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| - Much like Chris P. below, I was keen on trying a new sushi place near me (see my recent review of Kokyo for some reasons why I've been craving a new perspective.)
Kawa was a step forward in terms of the quality of sushi I've had in Toronto! They lay out their menu much like other places, with a la carte sushi, teppan/cooked items and appetizers bookended with a number of combo/boat options and quite a few specialty rolls.
The price-to-performance ration is dang good at this place! You can get a lunch combo with 9-12 pieces of sushi, sashimi and/or rolls plus crisp, gingery-dressed salad and flavourful (but not over-salted) miso soup for seven flipping dollars! They even offer discounts on takeout to save you an extra bit of cash.
I had a combo with the house creation Kamakachi roll (with chopped tuna and onion, tempura flakes and spicy sauce) as well as some salmon, tuna, white tuna and snapper nigiri (it would have come with yellowtail, but they were out and I chose to sub an extra piece of tuna.)
The roll was very nice- it avoided the major problem of most rolls with a spicy component, i.e tasting too much like goopy mayonnaise and sriracha and nothing else. It was tangy and bright but you could still taste the buttery tuna inside. One thing that I will remark about the rolls - they're not gigantic like at some of the other sushi places I've tried lately. I don't enjoy eating a huge roll that I can barely fit in my mouth, so I was pleased by this difference. It's quality over quantity.
The nigiri is also nicely done. A quality piece of nigiri should look the part even before it gets into your mouth - the pieces of fish were adequately sized, the salmon was light pink with bands of marbling, the tuna and snapper pale, clean and soft. Fresh, light and flavourful all around - no stale or vinegary flavours to be had. Yum.
Small, bright, clean, friendly, cheap, quick and good quality - what more can I say? I'll be back soon.
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