Toshi Sushi

One of Vancouver’s sushi restaurants with the largest lineups is Toshi Sushi. Is the line up worth the wait? The first thing that strikes you is that all the servers and sushi chefs appear to be a husband wife team. They’re Japanese too, which for me is a sign for quality sushi.

 

First thing to do was to order the green tea, which was excellent. Green and fresh, and not overcooked like the brown colored ‘green’ tea in so many other places.

The ambiance of the restaurant is really pleasant, it’s just a great place to be, and you vividly hear people engaging in conversation – it’s really quite different to me compared to the average Japanese restaurant. Which is really great.

 

Tuna Tataki: 5/5

First up is the Tuna Tataki dish. Simply awesome. I highly recommend this dish. The freshness of the tuna really stands out.

 

Nasu Dengaku: 5/5

Next up is the “Nasu Dengaku” or the grilled eggplant. While it looks not so good, the tastes is great. Warm, gooey, deliciously grilled eggplant mixed with a special miso concoction before being expertly grilled. I believe this dish is a staple for many who frequent Toshi’s and it’s no mystery why. It’s elegantly done and I’d like to know who else in Vancouver that can do it like this. Highly recommended.

 

Vegetable Gyoza: 1.5/5

I don’t see vegetable gyoza on menus too often so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I sort of regretted it. The goyza filling was very bland  and the goyza was very dry. I had a hard time finishing this dish.

 

Nabeyaki Udon: 2.5/5

Since it was a rather cold day, we decided to get a Nabeyaki Udon to compliment the meal. I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed. The udon noodles were slightly overcooked. Udon is probably not their specialty. When it comes to Japanese cuisine, Toshi’s excels in the nigiris and rolled sushis.

 

Grilled Oyster Motoyaki: 1/5

Oh man. What a mistake this was. I was expecting a full size oyster grilled or something, but oyster was all chopped up served in excessive amounts of grease. Wasn’t impressed at all. I simply can’t recommend this at all, it tastes the same as the All You Can Eat crap. Ouch!

 

Sushi: 4.5/5

Finally, some redemption. Toshi’s excels in this department and all their rolls deliver the goods. Here we have a spicy chopped scalloped roll, which is amongst the best I’ve had in a very long time. Excellent freshness!! The Dragon Roll (chopped Unagi with avocado) was also delightful. To try something different I ordered the family roll, which is made up of salmon maki and fish eggs. Next up was the negitoro roll which was just as scrumptious as all the other rolls. The Nigiri sushi at Toshi’s is something that I’ve been very familiar with, and it has been always excellent. In this occasion, the Sake Nigiri and Fresh Saba was also great.

 

Spicy Chopped Scallop Cone: 4.5/5

To top everything off was a  Spicy Chopped Scallop cone. When you bite into this you instantly figure out what makes it so great. The seaweed was so crispy, and the organization of the ingredients just led to a very satisfying experience. I wouldn’t hesitate to try another cone, just based on how excellent this one was.

 

Ups:
-Excellent Quality Pressed Sushi
-Nice ambiance and dining experience
-Reasonably priced sushi given the quality and execution

Downs:
-Wait times.. oh boy, be prepared to wait
-Only open for dinner
-Closed on Sunday and Monday
-Menu items other than the rolls and nigiris are not a high quality with exception with the Nasu Dendaku
-Charge for tea unlike other Japanese Restaurants
-Their homemade cheesecake dessert always seems to be sold out (at least every time I’ve been there)

Overall:

I'd definitely come back to this place for sushi. It's just been very good quality time after time. However I'll definitely be sticking to the sushi roll and nigiris, as it seems to be what they do best. The service is also pretty good. I'd rate this place 4.5/5 with high chance of return in the future.

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