After a meeting at our Royal Le Page office in the Shops of Don Mills I headed out to inspect a property for a client in north Toronto. I had heard the reviews on Raa Sushi and they were generally good so we thought we would venture a wee bit north to Yonge and Sheppard and try it out for lunch.
About an extra 10 minutes from the Yonge and Lawrence house. When you first walk in this place is way too dark and far too loud. You feel like you are in a Yakuza Club in Japan. It was 1 p.m. in the afternoon on a bright sunny day.
That was the only real fault of this restaurant. We had a great sashimi platter for lunch it was in the roughly $15.00 range. We also shared some spicy tuna and salmon skin rolls. Everything was fresh with slices a bit on the small side, lots of filler pieces,plenty of ginger and good wasabi.
We shared a small jug of sake just to have a taste and check the quality. It was one of the best sakes in a restaurant in the city. Not available at the LCBO. The only thing that did not smack of authenticity is that the sashimi came out with romaine lettuce and not shiso leaves.
I had to ask 3 times to get a few of those sent over. The owner came over to speak with us and is clearly concerned with how his restaurant is percieved. That’s a good thing. I did tell him to turn up the lights and turn down the music. He did this immediately… I mean a nightclub is great at night but not in the middle of the day. The decor is very well done, but I think it was a mistake as it makes the place too dark and unwelcoming.
I believe this is why it was virtually empty except for ourselves and one other group of 4 people. The food was good and the prices were a bit higher than some of the downtown places however, that is typical of uptown. Service was a bit spotty as he is trying to train some new people.
But all in all if you are in the Yonge Sheppard area you can get a decent Japanese Meal here.I would not go out of my way to get to this one.
You can find my review and others on this restaurant at Yelp Review
4848 Yonge St
Toronto, ON M2N
Neighbourhood: Willowdale (416) 224-0075