Tucked in a narrow white room on Harbord Street, Osaka-raised chef-owner Yasuhisa Ouchi delivers glistening sushi, one piece at a time, to 10 guests seated at his marble-topped bar, Yasu. The city's first sushi-only omakase restaurant, Yasuhisa's edict is simple — "In a global world where borders are becoming seamless, Toronto can now have access to the freshest seafood like what we have in Japan. Yasu took this opportunity to return to the roots of sushi, in which simplicity was the key ingredient in bringing out the taste of the sea. He uses classical methods to draw out the umami of seafood, with fish that is freshly sliced and placed atop warm, loose rice then brushed with a touch of nikiri soy for a perfectly balanced bite. In short, Yasu is all about capturing the essence of sushi. Seasonal ingredients are prepared at the sushi bar and served immediately for maximum flavour and freshness, for a true omakase sushi experience, made to order right in front of you and served a single bite at a time.
My favourite omakase in Toronto, I am drawn to Yasu like a moth to a sushi flame, and have to satisfy my raw fish cravings every few months. The menu is a seasonally changing selection of 18 impeccably fresh pieces of edomae sushi for $135 per person, which can include Amberjack from Kyushu, Lobster from Nova Scotia, Uni from Vancouver and Hokkaido, Monkfish Liver from Boston and Shirako from Japan. The trio of akami, chūtoro, and ōtoro Bluefin Tuna from Mexico melts in your mouth and the house smoked Bonito from Hokkaido is sublime. The chef's choice of sake perfectly paired with each evenings menu, served in glasses cradled in a traditional wooden masu box, is a delightful trip through the various styles of Japanese rice wine and well worth the price. For sushi enthusiasts, Yasu is an experience unlike like any other. Place yourself in the chef's hands, and you'll leave in a blissful state of sushi euphoria every time.
Arriving at Yasu on a chilly November evening
Yasu sous chef slicing the hay smoked Bonito
Hay smoked Bonito from Hokkaido with Ponzu sauce
Dassai 50 Junmai Daiginjo Sake
A graceful and elegant well-balanced sake, filled right to the top!
Our omakase chef preparing the Shirako sushi
Shirako (cod milt) from Hokkaido, is in season now and considered a Japanese delicacy
but is an acquired taste given that it's the sperm sac of fish
Striped Jack from Shikoku Prefecture, Japan
Chef preparing the next dish featuring two different kinds of sea urchin (uni)
Two luscious uni: one from BC (R) and the other from Hokkaido (L)
Our second sake pairing, a Masumi Kippuku Kinju Junmai Ginjo from Nagano,
which translates as "good fortune and golden happiness"
The sake is certainly golden and the generous pour to the top of the rim
is certainly our "good fortune"
The chef slicing fresh Japanese scallops
Scallop from Hokkaido garnished with a little sea salt
Crab Leg topped with crab liver from Nova Scotia
Sanma or Pacific Saury is one of the most well-known seasonal fish in Japanese autumn cuisine,
such as this umami-rich one from Hokkaido
Wonderfully rich and flavourful homemade Stiped Jack fish broth made with hatchō miso,
is known as the "emperor's miso"
Slicing a selection of three different cuts of bluefin tuna
Selection of bluefin tuna: akami or lean red meat tuna (R), chūtoro which is the medium fatty tuna found near the skin on the back and belly (C), and ōtoro, the prized pink fatty tuna (L)
Yuho Kimoto Junmai "Rhythm of the Centuries" Sake
A lovely smooth and complex sake with great flavour
Monkfish liver from Boston, served with fresh shiso leaf and minced daikon
Nova Scotia Lobster with yuzu zest
Amberjack from Kyushu, Japan
Yoshinogawa Gokujo Ginjo, our fourth sake pairing
Founded in 1548, Yoshinogawa is the oldest brewery in the famed Sake producing region of Niigata, known for producing crisp, clean, fragrant, silky smooth sake — and clear as water
Alaskan Ikura with fatty tuna served over rice and garnished with sliced scallions
Chef slicing the fluke (hirame) that had been cured in kombu, an edible seaweed that imparts a wonderful umami flavour to the fish
Fluke garnished with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon
Cured Mackerel from Norway draped with a paper thin slice of daikon
Anago (salt water eel) from Kyushu
Rich and creamy Murai Family Nigori Genshu Sake
Layered with flavours of coconut, anise and cream with an earthy sweetness,
this was the ideal sake pairing served towards the end of the meal
Tamagoyaki is a classic Japanese sweet egg custard
Homemade Black Sesame Iced Cream
No comments:
Post a Comment