Iliana & Sergey's Palette: Japanese

Cheri's sister gave us a gift certificate for Yamato months ago, but we were waiting for the right time. And so we finally made a reservation, over 6 months later.

APPEARANCE
dark and ruby, very thick
From the outside, Yamato is written in well spaced Trajan Pro, Japanese characters below it, all knocked out from a purple background with small fans, floating like parachutes above. Walking down to the entrance, you can feel the warmth behind the black framed glass - incandescent paper lights, beige fan pattens on the walls and birch furniture.

SWIRL
long legs with higher than average viscosity

This warm space welcoming from the front is actually just the walk-in area, which doesn't seem anything more than a regular sushi place. The host welcomed us and as we informed him of our reservation he walked us to the back and then to the left. On the way, we saw some ikebana arrangements, and it got very dark as we crossed a descending corridor to the second room.

Once inside this dining room, you feel like you are part of the show - dark marble walls, mirrors around, open concept room, big tables with hot plates and plenty of space. People are expecting something, not to mention the numerous kids there and the noise level going out the roof. Some tables had a chef, like our other half, but many were waiting.

NOSE

sweet and sour, very fruity

As we sat we were given their menu - gold, textured, old-looking hard cover with 1 asymmetric flap. On the table lay fan-folded white cloths covering the chopsticks underneath. Inside the menu there are white laminated pages, not the perfect match with those lovely covers.

I picked their Sake Teppanyaki Dinner, which Cheri asked for their New York Sirloin Dinner. Out of curiosity, he had to check what was the Kobe Style Beef market price. We were betting if around under $60, we should try. It turned out to be over $200 - perhaps another time. Our waitress asked if we would like egg on our grilled veggies, and we should've said yes.

Weeding through the many sakes offered, we asked our waitress for help. After some thinking and confusion, we refined our question - "Which one would Japanese people pick?" She pointed at the Shirakawago Sasa (Nigori Unfiltered Sake) but, I swear, she felt like she's doing something illegal.

PALATE

despite the color, surprising refreshing

The Shirakawago Sasa cake in a blue bottle, served in an ice container- just like any quality sake should be enjoyed - chilled. It was smooth and creamy, not particularly fragrant, perhaps a bit near the end.

We few minutes later we got our clear, onion, miso-based soup, followed by their green salad with a sweet, house dressing.. Now we were getting anxious. Is our show coming? All 7 of us filled our table, and now we were watching the chef on the other side of table clean up. Quickly after our chef came out, dragging a little cart of raw food. As if somebody was listening to our surprised conversation that chefs are rather international - ours was Japanese. He started off with the veggies cut right in front of us - his knifes looked like pleasure to play with. He put in the salt and pepper with hits, a rather loud melody. As we noticed later on, the egg is the ultimate thing to play with. Some chefs let it bounce in their hat, while ours made it jump a few times and landed it right on the edge of his spatula - to be broken in half. Then he added the rice and served it for the lucky people who picked that option. We got our rice in a bowl on the side. Another trick he did was making a mountain of onion rings and lighting them on fire. To be honest, I felt old to be there or rather lacking a child. Chefs kept on looking at the kids' expressions, parents being often more excited than the kids. I was happy to see a table full of adults, on the other side. Overall, a good vibe though, I can't deny.

FINISH

an intriguing aftertaste, unexpectedly crisp

Food presentation of our plates was not a main concern of theirs, but the flavours really made up for that. My Salmon was very tender and smooth, probably one of the freshest I've had. Cheri's sirloin was a bit dry but still rare inside, not my type a thing. He didn't mind it, but no doubt the Sake salmon was great choice.

I don't think dessert was an option, but either way we were pretty filled.

It was quite the experience overall, definitely a very unique night for us.

A delicate Japanese plum wine.

4.11.12

Guu Sakabar

http://guu-izakaya.com/sakabar/

On a family outing years ago, we once wanted to go to the Guu restaurant on Church, but on a Friday night it takes a while to get in!! I sent them an email this time, to find out there can't be any reservations made, but instead they recommended we arrive 2hrs earlier.. not my favourite way to spend Sunday afternoon. (5 degrees outside)

Instead I got in touch with the Guu Sakabar on Bloor, which takes reservations on Sundays and we went on our double date there.

APPEARANCE

dark ruby, cold, intimate

Driving along Bloor, knowing roughly where to look is not enough to find this gem. From the outside grey tiles and wood, no sign until you notice it on the side corner. From that tiny side street, there is a long glass entrance to the restaurant with their substantial black wordmark on it.

We entered that glass tunnel and waited a bit. There were gaps in the tiles. Being curious, I ended up looking through one and staring as someone fitting a large bite in their mouth. It felt like we are spying
on people.

NOSE

raspberry, cherry, allspice

Getting to the front, we noticed how loudly the staff yells something to people leaving (a bit embarrassing). I asked for our reservation. We were given a choice of sitting in an area with small, charming wooden tables and chairs or a more traditional area where you take your shoes off and it looks like you are sitting on the floor. The picked the ladder, as it seemed a bit more secluded and quieter.

It was beautiful inside - the main area with natural wood planks and soft warm lights created a very intimate feel. I was torn to sit there and experience that side.

After taking some time to take off our shoes, we placed them in wooden box-racks. Tables, floors, the entire room was all a lighter, perhaps birch, wood - smooth and polished. The seating was one of those new crosses between traditional and modern, where you are sitting on the floor surface, but it is really a bench, as there is plenty of space for your feet to hang down. There were thin round pillows to sit on. This entire experience made me feel a bit like a kid, it was fun. What enhanced my feeling was the menu.

SWIRL

light oak, aged in paraffin walnut barrel, dark chocolate

The menu is a grid of colourful squares. Different tones are for the different sections of food. Each small square has the dish (in english and japanese), description and price - very efficient. A separate paper menu leaflet tucked inside has their sakes. We quickly agreed to try 500mL of their Bamboo Sake.

The waitress came and kneeled down to talk to us. It almost seemed like we were kids making friends. She was kind of loud and made a lot of strange sounds when talking, backed up by hand gestures and expressions that had Japan written all over. Regardless, she had a light attitude and a big smile. We asked about their "fun" menu section which had 3 free items. She said they are cheers. Our friend asked for two of those. She agreed. Ok, now food! The dishes are all small, kind of tapas-like, and so we took a bunch to share.

We took Edamame, each couple took a salad to share. We went for the Guy Shadu Salad. Cheri wanted their Salmon Tataki, I wanted their Saba. As a table to also took Brie Cheese, Spicy Negitoro and Karaage.

PALATE

silky mouthfeel, elegant, full-bodied

Soon after our Sake made its way in a real authentic Bamboo bottle - a thick stick cut at a 45 degree angle and covered with only hole on one side - very elegant. The sake itself was not too special. It was served cold, as most high-end sakes are. It was light, lightly fruity and citrusy.

Our dishes came in a very random order.. starting with the Spicy Negitoro, Brie and Karaage. Followed by the Salmon Tataki and the salads and finally the Saba.

Spicy Negitoro was great - a small bowl of spicy chopped tuna and scallion with a side of sea-weed leaves to wrap it in. The Brie and Karaage came in bite-size balls, great fingerfoods. Fried, but not greasy. The deepfied brie had a light, unique mango-berry sauce spilled on top. The Karaage was deep fried, soy sauce marinated chicken with a slap of garlic mayo and greens. The Salmon Tataki was tender, raw and fresh topped with wasabi mayo, garlic chips and scallion. It was all covered in a citrusy sauce (ponzo). All these little dishes were great. We probably should have ordered a dish per two people. Next, the salads were substantial. Our Gyu Shabu was thickly sliced beef on peppers and greens with sesame dressing and garlic crisps. It was great. And as we started eating it, the edamame appetizer made it's way. Better late, then never! A generous bowl with chunky salt - the usual.

Finally, my Saba - grilled mackerel on onions with some green herb, lemons, on a sizzling plate and of course, topped with garlic flakes. Dark and very yummy.

We asked for a dessert menu. 3 of us decided to order and share - cheesecake, pudding and tiramisu. They took no time. The sake flavoured tiramisu was really not something I'd order again.. too much of sake aroma for me. Their pudding was a cream burl, nothing special. Finally their green-tea cheesecake was not at all cheese-tasing. It was very sweet,
but decent.

FINISH

rich, deep and lasting

I should have checked out the washrooms while sitting there, as they give you wooden flip-flops to slip on, when you go there. Very authentic. However we were all so occupied with the foods, we forgot until the end after we put our shoes back on. We made out way downstairs, with separate room washrooms - about 6 of them, very well stocked up and very well matched with the rest of the interior.

Overall.. a very natural Merlot with many intricacies

13.4.12

Okinomi House

http://dine.to/okonomihouse

Have been planning to try this place for some time now. My sister makes great Okonomiyaki at home, so I was curious what a commercial one in Toronto would be like. I tried the one in Japan too long ago to remember, so I had to go with her - a japanese culture enthusiast.

APPEARANCE

cold, plain

A lonely corner house on a small street off of Bloor or Young. From the outside nothing special, even a bit cold and cheap-looking.

It is rather deceiving, because as soon as we entered we were greeted, seated and realized the restaurant is not as big as it looks. As a matter of fact if it would have been a longer space, as I suspected from the outside, it would have lost its feel and turned into a cold cafeteria.

NOSE

intimate, herbaceous, a bit nutty

Inside it was all wood. The red paper lanterns and the red highlights add a warm vibe. Almost all walls were windows and most had their charming logo in the middle - a kids' face inside two round plates, with a tall circular red hat. There was a main bar-like area and the rest was short tables - blue tops. It was somehow cozy - the warm sunny spring weather definitely added.

SWIRL

grassy, bouquet of citrus

You are given a menu as well as acheck-in-the-box sheet, probably to make sure there are no miss-understandings but it starts feeling machine-like. Our waitress seemed more than capable to take down our order, judging by the way she answered our questions. We decided to share a noodle soup, a sunomono salad and go for 2 okonomiyaki plates - beef and pork.
So what is Okinomiyaki? A kind of Japanese pancake, made from cabbage, flour, egg, meat, hints of ginger and topped with special sauce. As we waited, we were impressed to see a girl next to us drinking Calpico juice - a white milk-based juice, favoured in Japan.

PALATE
lovely complexity, acid balance

Our soup and salad came quickly. The noodle soup was light and simple. The sunomono was very nice - rice noodles, cucumber, shrimp, sesame seeds in a light vinaigrette. That is the way appetizers should be - light and small. I hate it when I get stuffed before the main dish. The okinomiyaki plates came, they were selves in small frying pans. As they came darker with dark okinomi yak sauce and a big spot of mayo, we realized we forgot to tick off the menu option saying - Dried Sea Weed and Bonito Flakes ($0.50) - a must.

The lady brought it as soon as we asked, no questions asked. We loaded them with these two on top. They were very good. The beef one, I was not too crazy about as the meat dried up the dish, while the pork one was perfect. They only part I was not crazy about was the ginger, but I am just not used to having it in there. I was kind of glad they did not give us forks instantly, once they noticed we are not japanese. It looks like a challenge to eat with chopsticks but it is really not that bad, plus it helps us savour the food.

FINISH
refreshing, light
I would definitely be back here. The food was too filling and the choices of okonimiyaki dishes is wide - chicken, bacon, vegetable, shrimp, scallop, squid, seafood deluxe..on top of that there is a specials part of the menu we did not even look at. And more importantly sake and japanese beers are offered!

Overall.. a light and refreshing Semillon

2.3.12

Shu Raku

http://www.shuraku.net/

So we just landed in Vancouver and it was only 10pm there, so we decided to not stay in on our first night - especially as this place was a 15min walk from our hotel. On top of that it was highly recommended by a colleague and furthermore re-enforced by Urbanspoon

APPEARANCE
yellow-green color with hints of gold
Granville with its neon reflections off the wet paving was quite gorgeous and this little place, was also adding to all the life on the street.

NOSE
crisp, some floral nuances
So we entered and were quickly sat. Perhaps too quickly to take a good look at the natural curving wood counter or the adorable line of lamps with wooden sticks. So the second part of the restaurant, the back long room, is where the late-night snackers were lead to. There was an easy vibe, with spanish-sounding music (rather out of place), a blank lit-up wall on one side and an illuminating sushi bar on the other.

SWIRL
 yellow plum, honey melon 
The long menus came along with their playful-traditional wordmark everywhere, but most elegantly placed on the black chopsticks pockets. Our waiter was great. A Japanese guy who spoke with a Brit accent. He squat down to speak to us coming to our height - very polite. Due to our interest but lack of Sake knowledge we went with the Hot Sake Flight - 2 kinds of sake of the day. Cheri was curious to try their Beef Asparagus and I was really craving a Volcano Roll. I asked for his roll recommendations, he talked about the Roulette Roll which we decided to give a go the second time around.

PALATE
balanced, delicate, supple
The Sakes came in their traditional clay thermoses keeping them warm, and right in front there were little laminated coasters of taste notes on the back, whoa.. it is like wine/whiskey. One was Yuki Hotaru (Niigata): off-dry, light, refreshing, crisp and floral on the nose. The next one was Kagatobi Gokkan Jaumai (Ishikawa): full-bodied, with delicate flavours of nuts and tropical fruits. Both were lovely and easy to sip on. The Beef Asparagus came, elegantly presented, barbecued and not overwhelming in any particular flavour. Next came out our bowl of Volcano Roll - covered with tempura flakes and dry crispy sticks coming out. As I dug in, the fresh tuna melted in my mouth while the red spicy sauce really heated me up. Last but not least, the Roulette Roll is definitely popular for more than its classy presentation - with a long line of black seaweed soy sauce and lotus root chips crowning the roll. To be honest, neither of us are anything close to scallops enthusiast, but I did not even feel it, it mixed beautifully with the tuna, onion, avocado, and cucumber parts. 

FINISH
pleasant with a long finish
We lingered on, sipping our sake and nibbling on the gorgeously delicious dishes. We sank into this fusion of trendy and traditional from the interior and vibe to our waiter and the dishes. The victim of our great evening was one little clay sake cup, which managed to jump as we built a cup column.. but again it was dealt with graciously and quietly.
A must go-back-to place!  

overall.. a charming Beaujolais Blanc

16.12.11

Ematei

Definitely a Japanese jewel. I mentioned it to my Japanese co-worker and she approved that this one of the few traditional places in Toronto.

APPEARANCE
dark, silky
This place is hidden in St. Patrick's street, so that only if you are looking for it you will find it, after you go slightly under the building in a dark foyer. I once read about Japanese aesthetics, this place is writing in real life.

NOSE
earthy, black cherry
We were quickly greeted by the chefs at the sushi bar and then another man slightly bowled and lead us in. Dark wooden floors, small tables, paper screen separators, quiet, at the end of the restaurant big rooms with screen doors and shoes waiting outside for traditional dining.

SWIRL
complex, hint of rose petals
Waitress was very polite, we were quickly given tea and
small chef's appetizers.
We ordered a warm sake and processed looking through the diverse menu. Even though it used Japanese terms, the begging of every section had a sentence or so explaining what the term means, very considerate and educational.

PALATE
delicate, medium bodied, smooth
We shared a beautiful baked eggplant with soybean sauce appetizer. Next, I had a soba noodle soup, which came with a hot sauce, while mon cheri had an awesome don buri - rice with thinly sliced seasoned beef, onions and a few veggies and a cracked raw egg.. it was unique and very delicious. There was no direct lighting on our table, which added shadows and tones creating this mysterious and intimate experience.

FINISH
complex, long, fruit bouquet
Half way through, we heard the background salsa music, which was rather quick, urgent and to say the least - non-japanese. But overall is was warm and private with a lot more to explore from the menu.

overall.. a delicate fine pinot noir.