Akasaka Japanese Restaurant

The boss takes us here periodically for birthday lunches. Though the cuisine is Japanese, all the chefs and servers here are Chinese. If you talk to them in Cantonese, they will definitely be more attentive! A meal here is not cheap, but you're really paying for the "performance" you get from the Teppanyaki chefs. Lunch is far more affordable than dinner; a lower price for almost the same amount of food. I think the cooking is far from authentic (they cook with butter!) but it's still pretty tasty. Definitely come by for lunch sometime.

Came for dinner on a Thursday night just before Christmas. We came at 6 and didn’t have an reservations. There were three of us – me, MH and LL.

So Akasaka is located in a popular plaza at the north west corner of Highway 7 and West Beaver Creek in Richmond Hill. It is in an odd place, in a lower section, facing highway 7. You need to know where you are going to find it! There’s a lot of parking. but as usual for the neighbourhood, go there at the right time and you will have to walk a bit. Or as I always say, get a friend to drive, they can drop you off at the door and then they can worry about parking.

I used to work in the area and we came often for lunch. They have tappanyaki tables which OMG I love. The lunch menu costs are less expensive than dinner – as with most places. This time we sat in the dining room section. LL wanted to sit in the sushi part, I think she just doesn’t like how fun the tables are. Pity for her.

I like how the restaurant looks. It’s a nicer place. I like how it decorated. There’s an higher inset ceiling, the tables are a burnt ochre ish colour and comfy high back red plush chairs. There’s a large room for groups. When we were there there was a large group with presents. they were int he room for apps and drinks and headed to the tappanyaki tables. The tappanyaki tables are in a separate section cordoned off with glass walls. You could see the flames and hear the cheers of delights!

The menu in the dining room is made up of apps, sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, set meals, etc. What you get at most Japanese restaurants. It’s not an all you can eat place, the food is really good.

I got the age-dashi tofu starter and the Angus Beef Teriyaki in a red wine reduction. I loved it. the beef was tender and juicy. The vegetables were perfect, tender crisp. So there were a couple of oops that happened with service. The first was, the age-dashi tofu came when I was almost done my steak. LL asked the server when it was coming. It came 5 minutes later. I have to say I was a bit full and wouldn’t have minded if it didn’t come. But then I ate it. So good. I’m not sure what the sauce was ,but it was savory and earthy and sweet, the perfect accompaniment. I would have preferred to have it before the main though.

 
LL and MH both ordered the same thing, the Akasaka Lobster Dinner. It’s a set course meal. They got:

COLD APPETIZER: Assorted Sushi & Sashimi (6 pcs)

WARM APPETIZER: • Grilled Tomato with Lobster Sauce • Broiled Oyster Rockefeller • Lobster Cappuccino

MAIN COURSE: Grilled Live Lobster (half) with New Zealand Lamb Rack

So the warm appetizer came first. It came at the same time as my steak. They said they liked it. Then came the lobster and lamb at the same time. The lamb looked pretty sad to me. The menu said lamb rack, it looked like a lamb chop to me. Also they weren’t too concerned with presentation with the lobster. it was kinda thrown on the plate. nothing too exciting. But they said it was good, so it must have been tasty. The next kinda oops. The sushi came while they were eating the lobster and lamb. Late again. it’s the cold appetizer, why wasn’t it first? I think someone needs to tall them what appetizer means. ( oh that was mean, but true)

Bellies full. We waited for our bill. It took a while. So another oops. MH had ordered a beer. He never got it. But we were charged for it. So LL pointed out (she’s good at pointing things out to wait staff) that we never got it. LL understands Cantonese, she said the servers were arguing whether we were telling the truth or not. Hey we did’t get it, why would we say we didn’t get the beer when we could argue we didn’t get lobster?

So here is the run down-

Food: Good, worth the visit will be back
Decor – nice, comfortable
Noise Level – a quiet din. no loud music, conversation can happen
Service – Nice, they make mistakes, watch your bill
Cost – not so bad. dinner definitely more than lunch.
I’ll be back!

Prince Gastronome. With vague instructions in hand, I exited the Toronto Sheraton and wandered through what looked like China in hopes of finding a recommended sushi restaurant. Ten minutes later, I was certain I hadn’t found it, but I did find Akasaka, and that was more than enough. On its surface, Akasaka didn’t look particularly special, but it was late and I hadn’t eaten since morning, not accounting two biscuits and a pack of sesame snacks I had on the plane which made my burps smell like Shanghai in a heat wave.

I was visiting Toronto and had no cab. My limo driver (they called it that—which apparently translates to any black four-door Lincoln with window tinting and climate control) had raced me from the airport faster than Buckaroo Banzai in his rocket truck (the speed limit on Ontario roads being Mach 1), allowing me to check in just after 9 pm. My options were limited without transport.

I expected Akasaka to rush me through my meal, but what I ended up discovering was a sushi restaurant with the best service I ever had in such an establishment. Oh sure, sometimes a sushi chef will show off some fancy knife work, but more often than not, sushi restaurants ignore their patrons after serving them food, The staff of Akasaka were genuinely agreeable.

Full disclosure, I am a large white man dressed well; not sure if that matters.

Not only was my tea filled four times, but they continued to do so after I had paid. When the chef handed me the plate from across the bar, he explained what each of the pieces were. The menu itself was large and chaotic. It was difficult to find what I wanted. Their “new-wave” maki got my attention by the bizarre and beautiful plates offered, including one which was called, I kid you not, the “gozzilla roll”. Another one had gold flakes on it. In the end, I opted for the chef’s platter which splendidly boasted that by ordering it, I’m was at the chef’s whim. The last time I did that, it was 2007, Hong Kong, and the bill ended up at $300 (and it gave me food poisoning). Thankfully, this one’s prices were fixed and eighteen pieces later, along with a soup, salad, an additional added cone, I was full and content. At $40 with tip, it was well worth the experience. I didn’t think I could still be surprised with sushi, but Akasaka managed to pull one over on me by offering two pieces of sashimi called kuzunoko--basically a sashimi made by pressing herring into a bed of roe. Had to look that one up. On the subject of décor, Alaskaka (darnit, I knew I’d screw that up) was a typical high-end sushi restaurant, meaning it looked better than every sushi place in my home town. And here’s another shock, Akasaka cuts their rolls and nigiri bite-sized...what...a...concept. So it must be only my stupid town that failed to read the memo. It’s becoming a trend that no matter where I travel to, I have to sample sushi for no other reason than to just prove that the way my home town does it is wrong. It reminds me what good sushi is really like, and that those in my home town shouldn’t settle for less.

And yet, I know there must be better in Toronto. I mean, there must be—what are the odds I just managed to stumble upon the best the city had to offer. Unlikely, but if you are in the area—wherever the hell I am, cause I never looked at a map (Toronto is somewhat general)—check this little jewel out.

Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Presentation: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Recommendation: 4/5

Akasaka is one of my favourite restaurants! Definitely the best for sushi! Tempura and maki, are some of my regular choices. Truly a hidden treasure!

Akasaka: A Central Tokyo Area Comes To Richmond Hill Via Hong Kong. E: Akasaka is an upscale avant-garde Japanese restaurant in Richmond Hill. The prices and the food are higher than average, but the restaurant barely tries to claim any type of authenticity. The high prices stem from the perceived service, ambiance and edge of the restaurant. The level of the food stems from the innovation - what is known as 'new wave maki' - and their inventions and customization of Japanese food.
I was there earlier tonight and am glad I waited to write a review of Akasaka, despite my eating there on and off for ten years, because it reminded me how often their menu changes. At Akasaka should one have a favourite item on the menu it may not outlast the year. What is on the menu today is possibly not there tomorrow. Many of my personal favourites over the years have disappeared.
Tonight I had the Cajun ahi tuna to begin and it was as good and scrumptious as ever. It is peppered and seared to perfection. As always, it comes in five pieces making the fifth slice an awkward prize. I had wanted the lobster gyoza, but it was not on the menu any longer. I ordered the nori gyoza instead, to which the waitress helpfully observed "nori is seaweed." Er, good to know!
Akasaka does not offer light soy sauce. Like their neighbour, Miyabi, they claim to brew their own, and consequently claim it to be de facto 'light.'
They had an Osaka style sushi on special for $10 which I ordered. Osaka style sushi is pressed in stone or wood and cut into squares. It was pretty good, but they had overdone the avocado, always a bad sign and an indication of inauthenticity. Moreover, the waitress was baffled by my question regarding what the topping would be.

I (hoping the answer is thin kelp): "what topping does the chef use for the Osaka sushi"?
Her (eyeing me suspiciously and likely thinking 'this guy is clueless'): ".... fish"
I: "no, on the top of the fish"
Her: "Er, I will ask"
(minutes later) Her: "avocado"

For the record the authentic recipe calls for a very thin layer of seaweed that is transparent and softened with water.
The waitress had no idea and the sushi ended up arriving without seaweed on top of course. Vancouver's Yoshi On Denman has been closed for two years, but I still miss them and the Osaka-style sushi I had there two years ago. Incidentally, the proper name for Osaka sushi is Oshizushi.
Aside from the nori gyoza (seaweed dumpling) I had the Nordic Snow maki (rolls), which like most Akasaka rolls is different, delicious, filling and exciting to both look at and eat. The makis remain Akasaka's trump card and their variety and quality notwithstanding no Japanese would recognize them as food from Japan! On a recent visit I ordered several nigiris and while they were good the rice was too lumpy.
They offer diners complimentary baked noodles to nibble on it. Should they forget them, one can ask for them. They are fun to eat.
Akasaka stocks Voss water, which is always a treat. If there is a better sparkling water out there then someone send me a bottle. It is refreshing to not have to reject San Pellegrino.
End the food with the tasty green tea crème brule.
A meal for two can be $100 at Akasaka.
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A: The restaurant is quite different from its neighbouring eateries and outside. The ambiance is dark and classy. The restaurant is divided into a Washoku ('traditional Japanese food'), which is ironic given the amount of fusion-ality and innovation going on here and a teppanyaki ('teppan' is iron plate, while 'yaki' is grill or grilled), which is a show with a modicum of food tossing, grilling, flames and so forth. The two sections for the two dining styles are cordoned off by a wall with a glass upper half. The washoku folk get to see the teppanyaki show. I have been to the teppanyaki side a couple of times, but prefer the regular menu items.
The restaurant has a couple of more private seats in the back and a private group room.
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T: The service is fast, the kitchen is quick and they are almost overstaffed, which means one does not wait long for anything.
Akasaka is in a big restaurant-filled plaza, but owing to their lower level and end location parking is not too difficult to find.
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S: The service is courteous at Akasaka, with owner David Chung typically personally all over the place. The waitresses like to oblige, but they do like to sell as well. Unfortunately, their being Chinese means they really are not that well trained in Japanese cuisine and I manage to confuse them easily from time to time. They did not know what 'Natto' was when I once ordered it and since it was not on the menu the waitress was sure it does not exist. The owner came over and explained he can make some with Ika ('squid'). As mentioned earlier, they also did not really know oshizushi and neither did the sushi chefs obviously.
Going to a Chinese or 'cushi' (just like Korean sushi or 'kushi') owned and run 'Japanese' restaurant is normally anathema to good taste. However, exceptions exist. As long as one does not expect purity or in-depth Japanese food knowledge, Akasaka serves some pretty fun, interesting and delicious food. David Chung taught sushi courses at George Brown and occasionally does the same at his restaurant. He and his chefs have a good model on the go. Having said that, for more authentic Japanese fare one should consider Miyabi - which incidentally was closed tonight and for a whole week according to a sign on the door - in the same plaza. For really good Japanese sushi in Toronto consider Zen, Aoyama, Mikado or Ginko.