Katsura
[?]
416-444-2511
w: http://www.katsurarestaurant.com/
Our restaurant scene is dominated by stand-alone independents, and we’re often snobbish when it comes to hotel restaurants that seem like they are meant for tourists, but some of these happen to be very good, and this is one such place. For over 20 years, executive chef Noriyuki Tanahashi has been turning out stellar sushi, sashimi and teppanyaki. His omakase menus (cheekily labelled Trust Me on the carte) are wonderfully adventurous. A starter of egg custard studded with shiitake, shrimp, scallop and chicken is beyond silky. Sashimi and nigiri are impeccably fresh and presented on decorated leaves like tiny treasures. Crunchy, panko-crusted crab cakes are perfectly greaseless and sweet. Tanahashi has woven his family’s recipes into his menu: buttery baked enoki and shiitake mushroom arrive en papillote, tied up with a bow like a gift. Barbecued unagi (eel) dazzles: it’s torched tableside, then tossed with rice, crunchy rice cracker crumbs and tiny cubes of sweet omelette. Each dish tells a story and sometimes delivers a surprise. For example, a gelatinous wheat cake, unwrapped from a leaf, reveals a sweet molten centre made from a recipe that originated at a centuries-old family business in Kyoto. Everything in the understated, rambling rooms is pretty, from the painting of blossoms and birds to the traditional Japanese music to the lovely servers in pink kimonos. Mains $26–$55.
Description
Category Features
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Vegetarian: Yes
Price Range: Dinner for more than $130
Editor's Star Rating: 2.5
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Chinese, Out of Town, Malaysian, Other Asian, Middle Eastern,