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| - Kokyo has been a go-to sushi place for me over the course of my time in Toronto, mainly by virtue of its proximity, its large menu, and its very quick turnaround time on pickup orders at a reasonable price. I've been to some sublime sushi places in my time (Tojo's, Miku, Octopus Garden and Yoshi/Taiko in my hometown of Vancouver) and though Kokyo does not sit among their lofty ranks, in the scheme of Toronto sushi there's nothing bad about a meal here, especially for the price and with the friendly and fast service (I felt like I was welcomed in as a "regular" after showing up a couple of times for lunch!)
The only thing I will really knock Kokyo for is the salad. The salad that comes with the combo meals is bland, wet and floppy. Oh well... it's a sushi place! Not a huge deal-breaker, but it always makes me sigh for a moment when I see it. Fortunately, miso soup and bottomless green tea are also included in combos.
Chef Johnny and his crew are pretty solid at what they do when it comes to inventive presentations of several core kinds of fish. There's a variety of rolls on offer, most of them quite substantial. A few, perhaps a few too many, of these are variations on the "Dragon Roll" style to suit your taste (with avocado and tempura shrimp, and salmon/unagi/white tuna etc. layered outside) but there are others as well and most of them are pretty good (I particularly like the Sashi roll and the many-layered Johnny's Special.)
Kokyo offers a number of different combos and sets, often with customizable options that allow patrons to find something that works for them. You can also go a la carte if that's your preference, but I find that the sets make things easier. Side items like gyoza, agedashi tofu, tempura and such are done well, though they don't serve gomae which is a shame! The donburi are also good... I wish they had Oyako Don, but the Una Don is otherwise my favourite.
The nigiri is pretty much on par, nothing spectacular. The portions of fish, though fresh, are smaller than I'd like. I do enjoy the sashimi combos, though - you get big, meaty slices of tasty fish!
All in all, not bad at all. And an addendum: I've not yet seen evidence of poor hygiene as some reviews here have indicated.
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