat from the jalapeno and creamy from the tartar sauce. I had a great time tasting all of the rolls and can’t wait to see the Haru Roll in stores.

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.