So I got a flyer in the mail the other day from a new sushi restaurant that just opened up in my area called “Wow! Sushi”. With a name like that, I couldn’t resist suggesting we go check this one out.

I must admit that I pretty much expected your typical cheap Toronto sushi, especially in this area. I did like that the chef and waiter immediately greeted and bowed to when I entered. Nice touch. I also noticed on the menu is that they offer the Omakase which isn’t normally available at your typical cheap sushi joint.

As we said each item to order, the waiter acknowledged each time with a “hai” (yes in Japanese) which was kind of cool to me. Not long after we ordered, he returned with a complementary clam soup made with sake broth that’s not even on the menu from what I could tell. Very nice.

I agree. When he the waiter brought the sushi appetizer, I expected the standard, generic looking sushi. Salmon, mock crab and that old shrimp slice you always get. Not this time. I was blown away by the look, quality and freshness of the fish. When he went through each one telling us where they were from, wow indeed. One thing that I do remember is that the butter fish is naturally very oily. To combat that, they lightly sear it. Amazing stuff.

I was thinking the same thing. Next came out the Spicy Tuna Rolls and the Unagi Rolls. Nice presentation for both and thought the rolls tasted great too. While we were eating the rolls, the sushi chef actually looked over and told us that we should change our “Wow Roll” order to the Japango Roll because the Wow Roll has some similar ingredients to the Unagi Roll we were eating and recommended we switch so that we have some variety. Sure why not!

Next up was the Sushi Pizza. This time around, it was cut and placed into individual slices rather on a long serving plate. After all the sushi pizzas we’ve had, this is actually the first time I’ve seen it presented like that. It tasted pretty good, on par with most places.

Once we were finished eating, to top off the meal, the waiter brings over a complementary black sesame ice cream with fig tempura. Also used some cool grinder to sprinkle something… ( do you know what it was? ) Nice dessert and another pleasant surprise. Since this place has been open for just a month or so, I doubt expect the freebies to continue as I am sure it’s more of a promotional tool. I’ll take it. And of course you know my rule for getting free dessert!

Yes the chopstick board for regulars is pretty bad ass. After talking with the waiter some more, he mentioned that they used to work at the Japango on Elizabeth Street, near University and Dundas for over 5 years and have decided to open their own restaurant. Good luck to them because I think this place is great from the quality sushi to the friendly service. The place is a bit small but cozy. I will definitely be back and hope to one day have a pair of my own chopsticks on wall. 9.5/10.

It was a bit of a surprise that they offered both regular menu or all you can eat option. Usually it’s one or the other. The place is pretty nice a lot bigger than it appears to be from the front. If I remember correctly, it’s only a few years old. The previous tenants of was a…wait for it…a sushi restaurant.

It wasn’t too busy and I always wondered how well a sushi place could really do attached to a hotel. I can understand a standard North American type restaurant but a sushi restaurant seems a bit odd. The menu was pretty large with lots of photos. The waitress left us to look over the menu to figure out what to order. She came back to take our food and drink order at once rather than the normal drinks first. I asked for green tea and you ordered a coke?

I was tempted to go with another party boat but figured why not go back to the rolls. For all the times we’ve eaten sushi, I can never remember the magic number of dishes we should order. Is it 5? 4? You said you were hungry so 5 it is! The first few dishes came out pretty quick with the rest coming out shortly afterward.

Nice catch! I agree, it was all fine but nothing really out of the ordinary or special about them. It’s looking more and more like a “just another sushi restaurant”. The sushi pizza and the Mango Salmon Roll came out. Tasted pretty good as well and the Sushi pizza had my kind of spiciness level. A welcome change considering the last few places have been a bit too spicy for me.

The rest of the rolls were decent, pretty standard fare. I don’t know about you but it seems that after all these reviews, I think we might be raising the bar in determining what is “good sushi”. I noticed that some of the rolls were kind of big so it made it challenging to eat them in one bite.

I noticed you were struggling with that piece. It was a scary moment and I thought that I’d have to pull the out heimlich maneuver! Ok maybe not that scary… I agree, I think it ruins the experience when they make huge size pieces so you spend more time trying to chew than actually taste and enjoy the sushi. Oh well, in the end, I think Masa is a decent place. Very nice decor and a lot more space than you would think from the outside. For me, it falls under the “yet another sushi restaurant” category. Not bad but not great. 7/10 for me. I did notice on the way out they that have some kind of hibachi or teppanyaki kind of service as well which are always fun so maybe worth checking out.

As I was about to arrive, I had a weird feeling that it was going to be closed like the last time we tried. Lucky for us, it wasn’t. For the second time in a row you got there before me?!? as I see you sitting near the entrance. I notice its a quite smaller than I thought it would be but appears very nice from the decor.

Ha I guess you are right. I am getting burned by the fact that I expect the TTC to be late and they are actually on time! Don’t worry, it won’t last. Also, it’s one of those things where the closer you are, the more likely you will be late for whatever reason. The menu was pretty classy and the place seems more like a genuine Japanese restaurant and that of course means no Sushi Pizza on the menu. I guess it’s not the big hit in Japan as it is in Toronto. Based on what I see and hear from the Sushi chef in the corner, I think he is actually Japanese! A rarity among Sushi restaurants in Toronto as most seemed to be either Korean or Chinese. Figure that out. True about Labatt ice. It brought back memories of good old Molson XXX with the higher than normal alcohol content. Whatever happened to that piss tasting beer? Anyways, the menu seems a bit more expensive than most and the standard items are there. No “crazy” or specialty type rolls on the menu this time.

As far as a refill offer, do you notice that it’s actually kind of rare to get an offer? It seems like you always have to ask for another beer at most of these places. Or maybe it’s just me. Oh food. Yes, the sashimi was good size and tasted very fresh. Was a good choice to start with. Up next was the rolls. I believe a few came out at once?

Yes the veggie…. never a fan of pure veggie only dishes unless it’s called a salad. For some reason, I always feel there should be some kind of protein/meat involved but good to try something different. The rolls tasted pretty good. Halfway through though, I could tell that we probably needed to order some more.

Yeah the veggie comes back to haunt you. Hmm I believe I predicted that :) The other rolls were very good as well. They weren’t kidding about the SPICY tuna. Had some nice zip to it and I expect the same with the soon to arrive spicy salmon roll. The second roll we ordered was some kind shrimp tempura roll. Both were very good. I also believe you had to ask for a refill for your empty glass? I see a pattern here as that’s pretty much the norm at sushi places. The green tea constantly gets refilled but the beer… that’s another story.

Yup, gotta love the spiciness of the spicy salmon. Rolls were great and I agree with you that you really can’t go wrong with the place. The atmosphere, sushi chef and menu are on the more “traditional” side of things and the prices are a bit more but the bill wasn’t as big as I thought it would be which is always a welcome surprise. I give it 8.5 out of 10. I think I would have bumped it to 9 but I must admit, I kind of wished they had some more unique and creative types of rolls that some of the more “nontraditional” places provide. Still a great place but remember it’s not open TUESDAY nights!

Yup it was a little while ago. From what I remember, when I got there, I noticed it was already pretty busy but I did manage to get a small table for two…and I do mean a small table. It was a bit cramped but it’s a good sign if it’s busy. Normally means the food is pretty good. I think we also got the spicy tuna rolls as well. We got the spicy salmon rolls as well but when we asked the waitress to confirm if the dish we got was that, I could barely understand her and after a few tries, I just said “sure sounds good, thanks” One thing that I remember, and probably always will, was the chopstick skills by my fellow writer with the sushi pizza. Did the soy sauce ever wash off the shirt??

Great tip! I almost forgot about that. Also notice that when it comes to paying more, the service is suddenly is right there speaking perfect English. Anyways, I did like the place and would recommend it. 8 spilled soy sauces out of 10.

Ha, the tea is freaking hot. You can’t even pick it up. Although on a cold day, it’s nice to warm up your hands. Gotta love Asian restaurants where they serve you hot tea when you sit down rather than ice water. The place was pretty busy when I arrived but was seated right away.

It is a nice cozy little spot. I think if we look at just about all the sushi menus, we’ll see lots of typos and classic Chinglish. ESL is big these days. Speaking of menus, seems they have a pretty good selection of combos. I noticed that the price of rolls is maybe $1 or $2 cheaper than normal. I figure it’s because you’ll get 6 pieces rather than 8. We’ll see. Obviously we’ll get the customary sushi pizza and what do you think about going for their “specially named/designed” rolls that we see on the menu?

Um no highway names? You already forgot about the ‘Route 66’ maki! The ‘cowboy’ kind of made me a bit nervous. Not the biggest fan of ordering beef maki but what the hell….The best part was when I listed all our items to the waitress she thought it was all for me!

I agree on just about everything. The sushi pizza was different and had a nice spice to it. I still like the more traditional version. The cowboy won me over as well. Nice taste but not sure if I would order it on my own. Still have something against ordering cooked beef maki. Yummi Yummi was a huge disappointment. It’s basically a glorified California Roll. Maybe next time I should actually read the description but I was sold by the name alone! It looks like the maki is 6 pieces, hence the price. I am still hungry so feel like grabbing another roll?

Cool. Let’s go with a trusted brand: the rainbow roll. Can never go wrong with that one.

LOL, yeah that was pretty weak. Only certain guys can pull that kind of move off… and he’s not one of them. I could have sworn they were sitting there for a while when they suddenly realized that they forgot each others name.

Hmm I am a bit torn here. Based on what we ordered, I would give it a 7 (not so) yummi rolls out of 10 for pretty much the same reason. But I think it’s almost unfair since we went outside the norm picking some different dishes. I have a feeling if we went with “the usual” it would be an 8. Oh well maybe next time.

After getting text message from you that you would be 10-15 min late due to some Viva delay, I arrive at 7:10pm and of course you were even later. At least got served hot green tea right away to warm up because it was freezing.

Now the menu. Pretty standard stuff but noticed that at this place, the rolls are 6 pieces rather than 8 pieces. Cheaper? Maybe I’ll get the calculator out… maybe not. Taped on the wall the “Tuna Sushi Specials” that looks like it’s about 1 or 2 bucks off. As we start to order our items, I notice we get the waitress that doesn’t write down anything – my greatest fear.

Yeah I stick to the green tea. Don’t usually drink alcohol in the public due to the “Asian Glow”. Still have to get around to trying that Pepcid AC trick! Another tradition: Sushi Pizza which I swear I think is a Toronto only dish. For some reason, I don’t see some real Japanese Sushi chef making one. As per usual, our sushi chefs are either Chinese or Korean.

Well basically, some of us Asians are allergic to alcohol. Something about missing an enzyme to break it down properly. Hence we get very red and flush. Apparently Pepcid AC helps to reduce that flushing. Thanks to the power of Google, us Asians can now get hammered just like everyone else! Anyways, on to the food. The rolls came out first in one large plate: Tuna Spicy Dragon roll, QEW Roll and the Gold Dragon Roll.

Soft? Didn’t really notice that but then again my friend, I think you need to work on your chopstick skills cause I see that you struggling with those “soft rolls”. Dare I say it, need a fork? At least there’s no shortage of soy sauce as it’s perhaps the biggest bottle I’ve ever seen, definitely a two fister. I agree with you that the QEW Roll did live up to their name but the other two were pretty good. Now arrives the Spicy Tuna Sushi Pizza. It’s the biggest I’ve seen too and served on some kind of fish shaped plate. It’s got a pile of those crunchy tempura bits all over it.

Haha, they are really serious about the freshness of the fish! Kind of reminds me of a Chinese restaurant where they have a huge fish tank of or lobster tank and you can go ahead and pick the one you want to eat. It’s the best!

Yes I’ve never seen that level of kindness from a customer ever… guess cause it’s the holidays. Natural Sushi was pretty good, more or less standard Toronto fare that didn’t blow me away but didn’t make me sick either. I give it 7 QEW rolls out of 10.