Toronto’s Japanese food scene is on fire. If you don’t believe us, just take a peek at Toronto’s recent Michelin Guide selections and you’ll see not one but five restaurants specializing in Japanese cuisine that made the list. Not to be outdone, an impressive crop of Japanese restaurants are combining a mish-mash of cuisines to tantalize us with bountiful flavour combinations that fit surprisingly beautifully together.
AP
Late last year, celebrated Montreal chef and television personality Antonio Park treated Toronto to the opening of his namesake restaurant AP. Housed atop the Manulife Centre with breathtaking views of the Toronto skyline, the restaurant delves into the under explored realms ofLatin-influenced Japanese and pan-Asian cuisine, with some Canadian flavours sprinkled in too. Park, who was born in Argentina to Korean parents and moved to Paraguay and Brazil before settling in Canada, has taken the lead in spearheading the menu and sourcing many of the high-quality ingredients showcased in each dish, including much of the fish, which comes from Canada’s east coast. Park’s menu has been refined to give it a Toronto sensibility. “I wanted to do something that speaks my heart, and my heart said to respect the Japanese technique and culture and history of the country. For example, we use fresh wasabi, brew our own soya sauce and rice vinegar,” he says. “Everything is done by the book, and then I twist it to my world, which is Argentinian, Paraguayan and Brazilian.” The South American influence is in full effect from the cold start, which sees dishes like the Park ’Slaw moulding the bold flavours of mango and papaya with the subtleness of Japanese daikon and plum dressing. Typically served with chicken, the spicy and tangy green sauce aji verde has made its way onto many dishes, including the shrimp tempura and crab croquette. Even the cocktails have been remixed: check out the Kanzen martini made with the addition of Toki whisky. 51st Floor, 55 Bloor St. W.
Chotto Matte
At Chotto Matte, a busy and bustling restaurant in the Financial District, Nikkei cuisine is on offer. Simply put, nikkei is a combination of Peruvian ingredients and Japanese techniques that revolutionized the South American country more than 100 years ago. According to chef Mitsuharu Tsumura, a Peruvian chef and a pioneer of nikkei cuisine, Japanese immi-grants showed Peruvians how to drizzle lime juice on top of raw fish before serving it, and voila! Ceviche was born. Another notable trailblazer in the nikkei movement is Nobu Matsuhisa, who began using elements of the fusion cuisine in the 1980s and created one of the most recognized Japanese restaurants in the world. Back at Chotto Matte, executive chef Jordan Sclare — a purveyor of Asian cuisine — showcases a menu with a deep appreciation of fresh produce and intense flavours, where guests can taste the smoky magic of the dishes cooked on the robata grill. Standout dishes include the chuleta de cordero ahumada, a marinated and smoked lamb chop in a Peruvian chili miso, and the wagyu strip loin in a truffle teriyaki sauce. Priced at $185 per person, the à la carte nikkei deluxe menu includes sashimi and maki, black cod aji miso, grilled octopus and, to end the feast, a dessert platter that can only be described as deliciously decadent. 161 Bay St.
Azabu
At hip Markham eatery Azabu, guests will experience an inventive riff on elevated Japanese cuisine that features an abundance of Korean, French and Italian flavours. Menu items, like the yuzu tomato caprese salad, have received an update via a Japanese-inspired twist: the addition of tart yuzu adds an aromatic fragrance and brings a zesty flavour to the dish, while traditional Italian ingredients, like bocconcini cheese and fresh cherry tomatoes, still play a central role. Popular izakaya dish mentaiko udon combines the delicious seafood flavours of Japan with the decadent creaminess of Italian pasta dishes. Made with udon, cream sauce broth, seaweed cream and spicy mentai, it’s then topped with roasted seaweed for a savory almost bacon-like flavour (carbonara, anyone?). Also on the menu is the French classic steak tartare alongside oven-baked welk — a snail commonly found in seafood platters at brasseries in France (where it’s known as bourgot). Executive chef and owner Tae-Shik Kim brings the best of eastern and western flavours to Azabu, thanks to his stints working in top restaurants in Japan, Korea and Canada.
5 Glen Cameron Rd., Markham