I really wanted to like Guu Izakaya more than I did ... but at the end of the day, my experience didn't measure up to my expectations.
I had no expectations at first. But a quick Yelp search revealed Guu to be the second most reviewed place in Toronto and also well-received with an average of four stars. So I was most excited to discover we were only a few blocks away for a possible walk-in.
And what do you know, we were immediately seated at the bar at the last two seats. When guests first walk in, the waiters raise a huge ruckus in Japanese and the place gets super loud. But that wasn't too bad as you quickly acclimated to the noise and the frantic environment.
Service was also super efficient and friendly so no fault there. For me, it was ultimately the food.
Impressions:
1. Salmon Tatto Yukke (chopped sashimi w/ garlic, green onions and mixed with a raw egg yolk). This one was recommended and seemed to be one of the signature dishes but I wasn't too impressed. It's basically a salmon version of a beef tartare that you scoop onto nori - but I thought it was way too runny over the thin nori sheets and overly garlicy. Too messy.
2. Karaage - version here was just ok. Lacked flavor.
3. Okonomiyaki - typically a favorite dish of mine but the version here was overpowered by the more than generous karashi mayo and tonkatsu sauce. Way too rich.
4. Kinoko Bibimbap (with mushrooms, cheese and seaweed sauce). This dish was at least unique, especially with the melted cheese draped over the rice. Nice earthiness from the mushrooms. By process of elimination, this was my favorite dish.
They had an interesting strawberry sake that was pretty tasty. Really liked the energy and look of the place. But in the end, it was just ok for me. That won't certainly stop others from coming as by the time we left, there was a pretty long wait of folks outside.