A long weekend in Toronto meant I had plenty of time for a sushi fix. There were two places I was trying to decide between. After some contemplating, I decided to go to Chef Yasuhisa Ouchi’s restaurant, Yasu. Opening back in May of 2014, Yasu is the traditional sushi restaurant Toronoto’s been waiting for.
Dinner at Yasu
Reservations are available up to 30 days in advance. With 12 seats at the sushi bar and only three seatings per night, reservations are highly recommended and can easily be made on their website. I was able to make a reservation for 7:45pm. The other two seatings are at 5:00pm and 9:30pm.
Sushi Bar
Yasu focuses on simplicity. Classic methods are used to bring out the true flavors of the freshly sliced fish. The omakase consists of 18 pieces of edomae sushi and dessert. It’s a great value at $80.
Place Setting
Chopsticks
I took the corner seat at the long white sushi counter. I enjoyed a couple glasses of a crisp mild sake throughout the omakase. They also have a sake pairing available as well.
Sake
After a few moments of getting everything ready, the chef was ready to begin the sushi tasting. You have a nice clear view of all the action.
Sushi Chef
It all began with a tender piece of king crab from Nova Scotia topped with liver. It was sweet and delicious.
King Crab with Liver
Japanese Red Snapper
The scallop from Hokkaido was great.
Scallop
They took a moment to explain and show us the next fish on a tablet. It was a seasonal fish straight from Japan.
Explaining the next piece
The piece of striped jack was amazing. It was so soft and tender, like butter. It was one of my favorite pieces of the night.
Striped Jack
Negitoro
I found the rice to be slightly warm and a bit loose, it was just right. Each one had the perfect amount of soy sauce brushed onto it. It was consistent throughout the entire omakase.
Amberjack
I was pretty excited watching the chef delicately prepare the beautiful pieces of uni.
Preparing the Uni
Uni from Vancouver
While everybody was given shrimp for their next piece, I was served fluke fin that was torched and topped with grated radish. It was mild with a slightly charred flavor.
Fluke Fin
A trio of tuna was presented next. From left to right, it was the fattiest of the cuts otoro, followed by medium fatty tuna, chutoro, then the leanest of the bunch with its deep red color was a blufin tuna from Nova Scotia. They were all great, but I loved the chutoro.
Tuna Flight
A nice pile of ikura on top of rice was served on a tasty crisp piece of seaweed next.
Ikura
Fluke
One of the more interesting pieces of the omakase was the monkfish liver (ankimo) from Boston topped with shiso leaf and grated radish. Great texture and taste. The shiso leaf was not overpowering.
Monkfish Liver
The Norwegian mackerel was another favorite. It was topped with scallions and a very thin slice of ginger. Yum.
Norwegian Mackerel
Hay-Smoked Bonito
Eel
The omakase concluded with a piece of tamago. It was more dense than others I’ve had, but very good.
Tamago
Dessert was a small scoop of black sesame ice cream. I’m a big fan of black sesame. It has a nice nutty flavor. It tastes very much like peanut butter.
Black Sesame Ice Cream
The omakase at Yasu was fantastic. The pace was just right. There were at least three favorite pieces of the night. The service was great and the chef explained every piece he served. The sushi bar was intimate and comfortable. Every piece of nigiri simply showcased the flavors of the fish. I really enjoyed it. Not to mention, it was a very reasonable price.
Yasu
81 Harbord Street
Toronto, ON M5S 1G4, Canada
(416) 477-2361
Website
