Izakaya Tsuki

Izakaya Tsuki (5182 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario)

What used to be Ehwa is now a Japanese izakaya. 

The restaurant is outfitted with dim lighting, red walls, and dark wooden tables. Mel said that they fixed the washrooms up from the last restaurant and they're no longer scary.

Cassis orange.

I enjoy seeing the colour difference. It lets me know just how much of my drink is juice and how much isn't. It was funny how the menu described this drink as a girlie drink without being explicit. And yes, it was very sweet, with almost no alcohol taste - like sweeter than normal orange juice.

Complimentary tofu.

Tuna tataki.

Win. I liked the ponzu jelly bits. Mel thought they were salty, but I think that they were a bit sweet. Jo noted a nutty taste to the white sauce. We thought this dish was pretty cool. I think I liked the sauce and jelly more than the actual fish though. 

Takoyaki.

There were seven balls, and they were nice and crispy on the outside with a large octopus chunk in each of them. The sauce was strong. Win.

Black cod.

It actually looked really soft. When I ate it, it had the sensation of melting in my mouth. The skin was crispy, and the fish was perfectly cooked. I think this was my favourite dish of the night. Super win.

Nagasaki chanpon.

The waitress suggested this one to us.

 I was pretty satisfied with it. There was enough seafood (and meat) in it, and the broth had lots of meat flavour. It was more filling than we had imagined. Mel found it a bit salty, but that didn't bother me.

BC herb grilled tuna. 

I liked the sauced up chunks on top (I think they were caramelized onions with stuff). I think I preferred the texture of this tuna over the tuna tataki for some reason. 

Spider roll.

They were out of the special roll (which wasn't really described on the menu), so we went for this. This was actually the only thing we were disappointed in. The roll was too loose, and there wasn't enough meat in the soft shell crab. I guess we had expected the same quality from this as we had received from the other dishes.

The restaurant divider in the middle is lined with empty alcohol bottles. 

Would I return? Yes! The food was super flavourful, and very satisfying. I'd give the rolls one more try before never ordering them again. The drink I had was tasty and they didn't add too much ice or skimp on the alcohol. Staff was friendly and helpful. And Japanese. That doesn't stop them from offering some Korean dishes on their menu. The only weird thing about this place was that they didn't have tea. Being an izakaya, I guess they were trying to push the alcohol.

Total damage: $34 (for my 1/3 of the food and my drink).