2018-02-16

(TEMPORARY?) COVID-19 CLOSURE - Heart Sushi - North York (Japanese)

Update 2021-Aug-28: Heart Sushi is listed as Temporarily Closed on Google Maps and their phone # is not in service even after the lockdown has lifted and dine-in (even buffet) is permitted, so I am removing it from the active list, and will follow up periodically and restore it should it return to AYCE status.

Heart Sushi is located at 1800 Don Mills Road at Sheppard Avenue, in Fairview Mall.  However, it is located on the outside entrance of the mall only and cannot be entered from the interior. Heart Sushi has a very nice interior which is modern and brightly lit.   Free WiFi is present. Chopsticks are non-disposable.   Menus are iPad on a nifty stand which holds the iPad at the correct angle for viewing and selecting, allowing it to be tilted and rotated to face other diners... neat! Ginger is non-dyed green. Soy sauce was a little salty but very fresh.  They have nicely curved diner's plates. AYCD pop is $2.15.   There is quite a large menu available with Korean and dim sum options.

To start out, the miso soup was good but not exemplary, with too much wakame making it somewhat fishy.   Heart Sushi salad unfortunately had just plain Thousand Islands Dressing whereas a establishment of this nature really is expected to have a unique signature dressing, so both were a bit disappointing being the first items. Thankfully things picked up from this.  Dim sum shrimp dumplings were excellent, although the sauce was too hot and spicy for most diners.   Pork dumplings were also excellent and had very good spicing.   Wonton soup was phenomenally good, possibly the best I've ever had; the broth was perfectly spiced without needing excess salt as many others do and had very flavorful wontons.   Hot and sour soup was also excellent and hot, which is good as I accidentally ordered two of them!

Shrimp tempura was very light and flaky in authentic-tasting batter; was very good.   Steak teriyaki was superb in a gravy-like peppercorn sauce.   General Tao chicken in a tasty tart sauce was quite delicious, but was too chewy with a semi-crunchy exterior.   Chicken teriyaki was not crunchy and quite tasty but the sauce was lacking something in bite.   Korean spicy beef was very good in Sriracha based sweetish sauce.   Steamed bun is in a sauce rather like icing and really should be a dessert item.   Salmon nigiri was excellent, very fresh and with good consistency rice, almost perfect. Salmon Rose also excellent and didn't overdo the sauce.   Escolar and tilapia nigiri both excellent and super-fresh exotic additions to the usual varieties. Crab nigiri was definitely real crab meat, so I wonder if the rest I've had elsewhere was knock-off! Spicy salmon sushi was excellent and again quite spicy (must be the Korean influence.) Spicy avocado crispy roll was excellent as I could really taste the fresh, perfectly ripe avocado.

For dessert, mango and cappuccino cake were the same as other places (ie 8 Sushi) so is being ordered from outside, however they also had raspberry; all were very fresh.   Strawberry panna cotta was excellent and unique. Mango mousse was awesome with a strong flavor. Mango, vanilla, red bean, and the unique coconut and cappuccino ice creams were all very fresh and very good.   Unfortunately there is no Interac accepted and this was not mentioned anywhere, neither on the door of the establishment nor the menus or anywhere else.   There is an ATM available with a $1.75 fee.  Service was super-fast... almost all of my items arrived within a few minutes of my initial order leaving my table full, and I am certain they thought I would not finish it all!   Removal was occasionally a bit over-enthusiastic, sometimes removing things that I wanted to keep.   $18.99 is the cost for a weekday lunch, and there is no sneaky service charge; as noted the AYCD pop is extra.   I did have an enjoyable (and large!) lunch at Heart Sushi and would possibly return.
Rating: 8-8.5/10.








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