2 – 3140 Portage Avenue
204-889-9700
April, 2009
Some restaurants have grand names and even grander reputations. Some have reputed chefs while others rely on gimmicks. Then there’s the restaurant that sits unobtrusively and benignly in a quiet neighbourhood or a low profile strip mall. On occasion, these little unassuming gems serve the best foods. Tokyo Sushi sits deep in St. James on Portage Avenue and I put some hope into it being one of those little gems, perhaps the next Yujiro (former location).
The atmosphere is plain but cozy and the menu has few surprises. Tokyo serves the usual Japanese beers and beverages but the scant wine selection only comes as cheap, boxed white and red. I won’t hold this against them as many Japanese restaurants pay little attention to the liquor list—and that’s a shame.
In judging sushi, I normally have the California rolls as a benchmark. If the rolls use Pollack, there’s no need to come back. If they have some canned crab meat, they’re in the majority. The few that use genuine lump crab meat will have me back and drooling for more, every time; you very rarely see this. Tokyo’s version features broken crab (out of a can) but nothing stands out about the roll—adequate but not special. Tokyo’s special roll features bamboo, carrot, shrimp with avocado on the outside. This daring endeavour piques my attention but the abundance of avocado overwhelms the roll and drowns out all the other flavours—it’s a nice attempt but ultimately unsuccessful. The spider roll also adds carrot to give some extra texture. Unfortunately, part of the allure of the spider roll lies in the crunchiness of the soft shell crab and the carrot spurs an unwanted competition. Again, the abundance of avocado dominates over the delicate taste of the crab, which already competes against the tempura batter. Avocado has a rich and buttery taste that provides a perfect accent in rolls; however, Tokyo’s heavy-handedness obscures the flavours of the natural ingredients—pity.
Today, Tokyo didn’t have toro (fatty tuna), which can be the best part of a sushi outing (or the worst if it’s not fresh). The unagi nigiri tastes deliciously deep seasoned and the hokigai has a wonderfully fresh crunchiness. Many sushi houses offer delectable fresh fish (as you expect) but the true test comes with the freshness of the hamachi; if hamachi is slightly stale, strong fishiness devours your tastes buds and can easily ruin the rest of your meal (read: stinky). Although hamachi comes with great risk, it also gives great reward as fresh hamachi can be the highlight of your dinner. Tokyo’s hamachi comes with a considerable fishy odour and I strongly advise you to pass on this selection. Unless I know and trust the restaurant well, I would never risk an entire order of hamachi sashimi and I’m glad I didn’t here.
For sashimi, I try the ubiquitous salmon, which looks wonderfully deep red and glistening. Sushi chefs should cut sashimi at 1/3 to 1/2 inch thickness; Tokyo’s slices their sashimi less than 1/4 thick. The thinner slices make the plate appear to have more pieces; however, when the fish pieces come too thinly, the diner cannot taste enough of the fish, which is the essence of sashimi. To bring back the taste of fish, I double up on the slices.
Walking into Tokyo Sushi, I bore hope that I could find a neighbourhood prize; departing, I am disappointed that Tokyo is just another stem in the proliferation of Japanese restaurants, springing uncontrolled like shiitake mushrooms.
** /5
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