rly Oct 31,2006

I second Kaji, great food.
Great presentation and low key service.
It is quiet enough to chat rather than scream at your companion. It is also a long evening of tasting, and you never feel rushed.
Love the place!

Food Tourist Sep 17,2006

Kaji is amazing. They took a last-minute reservation at 8:45 Friday night for a 9:15 seating. Though they refused to seat us at the bar (where there were seats available), overall, the experience was still excellent. The Takumi dinner ($120 for 9 courses) appealed with three courses laden with pine mushrooms now in season, and the Iki dinner ($80 for 5 courses) tempted with smoked trout in cherry sauce, but the Waza dinner ($100 for 7 courses) proved to be the winner and we both ordered it.

Butternut squash soup, presented piping hot with tiny croutons in a perfect white cup and saucer, started the meal in style. Ice-cold chef-recommended sake ($52 for 300 mL) complemented delicious lobster salad with yuzu pepper mousse and strawberry sauce. (Lobster, strawberries and cream are my new threesome fantasy.) Ten pieces of perfect sashimi (Australian red salmon, firm Japanese makerel, and tender tuna belly) were served on a bed of seaweed and daikon, with flavourful soy sauce and fresh wasabi good enough to drink and eat separately.

Pan-fried chicken confit, oyster mushrooms, and miso balsamic vinegar sauce piled on a tomato slice impressed with its home-made simplicity - the chicken wasn't perfectly tender but still tasty. Shrimp, foie gras and pine mushroom crispy "crepe" (fried and sliced into rolls) with curry sauce only lost marks for ho-hum foie gras. Pine mushrooms don't have the sweetness or tenderness of oyster mushrooms, but were a welcome novelty.

Nine pieces of sushi were presented two or three at a time, each new plate a delight: lobster; crab; unagi; scallop with sea salt and white pepper; smoked and fresh trout; three presented with toppings such as green peppercorn sauce; etc. (Uni, squid, and clam were absent from the menu.) Simple buckwheat noodles in miso soup, served alongside the sushi, proved a filling end to a surprisingly large meal.

Average green tea creme brulee, and lovely coconut cream with white peaches provided a chance to share desserts; both were accompanied by absolutely picture-perfect fruit salad.

Dinner for two including 2 beers, bottle of sake and taxes came to $300 plus tip. I'm trying to think of another special occasion to celebrate so that I have the opportunity to return very soon.

vinojoe Aug 08,2006

We ate at Kaji two weeks ago. The quality of the sushi and sashimi were suberb; the cooked dishes were good, but less impressive with the octopus starter being only mediocre. We had the $80 dinner and it was enough food for me and more than enough for my wife and our friend. If you are a big eater, I would order one of the higher priced dinners.

cutehinano Jul 25,2006

Kaji also has a small sushi bar at Le Cafe Michi in Scarborough. I've heard that he's there some times during lunch on the weekend. Same quality but cheaper (a la carte menu). Their chirashi is really great.

Candy May 19,2006

Sushi Kaji now only serves the $120 multi-course tasting menu. The a la carte menu is no longer available. It was a good meal and the portion was just a little too much. I definitely like the sushi and sashimi here. That being said, I was not blown away by the dishes from the kitchen. Sure they were delicious but they simply did not have the same refinement and restraint seen in Hashimoto. I would come back for the sushi and sashimi alone. However, seeing that I have no choice but to order the tasting menu, it's most likely that I would visit other sushiya for sushi and Hashimoto when I'm in the mood for cooked Japanese cuisine for the best of each world.

Shirley Nov 24,2005

The experience I had at Kaji was truly amazing. My husband and I each pick one of the omakases (one $120 and one $85) to try the widest variety. We had toro (tuna belly) from blue fin tuna which totally melted in our mouth. It is the finest and freshest ingredients, the creativity of food matching and the care in presentation that make the experience out of this world.
The only japanese restaurant in Canada I have tried that can match this is Tojo in Vancouver, THE master chef that recreate Japanese food in North America.

Tom Sep 04,2005

My biggest gripe about Kaji is their abalone is consistantly far too small/tough, not much sense in offering "luxury" ingredients that aren't worth the space they take in your stomach. Other than that, fish quality is certainly far better than any in the city and Kaji's 2nd in command Takeshi Okada is also an excellent chef in his own right.

If its in the budget, make sure you get the omakase and sit at bar, he will take care of you :)