Restaurants › Japanese
Ta Ke Sushi
- 22 Front St. W. (at Yonge) • View on map »
- 416-862-1891
- http://www.takesushi.ca/
It’s worth a visit to this Financial District sushi spot, even if the 28-year-old room is looking its age: aqua-blue walls, worn carpeting, mirrored pillars and rickety bamboo accents make it feel like a Trader Vic’s turned mid-nineties spa. Brutally uncomfortable chairs add injury to this aesthetic insult, but thankfully, all such affronts are easily erased by chef Susumu Wada’s inspired creations. An enormous menu offers sushi, sashimi, maki and noodles, but the omakase is a smart choice. On our visit, the two-hour experience brings 11 courses of subtleties and soaring heights, with a few minor pitfalls. A starter platter offering eight textures and tastes includes succulent barbecue duck, nimono-style lotus root simmered in dashi, and sweet barbecue eel wrapped in egg. Osumashi soup holds a perfect, delicate pink dumpling bursting with shrimp flavour. For sashimi, squid is sliced into delicate faux-soba noodles and draped over aromatic shiitake, oyster and enoki mushrooms with a dab of fresh ginger. A decadently unctuous cut of coveted bluefin toro served with shiso is so delicious it garners giggles. Western-style maki made of shaved beef strip loin wrapped around asparagus and haddock and then grilled proves tasty in a teriyaki sauce. Steamed agemono monkfish with vegetables such as fiddleheads and bamboo shoots is pure comfort. Sushi includes buttery uni (urchin) and thin-sliced mirugai (clam) with savoury shiso-ume plum paste. Dessert disappoints with an overly gelatinous strawberry-sake mousse on out-of-season berries. Graceful and knowledgable servers. Over a dozen sakes include lush, starchy Kubota Senju and bright, fruity Onigoroshi. Mains $20–$35.
22 Front St. W. (at Yonge)
Latest posts from Toronto Life's style news feed.
- Toronto-born Tanya Taylor debuts at NYFW with a sense of whimsy and some killer prints (17 hours ago)
- Like Joe Fresh? Like Hunger Games? Now you can have both (no murder involved) (17 hours ago)
- POLL: White carpet style, Rachel McAdams edition (1 day ago)
- Introducing: CB2, a middle finger to all surrounding furniture shops on Queen West (also, it used to be the Big Bop) (3 days ago)
- The Find: smelly jeans (seriously, they smell, and you’ll like it) (3 days ago)
Follow Toronto Life on Twitter, Facebook and via RSS