On a recent trip to Toronto, I had the unfortunate experience of having 3 bad dinners and one home run. Having just come from the U.S.’s largest city with its abundance of great eating places, this was a huge disappointment for Canada’s largest city. Here was the first strike out: Jabistro. Jabistro is a Japanese (sushi restaurant). When I go somewhere, I do a lot of research and I use multiple sources. I have a process that I feel is successful most of the time. After all, my main business is in research.
Jabistro had fairly impressive reviews, but people I spoke to locally were split. Some said it was overrated, some said it was good. This made me even more curious. We started with a simple green salad which was just that. Nothing more, nothing less. So far, no issues.
Then came the aburi sampler for 2 (but we added one as we were three). The aburi was ok, but the standard for this is Miku and I much prefer their aburi.
Lastly, the true test. The nigiri. We ordered various pieces including uni, blue fin and it was underwhelming.
Overall service was ok. The meal came to about $500 with tip and a bottle of sake. I rarely talk about pricing on this blog unless its out of whack, and I feel that for this quality and experience, you are better off going somewhere else. For example, you can get an amazing omakase at Tachi for for $69.75! It will include an amazing selection of fish, traditionally prepared with passion by the same group that owns Masaki Saito. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not advocating for cheap sushi. I know good sushi costs $, but this place is not offering a high quality omakase experience that justifies the cost and you can do better for less or similar prices elsewhere.
thanks for the important review, Toronto needs to step up its game!