Rating - 3.0/5.0
A new Japanese restaurant just popped up across from Niji on Midland and Ellesmere. It is run by a Korean family and they serve Korean food as well. The place was quite busy when I was there but they have quite a bit of staff working there.
Tuna Pressed Aburi Sushi ($11.95) - Not a bad option for the price if you have not ventured into aburi sushi and want to give it a try. Tuna was nice and soft but there was a bit too much sauce for my liking which overtook the essence of the tuna. Don't bother trying this if you have already had aburi sushi else where.
Roll and Bowl Roll ($17.95) - This comes with shrimp tempura, crab meat, avocado, kappa, salmon, masago and BBQ eel. This roll was unfortunately underwhelming and I assume it's supposed to be their flagship roll. There was very little eel in the roll and the taste resembled more like an upgraded california roll. The preparation of this roll was noticeably better so there appears to be a consistency issue.
Legend Spider ($15.95) - This comes with spicy scallop on spider roll with dried shrimp powder. I liked the overall taste and texture of this roll over the Roll and Bowl Roll. However the presentation of the rolls lacked the preciseness in terms of the cuts and general workmanship.
For both rolls, the sushi rice had quite a bit of vinegar and sweetness to it. I do like this flavour but would be better if they could dial it down a bit. Also there was a bit too much moisture in the sushi rice and lacking some firmness.
As there are better options in my area (i.e. Oyaji or Mine Sushi on Elgin Mills) I will likely not be back as it is quite out of the way for me. However, if you're in the area and looking for sushi that gets the job done then give this place a try. Personally I have not tried Niji so cannot comment on which one is better.