Toshi Ryoriten — Restaurant in Richmond Hill

What would have been a good meal, sadly ended on a very sour note.

Having eaten at some excellent sushi restaurants around North America, we have been fortunate to enjoy and appreciate the elevated offerings that high end Japanese restaurants can achieve.

We started off by ordering a few appetizers to share. Sesame spinach and chicken karaage, which were both quite good. Simple, but relatively on point (the dashi'esq marinade for the chicken was very tasty). We also ordered the grilled calamari with ginger sauce. A few bites in we noticed that the squid's spine (the long translucent bone running the length of the squid body) was not removed and each slice had a piece of it in it. We informed the waiter as we did not want to continue to eat it (shocking!?) and assumed that it would simply be removed from the bill (not a far fetched assumption under said circumstances, by any means...).

We then ordered a number of pieces of nigiri sushi, a few iterations of toro, and a couple rolls. All were quite good! Shari was also well executed.

When it came time to pay the bill, our server informed us that they could not remove the calamari from the bill, as the 'chef' told him that the spine is not able to be removed. What!? Shock took over my sensibilities as I informed them that surely they are mistaken, as a cook of 20+ years, having cleaned many squid in my time, I assured him that in fact it is very easy to remove the entire spine from the squid. He was unrelenting in their position, and not wanting to cause any further of an issue at the restaurant, I paid the bill and left.

What could have been a memorable meal and prompted many return visits, sadly was left with a very bad taste...

Honestly I was quite disappointed with the food and service quality here.

Obviously you can't compare Toshi Ryoriten to restaurants like Yasu (which is amazing) in downtown, as these belong in different price tiers of Omakase. That being said, there should be some sort of expectation when you're paying 90 plus for a course. And unfortunately it really does fall short in terms of what I expected.

First of all, the nigiri was really not anything to boast about. The selection was ok. The worst part was that 30% of most individual nigiri pieces consisted of overpowering wasabi. I understand that it is conventional to add wasabi to nigiri pieces and I probably had the option to remove wasabi completely. However, usually in other Omakase restaurants; the chefs only put a touch of wasabi to complement the natural flavours of fish. Not the overpowering wasabi taste I experienced the other night there. I do have to give credit where it is due, the duck liver nigiri piece was really good, flavours were on point but that's about the only highlight of the night. Other appetizers were really just overpriced items, nothing special.

Service on the other hand was mediocre at best. Don't want to get into details but let's just say I didn't feel the customer service quality, especially this type of restaurant. Felt like some HK cafe waitresses give better services.

All in all, if you want a low entry point of Omakase experience, go for it. But personally I would rather dish out an extra 100-200 and try other higher end spots. As the complexity of flavours and customer services of those restaurants are miles ahead of Toshi Ryoriten. Or if you wanna eat tasty budget sushi, there are plenty of other...

I recently dined at Toshi Ryoriten, and I must say, the experience left me thoroughly disappointed. I had high hopes for their sushi and sashimi, but what I encountered was far from what I expected.

Let's start with hygiene, which is absolutely critical when it comes to raw fish. Sadly, Toshi Ryoriten fell short in this department. The dining area didn't look particularly clean, and I couldn't help but notice some questionable spots on the table. It made me wonder how clean their kitchen and food preparation areas are. When it comes to sushi and sashimi, cleanliness is paramount, and this was a big letdown.

Now, onto the food itself. I don't mind paying a bit more for high-quality sushi, but what I received didn't justify the price tag at all. The sushi and sashimi were subpar in terms of freshness and taste. I've had better sushi at TnT Supermarket at a fraction of the cost. The fish didn't taste particularly fresh, and some pieces had an odd texture that left me concerned about its quality.

Moreover, the presentation was lackluster. When you go to a sushi restaurant, you expect a certain level of artistry in how the dishes are plated. Sadly, Toshi Ryoriten didn't deliver on this front either. The plates lacked the visual appeal that is part of the sushi dining experience.

Overall, I cannot recommend Toshi Ryoriten to anyone looking for a satisfying sushi and sashimi experience. The lack of hygiene and quality, coupled with the high prices, make it a disappointing choice. Save your money and go elsewhere if you want sushi that's not only affordable but also of a much...