Takumi Japanese BBQ is located at 125 Ravel Road in North York, Toronto's central-north borough, at the corner of Leslie and Finch, so is transit-accessible as is on two bus lines. We've already reviewed the other location of this small chain. We went for weekend lunch. Thankfully, reusable chopsticks are present. Diners are also provided with a small strip of beef fat to lubricate the grill so things don't stick to it which is a good idea other places could implement. I ordered tea, but it came with a plastic tea bag unfortunately even though I'd pre-confirmed, so sent it back and ended up with pop. Plastic tea bags are confirmed to put micro/nano-plastic particles into the tea so I refuse to use them. AYCD pop is $2.50.
We both commented immediately on the miso soup which is not like it's done anywhere else... it's darker and has a different flavour; possibly just a different regional style of it? It wasn’t bad, but not as sarvouy and thus not as enjoyable as original miso. Ponzu sauce is available and the only other place I've had it was the other location of this chain; it’s delicious and has a nice tangy citrus flavour, probably lime. Turns out it’s a classic and popular sauce in Japan then goes well with many dishes, but for some reason isn’t used my here. The seasoning mix was very good and as usual heavy on the cumin. Barbecue sauce was delicious with plenty of flavour. Be watchful of the cooking time as the barbecue is actually too good, and can burn the food if not careful.
We both loved the gyoza, which Mishy said was the best ever, and I agree they were among the top I’ve had. They are clearly made on premises rather than being from frozen and were delicious, and the sauce was wonderful. Spicy cabbage slaw was fantastic, especially with the unique sauce and so much so that we end up ordering seconds. Mishy you even ordered seconds on the steamed rice as she loved it so much. Poke bowl was rather plain with a little sauce but at least was made with very fresh vegetables and rice. It is not vegetarian but has some salmon in it.
Marinade beef short rib is a huge piece of meat about a foot long, and was excellent with plenty of flavour. Mishy said all of the meats were fantastic including the pork which she is usually not a big fan of, but she said with the seasoning it had, it was just like beef. Kimchi was alright but had a different flavour and as usual had capsaicin that kicked in after a minute or so and ruined all other flavours for several minutes afterwards. Chicken thighs and breast were excellent. Chicken wings were good, but make sure to cook them long enough. Miso squid is a nice take on calamari and was delicious, and I'm usually not much of a calamari fan. The sushi roll is called fougerite which is an odd name because it is a mineral... they are quite large rolls with a wasabi sauce and were delicious although watch out for the wasabi as it's just plain horseradish so it might make one sneeze.
It was $32.99 for weekend lunch. This is only slightly over the average, not enough to matter. There ere a couple of items with room for improvement, but enough that was excellent that it was still an enjoyable lunch, especially on a cold day!
Rating: 8.5 - 9 / 10 + 0 value adjustment (standard pricing) = 8.5 - 9 / 10
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