After a long year of waiting for pandemic restrictions to ease, Oji Seichi finally had its soft opening on Broadview Ave. last weekend. Located at 354 Broadview Ave. in East Chinatown, the restaurant will offer the community a new gathering spot for delicious, high-quality ramen, noodles, and sandwiches.
One of the three owners of the restaurant, Mitch Bates, was inspired by his wife Caitlin Harrison’s Japanese-Canadian heritage and the delicious mish-mash of dishes they feasted on at family dinners such as shoyu wieners, sushi and tempura fries. Bates and the other owners Shawn and Wilson hope to recreate these sumptuous experiences for their guests and share the delights of quality, ingredients-based meals with the east-end community.
Prior to opening Oji Seichi, Bates was the lead chef at the Michelin-starred Momofuku Ko in New York as well as Momofuku Shoto and Grey Gardens in Toronto, and had spent years developing his skills as a noodle aficionado. As a result, Oji Seichi is meticulous when it comes to sourcing ingredients, and all the noodles are made in-house using the Midori—a noodle machine shipped all the way from Japan.
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On the menu, there are four different types of ramen dishes as well as snacks and sandys like the chicken katsu sandy with panko fried chicken, pickled daikon, shredded cabbage and mayo. Guests can also buy packages of the hand-made noodles to make at home.
Inside, the restaurant reflects its labour-of-love origins through a hand-painted mural by illustrator Cam Miller. In striking blue and white, the mural depicts Japanese art and symbols, and illustrations of the history of ramen and the restaurant’s founding story.
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The restaurant is named after Uncle Seichi, a second-generation Japanese Canadian who was just as passionate about great food as Oji Seichi’s owners. A painter by trade, Seichi’s fun-loving spirit is the inspiration behind the restaurant’s welcoming feel.
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Oji Seichi is currently open for takeout Wednesday to Sunday, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and closed Monday and Tuesday.
