The restaurant is really spacious, modern Japanese decorations and surprisingly not too noisy for the amount of people that was inside. We sat down at our table and looked quickly through the menus. We knew that we wanted to try the omakase (chef's choice). I wished we sat at the bar as it would probably make the experience dining at Tojo's just a bit more special. We also saw Tojo busily working away at the sushi bar. When I took out my camera to take a photo of the restaurant, our waiter came by and asked if I wanted a photo with Tojo. He told me "You want a picture with Tojo? I can take. Go now. Don't be shy". I chuckled to myself before getting up and following the waiter up to the sushi bar where he snapped a photo of Tojo and me. After taking the photo, we placed our orders. We ordered the 5 course omakase ($80 per person). The waiter asked if we had any allergies before leaving to get our teas.
Tojo's Restaurant Interior
Tuna Tataki
Lightly seared albacore tuna with ginger, green onion, daikon and ponzu sauce.
The fish tasted really fresh and the ponzu sauce wasn't over powering which I like. I find that most places just drown the tuna in the sauce and it becomes too tart/sour.
Dungeness Crab Salad
With a mustard soy bean paste, apples and pickled daikon.
I found the presentation interesting... when I was eating the salad, I couldn't help thinking it's almost like eating out the innards of the crab (which I don't like the taste of the innards...) Anyway, the salad was again really fresh and the mustard soy bean paste flavours reminded me a lot of wasabi.
Wild Salmon
In a miso sauce with sauteed vegetables
Our 3rd dish was a cooked dish! The salmon was cooked where the inside was still slightly raw. I also liked this dish. But my boyfriend really liked this dish a lot.
Ahi Tuna
Wrapped in seaweed and dipped in a tempura batter with mushrooms, shiso and miso paste.
The tempura batter added a nice crunch/texture. The fish was cooked just right and was really fresh.
Sushi
Left (bottom-up): Flounder Nigiri, Hamachi Nigiri
Right (bottom-up): Great Canadian Roll (Lobster, asparagus, smoked salmon), Pacific Northwest Roll (Dungeness crab, avocado, scallop & flying fish roe), Spicy Tuna Roll (Spicy tuna inside-out with more tuna on top), and Golden Roll (Crab, scallop, salmon, and sweet shrimp rolled in an egg crepe).
And lastly, sushi! I was waiting all night to try the sushi. All the fish tasted really fresh and the rice was well done! The rice wasn't mushy and you can feel each grain in your mouth.
I really liked the sushi. I would have to say it was the highlight of the dinner! I really liked the Hamachi Nigiri! Since my boyfriend isn't a fan of sushi, he liked the Tuna Tataki and Wild Salmon the best.
And lastly, we had dessert too!
Black Sesame Panna Cotta with Sesame Cookie
The dessert was unbelievably good! I really like black sesame desserts and this one was the best!
Overall Impressions: I enjoyed the food at Tojo's quite a bit. The ingredients they used were incredibly fresh and all the dishes were light and didn't feel heavy at all. I will most definitely come back here for the sashmi! Mmm fresh fish. The service was attentive and friendly. I really liked our waiter we had as he was funny and was happy to explain all the dishes to us when we had questions.
Tojo's
1133 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
604.872.8050
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