August 8 Dim Sum & Sushi - Toronto (Pan-Asian)

We last went to August 8 six August 8ths ago, and were amazed how fast the time had passed, so decided on a revisit. They are still using iPad menus. Ginger is not dyed pink. Soy at table appeared fresh, however it had an odd flavour as if I had just brushed my teeth before eating it. AYCD fountain pop at $3.99 is overpriced. Ambiance was terrible with loud rap/hiphop “music”... why do restaurants do this? Surely everyone can agree on silence.

Mishy said she could not even taste the miso soup, but I had no problem with it; although it was a little mild, it was not dilute. (Perhaps she had forgotten to stir it.) Hot and sour soup was good although could have used a bit more sour.  

Salmon nigiri was very fresh and good, and thankfully the odd flavour of the soy sauce did not stand out with it. Butterfish, red snapper aka tilapia, and red tuna were all very good and very fresh and paired well with the soy sauce.

Popcorn chicken was very good with a mustardy tangy dippy sauce which also went well with the gyoza, which was still very good even without it. Deep fried scallops aka surimi were quite good and also used the same sauce. I didn't mind the beef skewers, but Mishy said that they did not taste like beef and she detested them; I didn't mind them although they weren't what was expected. I preferred the chicken skewers due to the spicing and the fact that they actually tasted like chicken. Chicken teriyaki was good although it had a slightly very slight strange burnt flavour. Pork shiu mai was quite good and also had shrimp in it. Beef teriyaki wasn't bad but didn't have much teriyaki flavour and was a bit chewy; not a good cut. Salmon teriyaki was good and no complaints.

For dessert, there was only fried banana, sesame ball, and three flavours of ice cream. All of the ice cream were excellent, and the mango was absolutely fantastic so better to have quality than quantity. Both of fried banana and sesame balls were good. Weekend lunch was $29.99. This is the usual price point these days and we enjoyed our lunch, but due to the overpriced pop and some shortcomings it wasn’t as highly rated as the first time around.

Rating: 7.5 - 8 / 10

Original review follows: 

August 8 Dim Sum & Sushi is located at 331 Spadina in downtown Toronto, just north of Dundas. Reusable chopsticks are used thankfully. soy sauce was all green-lid, excellent and not salty but savoury. August 8th has nice Decor; Mishy loved the flooring and wainscotting. Full and two-person booths are available. iPad ordering is used. AYCD pop is $2 99. Ginger is not dyed pink.

 

Mishy loved the wakame salad. Miso soup would have been excellent if not so diluted and Mishy agreed. Salad was very fresh and though dressing was similar to Thousand Islands it was enough of a variation (seemed like some wasabi added) that I enjoyed it. Salmon nigiri was excellent with a very fresh, bright flavour and good rice. Hot and sour soup was excellent, with good heat and not too sour. Steak teriyaki (yay!) was excellent, though a bit chewy, with thick juicy savoury pieces. Dim sum beef balls were delicious and Mishy loved them. She said that the beef skewers were a bit burned but I still liked them. She also added that the sweet and sour chicken rolls were amazing and the cheese wontons among the best she had ever had. I agreed they were both very good.

Scallop tempura was excellent, dipping sauce is among the best I ever had. Tempura sauce is lighter than normal but still excellent and with a clear flavour of mirin. Shrimp tempura was excellent, light and flaky. Vegetable tempura was a bit oily but Mishy actually liked it that way. Philadelphia roll was excellent and Mishy agreed. Shrimp and chives dim sum was very good with a strong flavor. Chicken teriyaki was excellent with very good sauce with plenty of flavor. Sweet tofu sushi was excellent. White tuna nigiri was very fresh and good, also red snapper crab surimi and red tuna nigiri similarly very fresh and good. Spicy salmon sushi was excellent, not too hot and fresh with large salmon trunks.

Finally, someone had the proportion size of beef udon soup proper, rather than overdoing it with a huge bowl disproportionate with the other soups; it was delicious and savory broth with wakame sheet strips and was excellent. Mishy said the pumpkin tempura was excellent and it was very good with the sauce. Chicken cutlet/katsu was very good with the sauce not being overpowering.

For dessert, banana tempura was excellent, with a rich chocolate dipping sauce. Sesame balls were very good, with a nicely flavored filling. Mango pudding was excellent, although the coconut not as richly flavored as expected. Dim sum sweet buns (correctly in the dessert options) were the best we've ever had, with an excellent tasty filing. Green tea ice cream was excellent, smooth with a very nice flavor. Vanilla ice cream was a darker french vanilla, and very good. Mishy and I both loved the chocolate's dark, rich and delicious cocoa flavor which was definitely the best I ever had, and mango was also just about perfect, so rich and creamy with such intense flavor.

Weekday lunch at August 8 was $18.99. The only item we didn't like was the watery miso soup, so I advised the headwaitress and she indicated that she would let the chefs know… it may be better now. Although more expensive than usual, August 8 earned the difference as almost everything was very good to excellent and lunch there was memorably good.

Rating: 9/10