One of Montreal’s most popular sushi joints is coming to Toronto. Like Boustan, Sushi Sama opened several eateries in Quebec and in the Ottawa area before finally taking the Toronto plunge.
Henry Liu is at the helm of the North York outpost, relocating from Montreal to Toronto to oversee the expansion. A big part of that is ensuring that Toronto’s location gets the same high-quality sushi that Montrealers came to love. “Currently everything stays the same as the Montreal locations, Liu says. “You can expect countless rolls, and each one has a personality of its own with thoughtful flavours.”
Sushi Sama’s menu includes maki and futomaki (larger rolls) in flavours like Exotic Veggie (comprised of Japanese market vegetables) and the Cali L.A., made with crab sticks, avocado, lettuce and light mayonnaise.
Chef’s specialties include the Tiger Eyes, which is built with a smoked salmon exterior and an interior with a fried Tilapia tempura, masago, avocado, lettuce and carrot, that is then served with spicy mayo and sesame sauce. The Erotica, another specialty, is made of salmon tartare, tobiko, oshinko, spicy mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce. All of that is then served on a fried shrimp roll.
Sushi Sama also serves poke bowls to round out a menu full of options that are unique to the restaurant. Options also include rolls made out of soya paper and rice leaf, and even maki rolls crafted with tartare. Appetizers, desserts and plates that see the chef select a combination of rolls round out the menu.
As for expansion, it’s already on Liu’s mind. “Definitely, there will be more locations in the GTA,” he says, though there is no direct timeline or plan yet. For now, Sushi Sama fans and sushi lovers can head to 1763 Avenue Road to sample some of the restaurant’s unique, personality-filled rolls.