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| - Finally! A go-to spot for good and affordable sushi in Toronto. It's so hard to find a solid mid-tier sushi place downtown as I find the city either has:
1. Unworthy AYCE restaurants compared to the suburbs
2. Upscale, fancy and pricey Japanese establishments
3. Mediocre/below-average joints with questionable levels of freshness
But Saku is such a welcome addition! I was initially excited about this place because it's essentially the rebirth of the original Hub Sushi in Thornhill which I absolutely loved but heard it had fallen apart after new management came in. From what I remember, the menu has largely remained the same although the Special Dinner for 2 (best value) is not offered.
The vibe of Saku is very trendy and hipster. All the elements for a place on Queen Street West. There is seating along the bar and everything else is booths so it's nice and intimate. Music isn't too loud which is great to come and unwind, have a date or catch up with friends.
For 2, we ordered the Lion King Roll, Volcano Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll and Red Tuna Tartare w/ Baked Chip. Be warned that their special rolls are not your typical maki rolls. Its definitely fusion and not just purely fresh fish wrapped with seaweed and rice. They play around with the texture and flavor with the help of various toppings and lots of their chef' special sauce.
Lion King ($11) and Volcano ($11) - Rice is warm, rolls are soft (albeit slightly smaller than I had expected) and the components just work so perfectly together as it all melts in your mouth. SO good. I liked the Volcano (prawn tempura, avocado, spicy salmon topped with yam chips) a little more since it was easier to eat without the shredded stuff but the Lion King (prawn tempura, spicy tuna, avocado and green onion) was pretty similar in taste.
These rolls have a good and bad to them. On one hand, it's delicious but on the other, you know deep down you're not really eating sushi anymore. The salmon or tuna gets lost under all that sauce and really goes unappreciated.
But! The spicy salmon roll ($6) was prepared and presented more traditionally and proved that Saku is capable of serving fresh, well-made sushi. Rice ratio was on point. I look forward to trying their pressed sushi, nigiri and sashimi next time.
My only complaint is the Red Tuna Tartare w/ Baked Chip ($13). Avocado was creamy, tuna was fatty but the tartare was just so bland! I wish it had some zest to it to give it a sweet, slightly sour taste or any flavor for that matter. The chips didn't complement it well either. The dish had so much potential but just didn't deliver.
Positive experience overall. Without a doubt, I'd come back to Saku (although I think Hub was better).
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