Inakaya

Inakaya is now at the top of my list for the freshest fish in the city of Toronto.

Hidden along Willowdale Ave, this little sake bar was packed with people when we arrived. Also let me point out there were a lot of Japanese people dining there as well which was a very good indication of the authenticity of the place. If Japanese people are eating there then it must be good well at least most of the time this theory is true. In this case, it was.

To start off the meal we had the Sunomono salad. It consisted of King crabs, cooked shrimps, octopus, clams, seaweed, and cucumbers all dressed in a Japanese vinaigrette. It was a refreshing salad and the dressing was not too vinegary just perfect.

Next is the Zaru-soba. It is cold boiled soba noodles served with a soy bonito dipping sauce. It was tasty but my boyfriend found the noodles to be a tad overcooked.

Here is the beef amiyaki which is certified Angus beef cooked at the table on a small hibachi served with sweet red wine dipping sauce. I loved the little burner. It was small and cute with the Asian writing all over it. The meat itself was juicy and delicious.

Here is the ume yamaimo sushi roll. It is made up of shiso leaf, plum paste, Japanese mountain potato and sesame seeds. My boyfriend thought this tasted like candy but to me it just tasted minty. Not pleasant at all.

Now this was the main star of the meal, the sashimi. We had ordered 9 pieces of tuna, 4 pieces of scallops, 3 pieces of octopus, and 9 pieces of fluke. It was amazingly fresh and did not have that fishy taste at all. It was silky smooth and cut perfectly. My boyfriend absolutely loved the fluke so much he ordered another 9 pieces of it. Also our table was situated directly in front of the sushi bar so you can watch the chef's extraordinary knife skills at work. You can see the chef carefully examining the fish and cutting it with precision and skill.

This last dish was a fiery finale. The volcano roll. It included sauteed sliced onions in butter and olive oil, blanched zucchini, torched sliced Angus beef on top served on an iron plate with teriyaki sauce and sliced scallions in a pool of fire. This was pretty cool when it arrived to our table. I tried to snap as many pictures as possible. It was tasty.

This is the place to head to if you want really fresh sashimi but be sure to either arrive early or after the rush since it's a very tiny place so seats are limited.

TOTAL BILL $160...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Inakaya

126 Willowdale Ave.

(close to Sheppard)

416-224-8881