Restaurants › Japanese
Kaiseki - Sakura [?]
- 556 Church St. (at Wellesley St. E.) • View on map »
- 416-923-1010
- http://www.kaisekisakura.com/
As Matt Dusk croons from the speakers, 20-somethings sip saketinis at the cheerfully lit bar—this is not your average setting for traditional kaiseki, but it matches owner-chef Daisuke Izutsu’s modern approach to the ancient cuisine. Omakase is the way to go, letting Izutsu assemble five, six or seven courses ($80, $100 or $120) from Japanese ingredients, paired with shochu, fine sake and original cocktails (for an extra $35, $40 or $45). Harmonies are pitch perfect: for instance, dashi-poached botan shrimp arrive atop dense sesame tofu with grilled turnip and juicy mizuna greens in a gelatinous dashi broth. The house specialty is a more western dish: quivering beef tongue slow-cooked for a week in vegetable and miso stocks is served with slices of baguette. (Truth be told, it’s an acquired taste.) Well-informed young servers explain every dish with easygoing charm. The extensive sake list has everything from unfiltered to sparkling. Small plates $6–$10.
- Closed Tuesday
- Vegetarian
556 Church St. (at Wellesley St. E.)
Top Restaurant Stories
Best New Restaurants: Runners Up
Toronto Life's much-anticipated list of the city’s 10 best new restaurants is on newsstands now. To whet appetites, James Chatto picks numbers 11 to 15
Weekly Lunch Pick: Lee
Lee opens its doors for lunch, offering Susur Lee’s vaunted Asian fusion cuisine at midday
Super-Size Me
Mind your manners: massive sharing platters are back





















Follow Toronto Life on Twitter, Facebook and via RSS