Chef Donghwi Jang opened Kaito Sushi Omakase after working
at Tachi and seeing how patrons seem to enjoy the omakase experience even in time-crunched situations. It’s an
experience that’s now commonly found in Toronto: a small group of diners (8 at
Kaito) sit around the bar and a chef makes the sushi piece-by-piece so that
it’s eaten optimally. Some substitutions can be made if there’s an allergy, otherwise,
you leave it all in the chef’s hands, literally.
Unlike many places, at Kaito the atmosphere is more casual.
Chef Jang encourages conversation so of all the experiences, it was one where
we conversed with the chef and fellow guests the most. Maybe it has something
to do with the fish being pre-sliced and sitting in piles on the board. There’s
not that same hush that falls over the crowd as a sharp knife is yielded and
you watch as a piece of well-trimmed fish is deftly cut into even slices.
In fact, Chef Jang doesn’t seem to cut at all, rather you’re
watching him assemble the sushi. To be fair, it’s similar to Tachi. Tachi just
hides it better with an elevated table, which keeps the fish hidden, and chefs complete
finishing touches on the protein so it seems like they’re actually cutting
before presenting. I get it, you need all this prep work to keep the meal down
to an hour, otherwise it’d be difficult to get diners through twelve pieces in
such a short time ($55 a person at the time of the post, will be $65 starting
September 2019).
A meaty piece of
hotate begins the meal, the scallop fresh and sparsely garnished so it
starts off as a light bite.
I rather enjoyed the quick torch the chef used on the madai, which helps warm the sea bream
slightly bringing out the fish and wasabi flavours. Yet, I’d suggest scoring
the skin around the fish to make it easier to bite through as it tends to be
chewy cut.
Interestingly, the fatty otoro
makes an appearance early on in the meal - it’s usually that flashy piece
that chefs generally leave to the latter half. At Kaito, they’re heavier on the
soy glaze, but it works and you certainly taste the flavourful fish.
Chef Jang followed this with two stronger mackerels. The aji’s consistency was a little soft for
my taste and had a very fishy finish … I definitely consumed a number of pickled
daikon after tasting this one, Kaito’s version of the pickled ginger.
Meanwhile, the sawa tasted
cleaner, the Spanish mackerel augmented with a decent portion of wasabi and soy
sauce to help balance the strong fish.
When a diner asked why Chef Jang decided to branch out to
start an omakase restaurant, he replied that he thinks omakase is trendy right
now. It’s an interesting thought, is omakase the next ramen or udon? One would
hope not. No offense to the noodle makers, but being a sushi chef requires a
more skillful hand and I certainly wouldn’t want any Joe Shmoe to open up an
omakase restaurant. After all, to leave my palette and stomach to a chef, I
need to have some level of trust for the person.
He also noted that he wants to do things differently and be
too traditional. Some pieces in the latter half of the meal showcased this
perfectly. Firstly, the tuna marinated in soy sauce so that the fish almost
gets a ceviche feel, it was a tasty piece.
To break up the avante
garde sushi, a piece of seared katsuo
is served, the bonito nicely warmed and topped with green onion. It was good
but could use more of the garnish.
Quite frankly, I would have liked more of Chef Jang’s
creative concoctions. The next piece he removes from a cloche that was sitting
on the counter since the beginning of the meal. In it lies pieces of salmon
that although looks like any other raw salmon is actually smoked so it gets
that lovely rich flavour, but without the heat so the fish’s texture doesn’t
change.
The ikura is a
refreshing piece to follow, served very cold so the salmon roe almost acts like
a salty palette cleanser. I enjoyed this this progression after the smoked
salmon.
The warm anago was
delicate and tender, but there was too much of the sweet sauce slathered on top
that the eel became lost. As a rice and sauce bite, I guess it tasted fine.
Chef Jang should consider closing the meal with the sashimi
roll, a piece of neutral white fish rolled with crispy Asian pear to add a
juicy sweetness, fish roe for saltiness, and a slightly spicy gochujang sauce. It’s an interesting
bite filled with different flavours and would have ended his inventive menu
perfectly.
Instead, the meals finishes similar to Tachi, with a temaki hand roll filled with chopped
tuna with plenty of green onion. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a delicious piece,
but switching this and the sashimi roll would have given a more impactful and
memorable finish. After all, we’re not following tradition anyways!
Overall, the meal had some good pieces and others that could
be improved. For the price ($55), it was a fair-valued omakase menu. Yet,
despite the more comfortable environment (you actually get to sit at Kaito vs.
the standing bar at Tachi) and the longer meal time (an hour instead of 30 minutes),
what Kaito lacks service.
There were a couple of nitpicky things I noticed:
- The prepping area around the bar wasn’t meticulously cleaned
and wiped down as with other experiences. When there’s raw fish involved, I
really would rather not see stray water and water spots around the counter.
- Something that perhaps doesn’t matter to everyone, but the
wasabi is not the freshly grated version. For me, I’d rather pay an extra $5 to
get a good quality condiment.
Moreover, the overall ordering and paying process is
awkward. Instead of just listing all the specials at the beginning, Chef Jang
announces somewhere during the third piece that they’re also offering uni for the night for an extra $18. It
seems to put people on the spot and group think settles in as guests end up
doing what the first outspoken person decides (none of us added this
piece).
Despite there being someone else at the restaurant during
the ordering phase, Chef Jang cashes us out. Yet, instead of giving a printed
receipt, he simply presents the paying terminal with the total already entered.
After the first couple points out their total seems off (what he thought was
tea was actually hot water), other patrons start asking for an itemized bill.
Lastly, the meal ends pretty abruptly, so you feel pressure
to just pay and exit. This is despite half the restaurant being dedicated to a
lounge area that’s supposed to be used post dinner so guests can enjoy tea and
sweets. In fact, no one asks if we’d like dessert, which is listed on the menu…
I just didn’t realize I’d have to order at the beginning. Instead, we paid and
quickly trickled out so the group waiting outside could go in.
At Tachi, this hasty finish doesn’t matter as much given the
restaurant is located in the General Assembly Hall - customers can easily get a
dessert or drink from another vendor and settle into the communal seating area.
When you’re located in a quiet area on St. Clair Avenue, it’s a bit of a letdown
for people who want to make it a night.
In the end, the meal just isn’t as polished. So yes, perhaps
omakase is gaining popularity, but it’s also an experience that requires a high
level of hospitality and professionalism. As much as I enjoyed the imaginative
new ideas for sushi that Chef Jang is creating, you can’t beat the warming cordiality
of traditional Japanese dining.
Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1211 St. Clair Avenue West
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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
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