Two Little Cups of Chawanmushi

The Mikado is a small restaurant in the Leaside neighbourhood. It claims to be the oldest Japanese-owned Japanese restaurant in Toronto and opened since 1978. I decided to try their omakase dinner which was quoted at $50 per person. However, with the addition of live soft-shell crab and a sashimi plate, the final tally was $95 per person (before tax and tip). Since both plates were shared, this came to an extra $45 per dish! This is totally unreasonable and I would suggest that you ask what is included with the standard omakase dinner and don't accept additional dishes.

A description of the dishes can be found on chowhound by my fellow diner. I will simply add a few comments of my own. The soft-shell crab was sweet and crunchy, too bad only 1 was offered (and apparently $45!). I remember Omi gave each person their own crustacean. But this was before their recent relocation. The red snapper neck was done better at Yuzu. However, the nasu miso and chawanmushi were unusual and delicious while the ika tempura was perfectly tender. Both the sushi and the sashimi (another $45!) plates were so-so: the fish was simply adequate; the fatty tuna was possibly the stringiest I've ever had, more like a raw beef than the usual soft melt-in-your-mouth toro; and the rice was dry and lacked that hint of vinegar of well-prepared sushi rice.

So my advice is to insist on the regular omakase dinner, perhaps even skipping out on the raw fish completely and sticking with cooked dishes. In fact, I might do that myself with all my Japanese/omakase meals. Lately, I've found that the sushi offered by various Toronto establishments are decidedly mediocre: bland and without a good mouth-feel.