Benihana

At 5:30pm on a Saturday, me and my friend went for dinner at Benihana located at the Fairmont Royal York. My friend wanted a sushi fix but sadly when we left it was just a tease. Did not satisfy her sushi craving at all.

The hostess asked if we had any reservations. We replied no. He told us the teppanyaki tables were all booked up. Luckily we were primarily there for the sushi so it did not apply to us.

We got a small little table right near the entrance.

Both of us have never been to this restaurant before but apparently it was known more for its teppanyaki rather than sushi but we didn't care for table cooking that night.

For our starter we decided to go with the oysters. When it arrived I have to say it was the smallest oysters I have ever ate. Think I got ripped off. $15 for 4 tiny oysters. Honestly it wasn't even appetizing at all. It had that unpleasant fishy smell. At first I thought it was rotten but it was just the way it was prepared. Another negative aspect was the fact that it tasted gritty. Don't think they scrubbed the shellfish properly since it felt like I ate a bunch of sand mixed with bits and pieces of tiny rocks.

The sushi menu was very limited. There were only around 5-6 options available. So we ended up pretty much ordering all the rolls.

Here is the spider roll, dynamite roll and spicy salmon roll. Tasty but just not enough.

My friend also ordered the salmon toro sashimi.

One thing that irritates me is when restaurants tip themselves. How do they know whether they deserve that tip?

With Benihana the service was good so it didn't bother me as much that they tipped themselves however, the portion was too little.

I was not stuffed but not starving. Just about right till a few hours later I was hungry again.

I think Benihana was overpriced. For only 5 dishes, grand total, including tip and tax, amounted to $83 for only 2 people and we weren't even full.

Wonder whether the teppanyaki is any good since it was all booked before the restaurant was even opened. Still I'm pretty sure it will cost way more than the sushi.

TOTAL BILL $83...MAY EAT AGAIN?!

Akasaka

I went to Akasaka for dinner last week. This was my third time at the restaurant. The first two times were for the table cooking. This time we wanted to try the Washoku, which means traditional-style Japanese food, dinner menu.

When we entered the restaurant there was no host to greet us. We stood there for nearly over 5 min. waiting to be seated. There were several waitresses strolling about but none of them bothered to acknowledge us at all. Finally, the Chef/ Owner himself, David Chung, came to greet us and we were taken to our seats.

Our waitress quickly shows up and hands us our menus and tells us the specials for the day. At first I couldn't quite understand her because she had a bit of an accent but she was very friendly. The special was the lobster feast menu which included 2 appetizers lobster soup and lobster & avocado roll, entree lobster along with enoki mushrooms wrapped in beef, and a dessert of green tea creme brulee.

So we ended up ordering one lobster feast meal, 8 pc. monkey roll, 10 pc. super rainbow roll, 12 pc. each of tuna and snapper sashimi, oyster with X.O. sauce, Cajun crab cakes, and the Wagyu beef sashimi. This was all for 2 people but it was in celebration of my boyfriend's birthday so we wanted to splurge a bit. Also we both have insatiable appetites so we tend to order more with our eyes rather than our stomachs however, majority of the time we end up finishing most of what we order.

We were first served with salad and miso soup. Then came our rolls.

The monkey roll consisted of rock lobster, peach, asparagus and top with fried shredded sweet yam. It was scrumptious however, the taste of the lobster was masked by the other elements in the roll. The super rainbow roll was yummy as well. It included soft shell crab, smoke salmon eel, shrimp, avocado, flying fish eggs, and cucumber. This roll was enormous and was pretty difficult to fit entirely into my mouth but I succeeded. When it comes to sushi you have to eat the entire roll all at once because if you take bites of it everything just falls apart. Also it's just more tastier that way.

The 3 ounce Wagyu beef appetizer was served raw on a mountain of ice along with Ponzu sauce. This ambrosial appetizer alone cost $75. I think when you order this starter the waitress intentionally repeats the price so that the patron is aware that the cost of the appetizer is $75

rather than $7.50. The meat has a buttery texture which just melts in your mouth and did not taste like meat at all. Even when I ate it cooked at the teppanyaki table it still had that identical buttery taste. Wagyu beef is

extremely pricey due to the extensive fat marbling and limited cattle supply. Although Wagyu beef is high in fat content, the content of the fat differs from more traditional cattle meat. In fact, Wagyu beef is celebrated because it is high in monounsaturated fat. So actually, though the beef seems well marbled, the fat content is lower and may actually bring down cholesterol levels, or help people watch their weight.

The Chef actually came to our table and asked what our opinions were of the beef. I think a Chef that talks to patrons is a cook that is really passionate about his cooking. I thought it was pretty nice that he would come up and start talking to us. It would be even better if we became friends. Have to love the idea of having a chef as a friend. Especially a friend who owns a restaurant. Imagine all those gourmet meals. Mmmm I'm drooling already.

The oysters didn't taste like it had X.O. sauce nor was it spicy instead it was overwhelmingly sweet. A bit too sweet for me. Not one I would recommend unless you like your shellfish to taste like candy.The breaded Alaskan snow crab cakes were appetizing. However, the raw seaweed salad that accompanied it was unsavory. Just felt like I was eating green grass right from the ground (not that I ever ate grass before lol).

The tuna and white snapper sashimi was amazingly fresh. It didn't have that mushy taste unlike other restaurants where their fish is frozen and you can still taste the ice melting on the fish.

Now onto the lobster feast.

The lobster & avocado roll was delicious however, the avocado was a bit too overpowering since I couldn't taste the flavor of the lobster but still was delightful. After all my favourite sushi is the avocado maki.

The soup looked like miso soup but tasted like some sort of lobster flavored broth. Not really spectacular to me.

Now the main entree was heavenly although full of cholesterol but hey it was for a festive occasion. Can't quite describe the flavor of the sauce but it was just divine. The lobster pieces were succulent and mouthwatering. Also the meat was already removed from the shell so didn't require any hands on work at all. It also came with beef rolls which were delicious but just needed a bit of sauce.

As for the final part which is most important at times for me (that is when I still have any room left) is the dessert course. The green tea creme brulee was served in a mini green colored cup and saucer along with a tiny spoon. It was adorable to look at and also yummy.

The damage came to a grand total of $266 for only 2 people. The food was great and the staff was attentive, after we were seated. So I definitely would return and order from the Washoku menu again but of course only for special occasions and when we recover from the last meal and our wallet. Think I gained at least 5lbs or so from this meal. Got to head to the gym now otherwise I will never be able to fit into my summer dresses ever again:(

TOTAL BILL $266...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Akasaka

280 West Beaver Creek Road

(close to Hwy 7 & Leslie)

905-764-9291