Sake in Toronto
Posted by bmountain | Posted in Restaurants, Sake | Posted on 06-08-2009
From Left to Right, Bill Sweetman, Bob Mountain, and Pete Lamson.
The last place I expected to get good sake was on the Danforth in Toronto. More commonly known as “Greektown”, this stretch of midtown Toronto has the highest density of Greek restaurants in North America. After an amazing dinner on a warm summer evening with my colleague Pete and two clients, we stopped at an unassuming Japanese restaurant called Katsu for an after-dinner sake. Katsu has several sidewalk tables and loads of pedestrian traffic so it’s a wonderful place to people watch while you enjoy your sake. The wait staff was courteous, friendly, and attentive.
The sake menu is limited but they carry Hakutsuru’s junmai ginjo. Hakutsuru is one of the largest sake producers in Japan. They brew sake year round and while it’s considered “mass produced”, it has a clean crisp flavor and is an excellent value. All three of us (we lost one of our dinner party to a long commute home) enjoyed it. We could have let it chill a bit longer, I tend to like my sake very cold, but no harm done. We were all stuffed from dinner so didn’t try their sushi but the tables around us seemed to be enjoying it so I’d have to give it a thumbs up.
So if you’re on the Danforth in Toronto and hankering for a sake, fear not, there’s an oasis nearby!
Hakutsuru’s Junmai Ginjo
Cost: $26 (Canadian)
300 ml
Alcohol 14.5%
Sake Meter Value +3
Katsu Japanese Restaurant
572 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON M4K 1R1, Canada
(416) 466-3388
572 Danforth Ave
Toronto, ON, Canada
Have you tried Fune? It has a couple of decent sakes, including one of our favorites: Okunomatsu Kinmon (Golden Crest) Sake. We’ve been trying to find it in the states, but so far the only places that seem to have it are Canadian restaurants.
Hey Improvius, I have not but I’m planning to be in Toronto next week on Business so I’m going to see if I can find it. Can’t find much about Golden Crest on-line so perhaps it’s not imported into the lower 48? Thanks for the tip though, looking forward to checking it out. My personal favorite right now is Gokyo, dollar for dollar it’s the best value I’ve found, at least in NYC. I had some of their reserve and it was truly outstanding.
And just so you know, the sushi at Fune is decent, but not really as good as Nami. It has a boat-style sushi bar, which can actually be a lot of fun if you’re in the right frame of mind for it.
Oh, and Happy Sake Day!
Thanks Improvius, I didn’t get to check out Fune but I did go to Kaji in Etobicoke. WOW, one of the better Japanese experiences I’ve had in Canada. Pricey but the food and sake were excellent. Strongly recommended! Looking forward to checking out your recommendations next time for sure!