Sushi Place (Japanese)

Sushi Place is still located at 1723 Bloor St. W. near Keele subway station. Our last review was only a couple of years ago but we got confused as to the date and thought it had been longer. We went for weekend lunch. Ginger is dyed pink. Chopsticks are reusables which is a welcome change. Pop is canned not AYCD for $2, but at least they have Pepsi Zero. Ordering is still old school onto paper templates. Soy sauce dispensers were very cute and looked like blue penguins, but unfortunately what came out of them was very salty and not overly flavourful. 

Green salad was fresh and we both loved the orange-based dressing, which reminded me of places a decade or more ago. Miso soup was good but we both noticed it was diluted. Spring rolls were very good especially with the sauce, Mishy noted that they were very light and flaky, so not oily. Mishy said that the cheese wontons had a burnt flavour, but I did not notice this in mine at least, and they were quite good. Agedashi tofu was very good and I thought the sauce complemented it very well, and it's also a generous portion. Beef udon soup was delicious with a more flavourful darker and savoury broth than most places have, and I enjoyed it more... better than average. Could simply be soy sauce in the broth but whatever it is works.

Vegetarian Philadelphia roll was excellent and we both loved it and didn't miss the salmon. Crab AKA surimi nigiri was very good and fresh and went rather well with the soy sauce, even though it was so salty; of course this was helped by bringing my own wasabi. Surf clam nigiri was also very good and fresh. Red snapper aka tilapia nigiri had a very slight aroma but not enough to matter, and similar for the salmon nigifi. Tobiko nigiri was very fresh and good if you're into that sort of thing. Tamago aka egg nigiri was also quite fresh and good.

Chicken teriyaki was excellent and we loved it, and we both also noticed that the sauce was reminiscent of places a decade or so ago. Gyoza were very good and the added sauce complimented them well.

Lunch dessert was all ice creams. Chocolate was quite good and not freezer-burned. One of my favourites, ginger, was very good and fresh. Red bean was did not have that elusive rare flavour but was still quite good and fresh with no freezer burn, similarly mango and vanilla. Strawberry was excellent. Taro, which I have never had before (other than surprisingly flavourless Melona bars) had a lovely buttery flavour which Mishy confirmed and also loved. Weekend lunch was $29 which is pretty much standard these days. We did have an enjoyable lunch even with the minor shortcomings.

Rating: 8 - 8.5 / 10 + 0 value adjustment (standard pricing) = 8 - 8.5 / 10

Original review below:

We hadn't revisited Sushi Place in five years so went there again just under a year ago (haven't had time to update unfortunately!) It's still pretty much the same interior. Ordering is old school onto paper template menus. Ginger isn't dyed pink. Reusable chopsticks are used thankfully. Veg roll options incl California. Soy at table was salty but very flavorful. $2 can pop, not AYCD, and $2 tea is available.

Miso soup was good but dilute, though we still enjoyed it. Green salad was quite good and fresh with mild citrus house dressing. Cheese wontons were excellent with plum sauce, very crisp and hot cheese so beware. Mishy loved the chicken teriyaki saying it was one of the better that she has had, and she did not describe it as “rubbery” which is rare for her. Spring rolls were similarly excellent, very crisp and not oily at all and with an excellent flavour. Gyoza were very good, especially the sauce, and not oily. Chicken katsu was quite good and again not oily; whoever does the frying here has the technique down very well. Agedashi tofu had a thicker sauce than usual, but it wasn't bad.

Veg California roll had no flying fish roe; it was good and didn't I miss the roe. Deep-fried salmon cheese avocado roll was an interesting variation and we both enjoyed it. Surf clam nigiri was fresh and good. Red snapper aka tilapia nigiri was also fresh and good, as was crab aka surimi. Salmon nigiri very good and fresh.

For dessert, taro ice cream was available though had very mild flavour. Red Bean did not have that elusive flavour and was slightly freezer burned. Mishy correctly noted that the flavours were muted. Chocolate definitely was, though what flavour was there was nice. At least there was ginger, which is our favourite. Weekend lunch was $24.99 (then... may have changed.) This was a good price for a good lunch and other than the minor issues with the dessert was quite enjoyable.

Rating: 7.5 - 8 / 10

Sushi Place

Just as the Happy Panda transformed, or rather failed to, into a new AYCE, so has Sushi Place arisen from the ashes of the former Wasabi Sushi at 1730 Bloor St. W. very close to Keele, and quite accessible to Keele subway station. It is a far more successful transition as well.

The interior is more open and there are no complete booths but still have comfy booth-like seats against the walls. The tableware looks very authentically Japanese, and we liked that the teapot is left on the table so that we didn't have to ask for refills. The chopsticks are also not the disposable type, which is a welcome change: apparently hundreds of hectares of forest are cut down daily to make disposable chopsticks! Another original and memorable touch are the tiny wooden soup spoons; Mishy especially liked them.

She also especially liked the miso soup, and she usually doesn't. I noted that it had a much "brighter" flavours than the more savoury "darker" tastes I prefer. Salad was excellent too. And, this was how we both described the chicken teriyaki sauce, though Mishy had her usual "rubbery" caveat whose meaning still eludes me; I loved it. Tofu teriyaki was likewise wonderfully sauced and, happily, not rubbery.

 

On to the main sushi and other entrees, I tried the deep-fried cheese salmon roll. I liked it well enough but Mishy didn't. I loved the shiitake-avocado roll; perfectly fresh. Both nigiri sushi and sashimi were very fresh and very good. Mishy adored the vegetable spring roll more than any others had with its thick and tasty dipping sauce. General Tao chicken was very good as it wasn't overly/sickly-sweet. Dumplings were very well done and also excellently sauced. Agedashi tofu was good but beware... it's hot! Tofu teriyaki was excellent. Shrimp tempura was perfectly light and flaky. Fried calamari was good. Stir fried butter mushrooms were also good but I found the sauce too sweet, the only and minor letdown in a lineup of otherwise superlative sauces.

Finally we made it to dessert. Sushi Place just has the basics but I'm not much of a dessert person so it was no issue. Mishy said her ice cream was slightly freezer-burnt but mine wasn't. She found the fried bananas awesome and ordered seconds to make up for it.

All in all, we had an excellent dinner especially considering the price of just $19.99 and the service was fast and accurate. I'm very much looking forward to our return!

Rating: 9-9.5/10