photo by Nikki Lin
Because Canada is a country of immigrants, Canada has all kinds of different food from all over the world. And Vancouver could be one of the most diverse cities in Canada.
For people in Vancouver, their favourite kind of food seems to be sushi. The quality of sushi in Vancouver is good, because of the city’s location, and there are sushi places on almost every block.
Tojo’s restaurant is one of the many Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. Tojo’s is also one of the oldest Japanese restaurants: Owner and Chef Hidekazu Tojo opened the restaurant on 1988, on the second floor of 777 West Broadway in a quirky space, with a homemade feel where he quietly garnered an international reputation.
Tojo’s restaurant is also known for its “omakese.” “Omakase” is the Japanese term for “I’ll leave it to you” and it basically means menu-free. It allows customers to make conversation with the chef about sushi and cooked dishes, which are prepared for their personal preferences according to what the fresh ingredients of that day’s shopping inspire the chef to concoct.
The first time I walked in to Tojo’s, I was surprised by how large it is. Most Japanese restaurant in Vancouver are small and crowded. Tojo’s large sushi bar, comfort table settings and large space were impressive.
After a warm welcome, our server, a mid-age Japanese woman, started presenting the off-the-menu specials. We were lucky, because the special of that day is blue fin toro sashimi, not the kind of food you can find everywhere. The blue fin toro sashimi was fresh and well prepared. You have to pay $45 for six pieces or $80 for 12.
photo by Nikki Lin
photo by Nikki Lin
photo by Nikki Lin
We didn’t order their famous California Roll or omakase. The blue fin toro sashimi aside, the rest of our dishes were okay. Personally, I thought most of their dishes were over-priced. However, it was worth it for a formal Japanese dining experience.
Taylor Lima
Goodness!! I’ve been trying to convince my boyfriend that we should splurge one night and go to Tojo’s for dinner for months. We saw it on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show “No Reservations” a year or so ago… but we still haven’t gone. So this was nice, I got to live vicariously through you. The photos are beautiful, too!
Sascia Smith-Jensen
It’s interesting to hear about your experience at Tojo’s downtown. It seems like a different type of experience that one would have compared to the general sushi restaurant experience in the lower mainland. I love sushi, so hearing about this restaurant’s unique take on a sushi bar sounds exciting. I am definitely intrigued to see what it’s all about. Also, the pictures in the article are very well done, it makes me want to visit the restaurant even more!