Chako Barbecue & Izakaya is located at 2190 McNicoll Avenue in Scarborough, just west of Midland. Chako's interior is quite tall and modern and well-decorated, with an imposing facade.
The tables appear to be made of granite... it's quite a nice place to be in. Unfortunately for such an upscale place disposable chopsticks are used. Regular and low-sodium soy sauce is present at all tables, and the low sodium was super-fresh and not salty at all. Steak and salmon sushi and some other options are only available on weekend dinners, and I went there on a weekday, so I opted for just the lunch. Lunch is $17.99, $19.99 on weekend. Dinner is $24.99. Tea is $1.25, with free refill of water, AYCD pop is $2.95.
Miso soup was quite nice and smokey, I enjoyed it although there was too much wakame; the bowls are rather small so just order more of them. Green salad has good original dressing, which I think was vinaigrette. Green and red pepper rings were very fresh and a good quality, (i.e. they had no spots on them). For the banchan items, fried tofu was delicious. Kimchi had no odor which was most welcome, and it was quite good (and hot) for kimchi. Pickled radish was excellent and not too sour. Bean sprouts had a very nice flavor which I could not identify.
Pork was deliciously seasoned and an ideal slice thickness, so tasty it was as good as beef! Chicken was also so absolutely gorgeous, savoury with a nice barbecue flavor. The fish (which I verified is basa) is excellent as it is not so thin as other places serve it, so it doesn't burn and stick to the grill. Beef was so amazingly tender, savoury and well-seasoned that it may as well have been steak, so I don't feel I missed out on anything… the beef was definitely top-quality.
Beef short ribs were definitely the best I have ever had; I wish they were all like this! Some fat was adhering though, but I just removed it. Calamari was delicious as when grilled and a good size and thickness so it didn't turn into a rubber ring as I am so used to. Zucchini was delicious when grilled with soy sauce. Steamed rice, although plain, was quite good and not too sticky, and better with some soy sauce added.
For dessert only green tea and mango ice creams are available, but that was enough. However they unfortunately are served with disposable plastic bowls and spoons, but the ice cream was very fresh and had no freezer burn, and I ended up having seconds. I had a very enjoyable lunch at Chako, and it was a better value than some other places considering the quality of the meats, included AYCE vegetables and ice cream even at a lower price. It's quite a good place for a reasonable price.Rating: 8.5-9/10
