Zakkushi Izakaya, Toronto

Izakayas are a very popular Japanese style "bistro" featuring Japanese comfort food. Many new izakayas have recently opened in the Toronto area. Zakkushi is one of the recent entries, a crowded, noisy bustling place. There are a lot of skewered items offered on the menu. For the most part, they are "ok", but not special enough to make me want them again. The exceptions were the wagyu beef and the tongue.

Takoyaki, deep fried octopus balls topped with slightly smokey, shaved bonito flakes. They were not crisp enough and there was a dearth of octopus bits so the texture was not what I like.

"Premium" skewers of wagyu beef, chicken thigh and beef tongue (but they forgot the eel that I ordered).

More skewers for us to try: chicken gizzard, heart, skin (not crispy enough) and liver ( a touch overcooked) and very good "crunchy/juicy" pork belly skewers. Also, very good chargrilled chicken thigh with yuzu and chili.

Crispy, tasty shisito pepper skewers topped with bonito shavings.

Kinako mochi ice cream with soy powder. I have enjoyed much better mochi elsewhere.

Kuro gama/black sesame ice cream with raspberry sauce, a big hit for everyone at the table.

I also enjoyed the annin tofu, house made almond jelly with strawberry sauce.

Jabistro, Superior Japanese Food in Toronto

Jabistro offers a superior Japanese food experience. I found the sashimi to be very fresh. The torched sushi (a new experience for me, despite several trips to Japan and top resto experiences there) in the form of oshizushi, pressed rectangular shaped sushi, was quite a gustatory experience. 

The assembly of different dishes such as the smoked duck breast dish, was creative and pleasing and not just a haphazard fusion of disparate elements. I apologize for the photos, the result of using an apple I-phone, which I maintain, does not take photos of as good a quality as my Blackberry 9900, which I forgot (I know Steve (Davey), you would prefer I use a good camera without flash and that's coming).

Pickled sliced cucumber salad (chunks of romaine lettuce buried underneath the cucumber slices. A very attractive and tasty rendition.

A platter of seared tiger shrimp oshizushi and an array of tiger shrimp "tartar", heads and tails. Sucking the juices from fresh raw shrimp heads is a personal taste pleasure. Again, truly fresh ingredients, the key to a very good experience.

An incredible platter of very fresh sashimi of whatever was fresh that day, including the tail of a live lobster, an extra that needs to be requested. Sea urchin was mounted on sliced monkfish liver. The top bowls were very tasty cubes, a mix of chopped fish skin and bits of fish in agar agar jelly, accompanied by salmon roe, a red onion slice and sushi rice.

Smoked duck breast slices (on the bottom) with fried, crispy burdock shavings and onsen tomago (a barely poached egg). Terrific flavours with very pleasing  texture contrasts.

Mini wagyu burgers, a "special", topped with burdock and carrot. A good dish, but, for me, the best burgers, burgers with the best beefy flavour and good texture, are not made with wagyu beef.

Tiger shrimp oshizushi, butterflied shrimp on sushi rice that has been blowtorch seared on the top adding pleasing caramelized flavours. 

Buttery Atlantic salmon oshizushi, topped with slices of jalapeno pepper, blowtorched seared on the top, adding pleasing caramelized flavours that combined well with the spicy bight of the pepper.

The final service of the lobster sashimi on the platter, a soup made from miso and lobster broth with chopped scallions.