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| - This is my favourite sushi restaurant in Toronto.
I walked past this unassuming sushi joint once or twice before eating here. The venue is very much a hole in the wall but is often loaded to the rafters with patrons which gives it a very Japanese feel.
My first time coming to the restaurant, it was quite quiet and so the sushi chef came out himself to take our order. Jyo-san is one of these chefs who is highly passionate about the food he serves and he insisted that we eat bluefin tuna given that it was only available fresh one week per year and this was that week. Seeing that I was interested in this subject Jyo-san pulled up a chair and chatted with me about bluefin tuna fishing laws in Canada, the US and globally. After the conversation was complete, he politely excused himself and then prepared the best sushi meal I've had outside of Japan. I've been a loyal customer to SSB ever since.
The food here is consistently well-prepared. Fish is sourced with some pride and is prepared in this same way. This is not sushi that you would get outside Tsukiji Market mind you, but its definitely a cut above the other sushi offerings I've had in town. The soy sauce is tangier, the ginger is fresher, the wasabi freshly grated and all the fish tastes fresh and dressed or seasoned appropriately.
While the staff are typically nice and friendly, my one knock is that Jyo-san is not himself in the restaurant as much as I would like. He is often working in Newmarket at his larger sushi house. That said, his sous-chef is a very capable hand, if not quite the same character. With that said, when I returned to SSB after having been living abroad for 2 years, Jyo-san recognized me and treated me to a special dish. You can't beat that type of service.
Whenever I am looking to have a nice, more authentic sushi meal - whether it be for a date, a meal with an old friend or showing off Toronto's sushi quality - this is where I go.
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