Osaka Sushi

We hadn’t been to Osaka in several years, and our other lunch plans fell through, so as we were in the area it was time for a revisit. Reusable chopsticks are available which is appreciated. $2.49 AYCD pop is available. Soy sauce at table was flavorful, but rather salty, although it was not green-lid... at least it was fresh. We noted that ginger and wasabi was not delivered with the order, but must be requested separately. Ginger is delivered in a good portion and is not dyed pink. There is a 2-hour dining limit.

Miso soup we both noted would have been excellent but it was slightly watered down; was still very good and savoury. Garden salad was quite fresh, although the Thousand Islands-style dressing was rather muted, but it was still tasty. Mishy really liked the seaweed salad, saying that finally one was not too sweet. Spring rolls were quite good and not too oily, and I liked the sauce. Breaded shrimps were equivalently good, also not oily at all and served with the same sauce. Chicken dumplings aka gyoza were excellent, not oily, and served hot and delicious. Chicken nuggets were very good and I enjoyed them even though the sauce was mostly ketchup.

Striploin steak was slightly tough but still fantastic as it was a pretty good cut of meat and was well-seasoned and served hot. It was pretty much worth the price of the meal. Chicken teriyaki was done to perfection crisp on the outside tender on the inside with a really good sauce and makes you finally said not rubbery. Steak teriyaki was also excellent and we really appreciated this and the beef strip loin being on lunch menu. Chicken karage was excellent especially with its included slice of lemon; there was just enough breading on it and the seasoning was excellent.

Salmon nigiri was fresh, thickly cut and very good. Spicy salmon sushi was otherwise very tasty but unfortunately had that annoying persistent heat that I detest; Mishy didn’t mind it so I write it off as a personal preference. Red snapper nigiri was almost perfectly fresh as well, but was still good and also thickly cut although it was probably tilapia. White tuna nigiri was probably escolar and was also fresh enough, although it had a faint aroma. Surf clam nigiri was very fresh and good. Tofu sushi skin had just the right sweetness and was delicious. Philadelphia roll was among the best I've had; a very good blend of flavours.

For dessert, Mishy loved the fried milk with its side chocolate sauce. Shot glass custard cream is original, delicious and not overly sweet. Mango and blueberry yogurt were excellent but unfortunately the strawberry never arrived. Chocolate mousse was excellent with bitter and rich chocolate notes, although not under-sweetened, and the two flavours balanced well. Shot glass tiramisu was very good. And in the middle of dessert, my hash brown finally arrived... I still managed to enjoy it. Green tea ice cream was excellent very fresh and full of rich green tea flavours. Red bean ice cream was very good, very fresh and did have a little of that elusive flavour that many are missing. Fried banana was very good in the chocolate sauce. Mango ice cream was fantastic as with the others very fresh and had a wonderful mango flavour. Vanilla ice cream was also very tasty and very fresh.

Weekend lunch was $31. Note that a 13% tip is included in the bill. As well as the strawberry yogurt. we also had a couple of other missing items such as the sushi pizza and late-arrival hash brown; this should not happen with a digital ordering system. However everything that did arrive was enjoyable, nothing was too far below par and a few things were quite above it; we both enjoyed out lunch very much and the price is pretty much the norm these days so we may return.

Rating: 8 - 8.5 / 10

Original review follows:

Update 2015-Mar-17: Price for weekend lunch on return was $14.99 so dropping by half a point, and it was the curried chicken we didn't like, not the shrimp tempura (we'd mistakenly ordered breaded which is why the "tempura" batter was off!)

Update 2018-Jan-20 Itamae is now known as Osaka Sushi.

Osaka Sushi can be found at 747 Don Mills Road, which is south of Eglinton in the Flemingdon Park plaza, accessible from the Don Mills bus from both Pape and Don Mills stations, or the Flemingdon Park bus. It seems to be rather new so when Mishy and I passed it a while ago we were determined to stop it at any opportunity when we happened to be in the area. It's quite large inside with seats and booths surrounding a central area; we had a unique comfy semicircular booth which was just about the best possible seating arrangement as we usually sit beside rather than across from each other. And "best possible" is applicable to just about everything else, with one small exception.

Osaka uses iPad menus which we've encountered before (at Spring Rolls.) They are a welcome improvement as they ensure that the order is understood by the server, prevent items from being missed and also show the diner what the food looks like. Osaka's soy sauce is in nice decorative pouring containers and was deliciously unsalty. Chopsticks are quality and non-disposable, which is good (as noted on the Sushi Place review a lot of forest is wasted on disposable ones.) The large and decorative stainless-steel tea carafe was left on the table for us which is a nice touch so that we don't run dry and have to bother the waiters for more; it kept the (excellent) tea hot throughout the duration. Even the pickled ginger was noticeably above-average.

Salmon nigiri sushi was "awesome" as Mishy put it, and she doesn't hand out praise this strong about her favorite dish easily. Avocado, salmon and smoked salmon rolls were also perfect. Miso soup seemed at first to be a flavorless letdown... until it was stirred and suddenly became excellent. Salad was fresh and crisp but dressing a bit bland. Chicken teriyaki was awesome and skewers very good as well. Beef teriyaki and dumplings were both good. Hot and sour soup wasn't sour but deliciously savoury and a worthwhile reorder. Osaka also has a nice selection of desserts with multiple flavours of ice cream, mousse and cake... we tried most of them and Mishy and I both enjoyed them all... OK, Mishy didn't like the mango mouse but I loved it.
Everything was better-than average or excellent with one exception: the curried chicken had an almost inedible flavour that disagreed with us, almost like soap, and it was difficult to finish. But it balanced out on return when we tried the breaded chicken, which Mishy dropped the expletive "awesome" for yet again.

We went for weekend lunch which was $14.99. This is high-end pricewise but it was worth it. Service was excellent and fast and Mishy, who has waned on AYCEs as of late, thought it was wonderful. This is a place we will (did!) definitely go out of our way or make a special trip to enjoy again soon.

Rating: 8.5/10