Sushi Place

Just as the Happy Panda transformed, or rather failed to, into a new AYCE, so has Sushi Place arisen from the ashes of the former Wasabi Sushi at 1730 Bloor St. W. very close to Keele, and quite accessible to Keele subway station. It is a far more successful transition as well.

The interior is more open and there are no complete booths but still have comfy booth-like seats against the walls. The tableware looks very authentically Japanese, and we liked that the teapot is left on the table so that we didn't have to ask for refills. The chopsticks are also not the disposable type, which is a welcome change: apparently hundreds of hectares of forest are cut down daily to make disposable chopsticks! Another original and memorable touch are the tiny wooden soup spoons; Mishy especially liked them.

She also especially liked the miso soup, and she usually doesn't. I noted that it had a much "brighter" flavours than the more savoury "darker" tastes I prefer. Salad was excellent too. And, this was how we both described the chicken teriyaki sauce, though Mishy had her usual "rubbery" caveat whose meaning still eludes me; I loved it. Tofu teriyaki was likewise wonderfully sauced and, happily, not rubbery.

 

On to the main sushi and other entrees, I tried the deep-fried cheese salmon roll. I liked it well enough but Mishy didn't. I loved the shiitake-avocado roll; perfectly fresh. Both nigiri sushi and sashimi were very fresh and very good. Mishy adored the vegetable spring roll more than any others had with its thick and tasty dipping sauce. General Tao chicken was very good as it wasn't overly/sickly-sweet. Dumplings were very well done and also excellently sauced. Agedashi tofu was good but beware... it's hot! Tofu teriyaki was excellent. Shrimp tempura was perfectly light and flaky. Fried calamari was good. Stir fried butter mushrooms were also good but I found the sauce too sweet, the only and minor letdown in a lineup of otherwise superlative sauces.

Finally we made it to dessert. Sushi Place just has the basics but I'm not much of a dessert person so it was no issue. Mishy said her ice cream was slightly freezer-burnt but mine wasn't. She found the fried bananas awesome and ordered seconds to make up for it.

All in all, we had an excellent dinner especially considering the price of just $19.99 and the service was fast and accurate. I'm very much looking forward to our return!

Rating: 9-9.5/10