My friend Grace and I decided to go skating the other day. It was the first time I had been skating in 13 years and it was about 11 years since Grace had been skating so we were both a bit nervous about getting back on the ice. But the New Year has arrived and I was eager to begin some of my resolutions, one of which is to get in better shape. With the unseasonably mild weather we’ve been having, we both felt skating an at outdoor rink would be okay so we opted for Ramsden Park rink. While I hugged the boards for most of my “skate” time, Grace whirled around the ice like Michelle Kwan.
Although she told me she was not a good skater, this was clearly NOT the case! I am happy to report, however, that I did manage to stay upright and also managed to skate without the assistance of the boards for the last 30 minutes of our skate so I was very pleased about that. After our one-hour skate, both Grace and I were starving so we decided to find a sushi restaurant in Yorkville. I remember another friend recommending Kiro Sushi at Yonge and Bloor so we did a quick Google search to determine if they were open and we were in luck: they were!
Both Grace and I were surprised that we had never noticed Kiro Sushi before since it is just tucked in off Yonge Street on Collier Street. If you are a frequent visitor to the Toronto Reference Library, you will have definitely seen this quaint Japanese restaurant. Unlike many sushi restaurants, Kiro Sushi is big on style due to the ambient lighting, brown leather banquettes and polished wood tables and walls: the sophisticated decor makes the room warm and inviting!
We arrived around 2:30 p.m. on a Thursday and the restaurant was still relatively busy from the lunch crowd. We were quickly greeted by our server and presented with menus including lunch specials. Grace opted for the Bento Box with Tempura, $17.99, while I ordered the Bento Box with Chicken Katsu (fried chicken with panko bread crumbs), $17.99.
Each of the lunch special Bento Boxes comes with Miso soup and salad, 4 California rolls, 2 pieces of Gyoza (dumplings with minced pork, cabbage and mushrooms), Japchae (sweet potato noodles) and steamed rice.
The salad was fresh and had a pleasingly tangy dressing. Being a vegetable lover, I would have liked double the size of salad, but I find a small serving of salad is typical in sushi restaurants. The Miso soup, on the other hand, was too fishy tasting for my palate.
Grace loved her Tempura, which included several large shrimp and veggies in that irresistibly light batter. My favourite item in my Bento Box was the Japchae. The sweet potato noodles were light, flavourful and slippery on the tongue and coated in a mildly spicy garlic-sesame dressing – these noodles are perfect for my low-carb diet!
The California rolls were extremely fresh and tasted great dunked in soy sauce. Chicken Katsu was good…I would have preferred a more fried batter – this batter tasted as though it were baked. There was, however, a good portion of chicken, which was very fresh and which I devoured after our outdoor exercise!
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The Gyoza were good although I am not the best judge since I tend to avoid dumplings since they usually contain gluten and I generally find them doughy. I ended up eating just the filling – minced pork, cabbage and mushroom – which was a delicious combination!
When you consider the high quality of food, Yorkville location and warm ambiance, you will find that Kiro Sushi offers great value. Further, if you pay cash, which I did, you’ll receive 10% off your order. Definitely consider Kiro Sushi at Yonge and Bloor the next time you are craving Japanese food!
Kiro Sushi, 14 Collier Street, 647-347-3262
You may be interested in reading, “Green Basil Restaurant on Queen Street East in Toronto: Review“.
I’m not a huge sushi fan; but I do love Japanese culture and this sounds like such a good place to visit! Plus I’m not against trying something new… so long as the food is not still looking at me. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Hi Whitney, Haha, no the food wasn’t still looking at us! I love Japanese culture too – this restaurant was so relaxing yet refined! Cheers, Lori
I have yet to try sushi. That place looks lovely.
Hi Renee, I enjoy it. I would be interested in hearing what you think about sushi once you get a chance to try it! Cheers, Lori
Everything looks really yummy and I would love o try their sushi! It is a new thing that I am liking too so this spot looks perfect! Now I am hungry!
Hi Melissa, Everything was really good at Kiro Sushi! It’s definitely a restaurant I will return to! Cheers, Lori
What a great review! It sounds like a really great place to go eat!
Hi Adriana, It is a great place for sushi! The seafood is so fresh and the ambiance is lovely! Cheers, Lori
I’ve never had California Rolls. My oldest two boys love them though. It’s a big deal to them.
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