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| - Guess what: California rolls are not real Japanese food. Neither is sushi pizza or dragon rolls. Chicken or beef teriyaki is also not actually Japanese (authentic teriyaki is for broiled fish).
What is very authentic Japanese is the menu, the decor, the drinks list, the cooks and the waitresses at Ematei. It is by far the most Japanese place I've found in Toronto, and my opinion is reinforced by the number of expats who eat here regularly. In fact, it helps to speak some Japanese if you're ordering at Ematei since the wait staff is very much ESL.
Having spent most nights of the week in an izakaya (pub) during my stint in Japan, I was really missing the small dishes of comfort food and the homey atmosphere that don't get reproduced in Toronto's Japanese-inspired restaurants.
Some of my favourite Ematei izakaya dishes: aspara-bacon (asparagus wrapped in bacon, yesss!), butter scallops, mushroom foil, buta kimchi (okay, that's Korean), zaru soba, kabocha tempura and yakitori. I don't recommend the kani foil since it's not real crab. The unagi chahan (they call it 'charan' for some reason) is great.
Something awesome for winter is that you can reserve one of the tatami rooms for a nabe party, which is the Japanese version of a hot pot party.
Note: I haven't had the sushi at Ematei. When there are a thousand other places for sushi in this city, I like to order things that are less ubiquitous.
Bonus: Do you know what 'Ematei' means? An 'ema' is a small wooden wishing plaque that can be purchased at Shinto shrines. 'Tei' means shop, so 'Ematei' is 'shop for prayer plaques'.
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