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| - A hidden gem of a Japanese restaurant tucked away off Queen St. W., I could tell Ema Tei was a great find the moment I stepped in. The waitress bowed as she welcomed us and led us to our seats. The restaurant was long and rectangular, with a few private booths and two for group dining booths in the back with floor cushions for a more traditional feel.
Service was attentive and the food arrived quickly.
The "mystery" white fish sashimi tasted like sea perch, luscious and soft. Presentation was average, the slices could have been thinner and cleaner. There was a hint of ammonia in the aftertaste, but Toronto isn't exactly a fishing village.
The eggplant appetizer was drenched in a delicious house sauce, although the eggplants themselves were quite runny.
The BBQ tuna roll was delicious, although it seemed that they skipped a few steps in making the sushi rice. The sushi rice had not been cooled long enough, and the vinegar-to-rice-to-sesame-seeds ratio was off.
The giant roll really was giant. It was bursting with half a dozen ingredients, including salmon roe, avocado, tobiko, and egg. When I say bursting, I mean it literally: it was hard to eat since the ingredients kept falling out. While the roll ranked low on the authenticity scale, it ranked high on the value scale.
The katsudon arrived last. It was aromatic and mouthwatering: a huge bowl of rice topped with katsu strips, caramelized onions, scrambled eggs, and green onions. It made me wish I had ordered less so I would have more room for it.
All in all, this is definitely a place worth returning to.
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