Chotto Matte Toronto — Restaurant in Toronto

Heard some pretty good things about this place and wanted to try it for ourselves. We came in before 6pm on Friday and just a word of advice if you can get in before 6pm do it! They have buy one get one free signature cocktails, it has to be the same one but it's so awesome and worth it!

The atmosphere was really nice, upscale but inviting for larger gatherings of people. The bathroom has this very cool and grungy vibe. Walking up the stairs you come to a hall with neon painted graffiti, insanely immersive and just straight up cool!

We sat at the bar and my girlfriend got a glass of wine while I decided to double fist the La Chakana which is a courvoisier VS cognac, Los Siete Misterios mezcal, chotto vermouth, D.O.M Benedictine and bitters. It is topped with a lava rock which is then set on fire to make the drink extra smoky (its definitely not too smoky so don't be afraid the show alone is so worth it!) 🥃this drink was delicious I was a little worried the mezcal and the fire would make it too smoky but all the flavours blend incredibly well and the cognac actually makes this drink sweet with a hint of smoke! Try it out if you don't like it you will forget because it has a high alcohol content 🤣 jks you won't be disappointed!

We ordered a handful of items on the menu including the Sato Maki roll which was insanely delicious this is also blow torched which gives it a slight smoky flavour but the freshness is unreal so good! 🍣

The spicy tuna crispy rice came next which was very interesting the crisp outside of the rice was neat reminded me of clay pot rice with the crisp. Nice light appetizer comes with about 5 pieces good for sharing and tasting!

The yellowtail Nikkei Sashimi, this dish had a lot more complexity to it along with the presentation. A lot more flavours going on here with the freshness from the tuna paired with the sourness of the yuza combined with the umami richness of the Truffle soy was very interesting. I liked the burst of freshness coming from the cherry tomatoes aswell making this dish extremely interesting and hitting so many different sensory notes with each bite! 🍅

If there is one thing to get you must try the Black Cod Aji Miso, hands down this might have been my favourite item that we got! 🐟 The fish was cooked to perfection, absolute perfection and the pairing of the chili miso marinade with yuzu and chives was unreal. The pairing of everything on this dish along with how perfectly cooked the cod was I could literally eat this every single day, there was also a hint of sweetness in this that I really enjoyed 👌 some serious complements to the chef on this one!

We felt like we needed some vegetables so we also got the Nasu Miso which was very tasty the eggplant and apricot paired together was tasty 🍆. Good but nothing to rave too hard about. The one thing I felt could have been a little better was the Barriguita de Chanchito which was their pork belly dish, ours was a little bit dry maybe if it was a fattier piece if pork it would have been better 🐷 the tomato salsa was good it was just not tender enough for my liking.

We decided to add a dragon roll which maybe was a mistake because we were insanely full by the time this actually came haha. Very good, fresh tasty. Presentation looked great, resembled a dragon coiling around on the plate. 🐉 For a classic I would recommend getting this

We got some compliment taster from the chef of the Asado de Tira and holy cow this one was unreal. The slow cooked braised beef cheek mixed together with the purple potato puree, teriyaki jus and chives is really spectacular. The beef cheek was cooked so insanely well the beef was SO SOFT and tender it literally melts in your mouth! 🐄 We will definitely put this on our order the next time and I am so happy that the chef made us a small taster!

Loved the food, loved the experience we will be back...

We came here last weekend, a group of 4 of us and ordered quite a lot of dishes. Must say that the interior decor and atmosphere are super chic. Very vibrant, great designs, and need I mention: quite instagrammable.

For the food , we ordered:

Shishito Peppers - an amazing dish full of flavors but they gave very minimal peppers for the price.

Yuca Frita - we all loved these. They were perfectly crispy and the added dipping sauce paired perfectly with the crunch.

Spicy Tuna Crispy Sushi- would have to say this was one of our favorites. It was nice and tangy, filled with a burst of flavors, and a pleasant addition to our table.

Vegan Crispy Sushi - this one was alright but we did like the vegetable concoction on the top. It paired well with the crispiness of the rice.

Black Cod Aji Miso- two people out of our group ordered this and I happened to be one of them. I had one bite and automatically felt nauseous. The taste to me was strange and overly fishy. I couldn’t bring myself to take another bite as the unpleasant taste overwhelmed all of my senses. I wanted to send mine back but my husband, after finishing his own black cod piece, on the other hand gladly requested to finish mine as well. He stated that it was great and devoured the whole piece. At least he took that off my hands lol.

Arroz Chaufa (fried rice) I loved this! It was so delicious. The rice was not fully fried which I honestly liked. It was more part-boiled which I appreciated and not oily at all. So many flavors!!! The broccoli and egg and peppers - yum. One of the people that we were with didn’t like his rice after he had a bite so he sent it back. Not sure why because my husband and I enjoyed it a lot. I mention this because it involves one thing that I didn’t like. This was : when the bill came- they left both of the rices on the bill until we mentioned it to the server. Only then did they take it off. Like common guys. Its $15/$20 and we ordered so much food. The dude didn’t like it- it wouldn’t make or break your tip to take it off.

Purple yam truffle mash- this was great! Loved the interesting color given off by the purple yams and the consistency of the dish. Loved the vibrant truffle notes in it as well. Really paired well with some of the other dishes we ordered.

Don’t remember the name of this one but: sushi roll with bass and asparagus inside, seared salmon on the top. One of the servers came and torched the salmon in front of us. I think the combination of sea bass and salmon was a bit… interesting. I wasn’t overly impressed but it was definitely worth giving it a shot.

Amazonian BBQ Salmon- I liked it more than the cod. It had interesting ingredients incorporated into the dish such as goji berries. But I wasn’t floored to be honest.

Warm Cinnamon Churros- didn’t try this so cant comment but hubby and guests liked it.

Japanese Souffle Cheesecake - didn’t try this one either.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fondant - tasted great. Loved the fluffiness of the dessert and the delicious combination of it along with the icecream.

*note : two of the guests ordered meat dishes and a shrimp dish (not sure which so I didn’t list). I usually just comment on food that I eat myself/ food my husband eats.

Overall, would come back but would get some of the appetizers and some sushi rolls. Want to try Chotto Matte in Miami and see if there are any differences once we...

Food and Service Were Great... But the WORST Bathroom Design I've Ever Seen!

This was my first time at Chotto. I came as part of a group of four... and we enjoyed the ambience, food, and professional/attentive service. As someone who spent many years working in restaurants, I can say this was an excellent place and I don't have a single criticism from the dining perspective.

Here's why I'm writing this review though. I went to the washroom on my way out... and in my nearly 33 years I don't think I've ever seen such a cumbersome, ridiculous, trying-too-hard-to-be-cool washroom design as the one they have here.

My grievances are as follows...

Nothing about it is clearly marked. You go up this narrow staircase where you're faced with this mysterious dark hallway that has some new-age art piece at the end. And it's only once you get to the end of the hall that you can look to the left or right and see icons indicating which direction is the men's or women's room. You ever seen those YouTube skits about "Trying to figure out which door is men's or women's at a swanky new-school restaurant?"... think that, but 10x more confusing.

Look at these mirrors. From a distance, they look like a cool art piece that you might see at an art deco gallery or something. But when you're standing in front of it to wash your hands and try to see if you have anything in your teeth after eating lunch, it's incredibly awkward to have to angle your head just to be able to see yourself. Having a mirror flush to the wall is standard in every other restaurant on earth... and I don't see what this place is trying to prove by intentionally choosing such an obtuse design that serves no functional purpose.

It's just so DARK. I could understand the appeal of a dark room with sparse lighting for an art exhibit or a jewellery showroom since there are aesthetic qualities that can be brought out in a dark environment. But this is a bathroom for crying out loud. What do you people think you're trying to accomplish by reinventing the wheel like this? I feel like whoever came up with this design must have thought "Let's do this really edgy and bold bathroom decor, that way people will remember it and want to come back". Maybe it lands well for other people. But for me it had the opposite effect. If I ever go back to Chotto Matte, I would actually try and avoid going to the bathroom during my visit so that I don't have to subject myself to this absolute eyesore ever again.

Anyway, that's enough. Y'all get the idea. The food actually is pretty good and I wouldn't discourage anybody from going to this place to eat or drink. But just be prepared for the weirdest (in a bad way) washroom you've ever seen...