Have You Eat Suzume?

It was a beautiful, sunny Friday so I wandered over to Spadina for some Toronto-style pizza. It was fresh out of the oven so the cold temperature helped to cool down the slice. I have burnt my mouth in the past by being too impatient. I thought to finish off lunch with some snacks from Vietnamese bakery and banh mi shop Nguyen Huong. But although Chinatown was looking a little forlorn due to the lockdown, shuttered stores, and buildings torn down for condos, there was actually a line-up outside the shop.

So I kept walking and passed by Bathurst and Dundas where a cluster of shipping containers turned market stalls are found. They were usually closed in winter so I was surprised to see a new one called Suzume Rice Bar was open. I crossed the street to check it out and ended up ordering 3 omusubi for $3.45 each.

These were rice triangles, wrapped in seaweed sheet or nori, and stuffed with various ingredients. They also come cleverly packaged such that the seaweed was kept separate from the warm rice. I fumbled on my first attempt to remove the plastic wrap but quickly got the hang of it. The tuna and green onion was my favourite with its hint of soya sauce. Ume shiso packed a punch but I thought the salted plum overwhelmed all other flavour include the usually fragrant Japanese perilla (shiso). Finally, the salmon and wasabi was sushi-like in its pairing.

Overall, I didn't love these Omusubi: too much rice and little else. It wasn't the fault of Suzume. The grilled Yaki Onigiri, with its crusty rice exterior and soy sauce coating (a favourite at casual diners like Manpuku), is simply a superior snack. Suzume does offer other intriguing dishes and is worth a second visit.