The Sushi Bar’s name isn’t distinctive; in fact, it’s not even accurate, since their menu extends way beyond sushi. They’re actually an izakaya … but I guess The Izakaya Bar would be confusing to those not versed in Japanese cuisine and redundant. So, we’ll go with The Sushi Bar.
While
the sushi is decent, it’s not their strongest dish. We tried the special of
the day, an aji ($8), and it’s not
something I’ll re-order. Having had my fair share of horse mackerel, the fish
was cut too large making it impossible to eat in one mouthful, which meant you
had to bite through the chewy meat. Moreover, it wasn’t meticulously cleaned so
the strong fishy essence remains. There weren’t even enough condiments to cover
it up: the dot of green onion was insufficient and the fish could benefit from
a swipe of a sweet soy reduction (the regular soy sauce is simply too salty).
Their
maki rolls are better, the Red Dragon ($15) was beautifully presented with vibrant
salmon slices topped with tempura bits, fish roe, and green onion – although
the roll would be more appropriately named as Orange Dragon. Sadly, it looked
better than it tasted. It was a bit chewy and seemed like the rice, nori, and shrimp tempura portion was
prepared ahead of time and the roll assembled later; or maybe the rice simply
lacked rice vinegar and the tempura batter's consistency too thick.
Of all
the sushi, the spicy salmon ($6) was a hit: I loved the big chunks of salmon and
the spicy mayo seems to be mixed with a tiny bit of cream cheese to give it a
thick silky finish.
The tuna
tataki ($11) starts off strong with
beautifully sliced seared tuna sashimi with grated ginger garnishes on top. The
bed of radish and carrot salad was also shredded to a delicate texture. Yet, it
was so bland for tataki, merely a bit
of citrus and drops of soy. The tuna rub could be more pronounced or at least
add more ponzu to everything. The
only saving grace was the freshness of the tuna.
Thankfully,
the chicken yaki udon ($13.50) was tastier,
the thick chewy noodles glistening with sauce and when mixed with the nori simply delicious. The chicken and
vegetables could be cut thinner so it combines better with the noodles and eaten
together – a small fault I can overlook.
By far
the best dish of the evening was the black cod ($10). It arrives without an
ounce of sauce, but the fish is so well marinated that it floods the mouth with
a lovely salty sweet essence – sauce be damned! Flaky, moist, and beautifully
prepared, on return visits I’m having an order of black cod with a bowl of noodles
in soup.
Although
they’re no Uncle Tetsu, The Sushi Bar’s Japanese cheese cake ($4.50) was a
satisfying finish – not as buttery, but incorporates a stronger cheese taste
since it’s denser. Of course, cheese cake is also a dessert that’s often found
in izakayas than sushi bars, but we’ve already established – it’s an izakaya.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 3365 Yonge Street
Address: 3365 Yonge Street
Website: https://www.thesushibar.ca/
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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