Akita Sushi - Bradford (Japanese)

Akita Sushi is located at 456 Holland St. W. in Bradford, the municipality about 45 km north of Toronto's midline. There's another Akita in Woodbridge we've reviewed, but I don't know if this one is related. It may or may not be transit-accessible because it's about a 40 minute walk from the Bradford GO station. It took us a while to do it not only due to this inaccessibility, but also because it has a low rating on Google Maps. As we’ve found other places that seem to be underrated possibly due to competitors posting low ratings, we finally decided to give this one a try and went for weekend lunch. iPad menus are used. AYCD pop is available for $1.99, although there was only Pepsi products but I'm not complaining. Akita has a bright contemporary modern interior with not too loud music, all booth seating. Unfortunately, disposable chopsticks are used so we brought her own as always. Soy sauce at table was very good, flavourful, strong, fresh and not salty... the first flavour of the meal was already off to a good start.

Miso soup was only slightly diluted and not bad at all, with enough savour and the flavour was good. Mishy did not like that the cheese wontons did not have any sauce, although they were still pretty good and had enough cheese. Green salad had a creamy house dressing with flavour of cucumber and it was good, although not superlatively so but definitely not bad.

Tofu sushi was larger than usual but still quite good, a rectangle rather than the usual triangle. Philadelphia roll was very good to excellent with big chunks of cream cheese. Mishy liked the salmon nigiri and it did not fall apart... all sushi had good rice consistency. The white tuna nigiri was very good and fresh as was the red snapper and crab surimi. Spicy salmon sushi was quite good and not made with off salmon.

Deep-fried scallop, probably surimi, was quite good with a small dollop of sauce on the top. Vegetable teriyaki was very good to excellent with a delicious savoury and not-too-salty sauce. Chicken and beef teriyaki were both very good with a very nice sauce and not rubbery. The beef wasn't the best cut, but it was still delicious with the sauce. I didn't like the lemon chicken as it had an odd flavour I wasn't big on... first thing I did not like. The General Tso chicken was much better. Mishy said the beef broccoli was excellent and I enjoyed it very much too.

Beware the vegetable fried rice portion size, as it is too large; it was piled quite high. Mishy also indicated that it was rather oily and tasted a little bit  burnt... I didn't mind it thought. Chicken nuggets were good, although it’s unknown if it is made off-premises so hard to get it wrong if it is. Chicken skewers were quite good and well-seasoned, and not dried out at all. Chicken wings also were not dried out and quite good.

Tempura dipping sauce was only slightly dilute and was very good. Deep-fried tofu is another oversized portion, with four large pieces that really should be just two... at least it was good. Shrimp tempura, while not light and flaky, was at least not oily and was also quite good with the sauce. Deep fried dumpling aka gyoza were quite good and had a nice oniony flavour. Spring rolls were quite good and not dried out or oily.

For dessert, there are six flavours of ice cream and fried banana, although I was only able to have three flavours as I was full. Mishy enjoyed the fried banana although indicated it could have used a little more chocolate sauce. Green tea, vanilla and mango ice creams were all good and not freezer burned. It was $26 for weekend lunch and this is a good value these days for an enjoyable lunch in no way deserving of a low rating. As one other place we’ve found like this was also in a smaller town where one knows who the competition is, this adds credence to the idea that the rating is being purposely biased downwards. This is one of the reasons I liked having this blog as a reliable, impartial source.

Rating: 7.5 - 8 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 8 - 8.5 / 10

Ka Chi Hello Cupbop (Korean)

Ka Chi Hello Cupbop is in Toronto's core at 414 Dundas St. W., a block east of Spadina. It recently started serving a Wednesday all-day buffet, at quite a discount. Ka Chi has a bright modern interior. Reusable metal chopsticks are provided which is and are excellent. There is even free wi-fi.

Miso soup had sat in the pot for a while but was surprisingly rich and savoury; it's easy to miss at the back in a tureen. Kimchi wasn't bad, a bit stale but thankfully the heat wasn't excessive. Bean sprouts were surprisingly fresh. Mishy loved the japchae glass noodles; I also enjoyed them as they were quite well-seasoned. Fried noodles were delicious and with a nice savour. Snow peas with shrimps very good and mildly flavourful. Fried rice was good, also with a mild but noticeable savour. Stir fried eggplant was not only good, it was among the better eggplant I've ever had as I'm usually not a fan, but the beef gravy flavour for this really made it.

Mishy noted that the lemon chicken was dried out a bit but still good, and I agree it was quite tasty though a little bit chewy. Stir-fried mushrooms with beef were delicious. Tuna and beef kimbap (sushi maki rolls) were both very good although the soy provided was a little salty but no complaints. Beef gyoza were delicious, comparable to Japanese places.

Tteokbokki, a Korean streetfood I haven't had before, had some heat but at least it wasn't too painful or persistent. It had an interesting flavour reminiscent of alcohol. Pork bulgogi was delicious. Kimchi rice also had some heat to it so I only had a small amount but it was quite good. Ginger beef also was a little dry but not bad at all. Sweet and sour pork was delicious with an apple-flavoured sauce. Seafood pancake was flavourful and more enjoyable than I thought one would be.

Mapo tofu was very good and not excessively hot. Beef bulgogi was delicious, a tiny bit dry but not enough to matter. Spicy pork bone wasn't bad and at least it didn't have a gamey flavour. Spring rolls were actually quite good and well seasoned. Dongpo pork belly did have the gamey flavour, and would have been much better made into bacon.. Much of the gaminess was in the fat so taking off the top layer of it helped. Scrambled tomato was scrambled eggs with tomato slice sections, which was like scrambled eggs with ketchup and was quite good, better than I expected. Broccoli was quite good and also with a mild savour; I think that the sauce is used for many dishes. Stir-fried beef with garlic shoots were well seasoned and savoury.

For dessert, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice creams were rock-hard but surprisingly not freezer burned; I think they are kept too cold on purpose to reduce portion size. They were all quite good once they were given a chance to defrost a little and become soft enough to eat. The all-day price, even for dinner, is only $18.99 and it’s $15.99 if paying in cash. This is a fantastic price; the offerings were quite good with only minor shortcomings and only one dish I wasn’t big on. I’ll definitely be adjusting up for value!

Rating: 7.5 / 10 + 3 value adjustment = 10.5 / 10 = 10 / 10

Jongro Korean BBQ Buffet

Jongro Korean BBQ Buffet is newly opened at 754 Yonge St. just south of Bloor, about as central Toronto and transit-accessible as possible. If this seems familiar, for a long time it was a Korean Grill House, so it makes sense it converted to another BBQ place avoiding the expense of building all those BBQ tables with gas fittings. We went for weekend lunch. Note that there are no seasonings (yet?) at the tables such as soy-based sauce or shakeable cumin-based barbecue seasoning. However check the salad bar and there are sauces there. Even though there is an online menu accessed via a QR code it is read-only, and the barbecue orders are placed through the waitstaff. There are included drinks and when we were there it was lemonade and orange juice from dispensers, coffee, and three available flavours of tea bags. The lemonade was excellent and very strong. Unfortunately, disposable chopsticks are used so we brought our own as always.

From the buffet, cream of mushroom soup was a bit too sweet for my taste, thick and didn't have much mushroom flavour but wasn’t bad. Chili shrimps for at least not overly hot which was a welcome relief... they did have some sweetness in which I don't like. Thankfully also the crispy chicken wings were not excessively hot, which I found at some other Korean places. Beef and radish soup was delicious and had a slight peanut flavour but I enjoyed it and it wasn't overly spicy. Egg fried rice was very good. Spaghetti arabiata was rather plain, just spaghetti and tomato sauce; perhaps it was supposed to be marinara but it wasn't bad.

Kimchi had a tiny bit of the horrid spice that burns my mouth for many minutes, but thankfully only a tiny bit, and I’m appreciative that this place got it right unlike the last one. There is a mixed tempura basket with onion rings, yam tempura, fries and even kale tempura and all of them were quite good. There is a make-your-own udon station where udon noodles are in little bowls and the diner adds broth to the left of it and then nori, garlic and green onions to taste. The result was excellent as the broth is very flavourful.

Steamed beef and steamed pork in wooden containers was rather plain as could be expected perhaps there was a sauce I was supposed to use but I still enjoyed them. Jokbal which is aged pig trotters was not one of my favourites, and I don't think I'd have it again... It has a gamey, odd flavour. I guess it's something you have to grow up with. Japchae glass noodles we both enjoyed and the seasoning was good.

From the barbecue, Mishy was very impressed from the meat. I really enjoyed the sausage and it was better than most other places; although a touch salty it was delicious. As noted above make sure to check the salad bar for sauces as they are not present at the table. For this reason, the soy beef offerings were preferable as at least they have something pre-added. We both loved the corn cheese. Yet again Mishy was nervous about the finger beef thinking they were made with cow fingers and I had to explain that cows don't have any, similarly to chicken fingers. I was delicious with the salad bar sauce.

For dessert, Mishy didn't like the ice cream and said it was watery, but really this was just because it was soft serve so it melted easily. It was very creamy and I had a second even though it was just vanilla. Just beside there is a toaster with bread in the mixed pastries area, and there is strawberry jam that can be put on the ice cream. We also adored the apple fritter with a honeycomb pattern. It’s $32 for weekend lunch and this is quite good these days factoring in the included beverages. Other than the Jokbal, it was quite an enjoyable lunch.

Rating: 8 - 8.5 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 8.5 – 9 / 10

Nobu (Japanese/Western)

Nobu is located at 25 Mercer St. In Toronto's core, just n. of the CN tower. It offers weekend brunch, recently expanded from Sunday-only. It's a high-end place so brunch is $110, the most expensive AYCE we've ever been to by almost a factor of two. But it was Mishy's birthday, which justified the cost. Unlike most Japanese/sushi restaurants, this is a walk-up buffet rather than sit-down made-to-order, which at this price point needs to be well-timed to avoid even a hint of spoilage. There is also a carvery station. Unfortunately pop is $5, not AYCD, which on top of this cost is a bit much. Really, for just pop it should be included! The cocktails are also expensive with the “special” pricing for accompaniments being up to $24 and even mocktails are $18. As would be expected, the ginger is not dyed pink, the wasabi is real wasabi probably ground fresh on premises, but the soy sauce was salty and seemed stale. I've had better at almost all of the places I’ve been to. Low-sodium soy sauce is available on request and it was somewhat better, but still not as enjoyable as even basic AYCEs have, and interfered with the sushi rather than complementing it.

Mishy absolutely loved the field green salad indicating it had authentic Japanese flavour. I also loved it because of the dressing, which I failed to note the spelling of but I’m pretty sure it’s “Matsuhisa” dressing... turns out Matsuhisa Nobu is the founder of the chain and this is a signature soy-onion dressing. Mishy also loved the Greek salad; I agree it was excellent and a “Village” Greek also with onions and of course no lettuce. Mishy also praised the prime rib which was very tender and moist and she loved the flavouring of it, though although that turned out to be mostly black pepper, possibly with a taste of some other variety of peppercorns... sometimes just black pepper is enough as it’s quite versatile. There is nearby wasabi pepper gravy which was almost excellent and went together well, but like the soy sauce had the misfortune of being salty. Spicy cucumber salad was better than expected but unfortunately the heat is a little persistent. Roast potato medley is tiny new potatoes and were delicious. Unfortunately I didn't care for the lobster miso soup; regardless of it being a known variant, I don't find that the two flavours get along very well, and it was missing something in the savour and bite of the actual miso paste; it seems to be more a home-cooking thing to get rid of leftover lobster pieces and I haven’t encountered it in restaurants. Miso mashed potatoes worked better as the miso added a creaminess and warmth to the flavour.

Being brunch there are breakfast things such as scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages. The bacon was oily but nicely flavoured, not salty, and with a hint of maple. The chicken sausages were absolutely the best I've ever had with excellent seasoning. Unfortunately the pork sausages had a gamey pork flavour, although maybe that's the way they're supposed to be but I still didn't enjoy it.

Chicken kushiyaki with yuzo kosho and ginger garlic yakitori were delicious although the flavour was a bit muted, but Mishy loved them so I will give full marks; they included fire-roasted red pepper spacers which were a nice complement. Unfortunately I missed trying the nearby sauce for them. Roasted heirloom carrots with maple ponzu butter we both loved. Tater tots? Yes, and they were quite good. Roast brussels sprouts were mostly quite good although areas were a bit over-roasted and burnt. White fish ceviche with tamarind dressing was quite good in that it contained contrasting flavours and textures which got along quite well; it had a nice tart flavour.

Red tuna nigiri was fantastic as would be expected. It had some fattiness and appeared to be midway between chutoro and akami. Salmon nigiri was also fantastic. I could tell the difference between this and other places so the extra expense seems to be somewhat worth it, although again I was not impressed with the soy sauce as the salt overpowered a lot of the flavour. Yellowtail nigiri is accurately labelled and was the equivalent of red snapper and was excellent. The nigiri have a tiny dollop of salsa or onion mince on top. Whatever they do, it had no fish odour and a very pleasant aroma as well as being very tasty. I ended up having three plates of sushi as I enjoyed it so much, especially with that seemingly-real wasabi. Mishy was less fortunate in her findings and described the sushi offerings as “mediocre” and that suggested Nobu was just getting rid of à la carte fish that didn’t sell.

For dessert, Mishy absolutely adored the blood orange crème brûlée and even the looks of it told me it was worth the praise. I tried it and it was an unusual flavour combination but worked well, which was not always the case. Unfortunately, she then said the pistachio tart was dried out. They are tiny so are prone to it if they are not refreshed regularly. She thought that the the lime and shiso cheesecake was heavenly. I didn't find it that good but I did enjoy though it had an odd aftertaste, probably the shiso. So did the matcha gelato which I didn't enjoy as much as I thought it would, as the flavour was too far down on the spectrum and reminded me of wakami or nori, which is not a good flavour for ice cream. I’ve enjoyed matcha many times and it was never like this. The bean bun with red bean filling (didn’t note the exact name) had this bizarre powder on it which actually tasted like algae; once one gets past this the filling was pretty good but not before.

The Thai tea panna cotta was excellent, finally, a good flavour combination which made it exceedingly creamy. The vanilla gelato was also very good, specially with the crumbled cookie and lotus biscoff toppings. Matcha tart was the same matcha as the gelato but it worked better in this. Cheese tart was the best of the bunch. Cake with chocolate ganache was good. There was chocolate bread pudding with a strange miso sauce, and Mishy didn't like it. I don't know about the sauce being with miso either, as it is not a dessert flavour.

 

I am dreading this final part of the review, the rating, as it’s not going to go over well with some readers, but I have an algorithm I’ve developed over a dozen years and I need to stick to it. Although there were some superlatives especially the sushi/nigiri, there were enough significant shortcomings to pull the food down to 6.5 on its own. I appreciate that there’s a genuine attempt to be creative and original, but it has to work. However, it gets much worse: Nobu is around $40-50 too expensive given the offerings and $5 no-refill pop, with the exception of the genuine wasabi (which I also include with the sushi/nigiri, and ate about $1 worth) and other than it, none of the ingredients at least that I could determine seem necessary to custom import or cultivate at expense. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt and make it $40. There were no beef dishes other than the tiny pieces of prime rib, ie no beef teriyaki. There was no sashimi, which can be had for roughly a third this cost elsewhere and at passably or better quality. Unfortunately this leaves Nobu with no points at all after factoring in value, an unfortunate first which I hope to not repeat. At least the service was excellent.

Rating: 6.5 / 10 - 8 value adjustment = -1.5 / 10 = 0 / 10