Nakamori Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

Went here with some friends to try the $80/person Omakase. Was really looking forward to it as the only other time I've tried an Omakase was in Seattle and it left a very favourable impression on me.

From my brief understanding and experience, Omakase loosely translates to "chefs choice". This is great, I'm all for leaving it up to the chef to be creative and make up some dishes.

Had I known this Omakase meant the chef picking dishes off the menu and giving you a sample, I would have probably not tried this option. The restaurant is a small space located in an area where you would not expect to find a high-rated sushi restaurant.

First dish, a sampling plate consisting of 1 ceviche taco (can order on the menu $14, probably comes in threes), an Asian Caprese salad and a spicy salmon ball...tasty, artistic presentation but doesn't leave a wow factor. I don't get the Asian Caprese salad. It had tomatoes, mozz cheese, and maybe mint to replace basil but still tasted like a Caprese. I would probably not order this if it was on the menu simply because I could go to an Italian restaurant and get a far better version. Just like I would probably not go to an Italian restaurant to order a sushi roll.

Second dish, Seafood Ginger Miso Soup...very tasty miso soup with a hint of ginger that doesn't overpower but is enough to balance and add another level of flavour. But again, it seems like you can order this dish off the menu for $7.

Third dish, Wasabi Beek Steak...available off the menu ($29)

Fourth dish, Jerk Chicken Karaage (one piece) and Wasabi Tempura Prawn (one piece). The jerk chicken was very tender and moist, well seasoned and packed with flavour. But again...you can order this off the menu as an app for $9.

Fifth dish, a plate of assorted sashimi (fewer pieces) and sushi. There was uni, fish roe, Japan salmon, mackerel, tuna, octopus and yellowtail (hamachi). While most of the stuff on here were quite tasty, there weren't any fish you couldn't get at other restaurants and you can also order this off the menu too.

Sixth dish was dessert of cookie dough ice cream and green tea tiramisu. These two were both quite delicious.

With the spacing of the meal it was enough to eat but we were still hungry after so we ordered the sushi and sashimi combo...which had all the fish we just ate with the Omakase.

When you factor all this in plus one beer, taxs and tips, our bill came very close to $500.00 for a group of 4.

Here's the thing, I really believe we could have ordered most of the food off the regular menu and paid HALF the price. This Omakase, for the price they charge, leaves A LOT to be desired. The other food that you can't order...well, to be honest, I wouldn't have miss it...okay fine, the dessert was pretty spectacular.

The service wasn't terrible but wasn't memorable either. You would expect the waiters to know their dishes pretty well for an Omakase but several times we had to ask, "what are we eating, again"? and then met with, "it's probably salmon, let me check. (comes back) Yeah, it's salmon". The other times, the waitress had a thick accent and it was difficult to understand most of what she was saying. I know she's trying, I don't fault her for that. She did, however, a great job making sure out tea pot was constantly filled.

You go to sushi restaurants because you want to try their fish; that's my staple for what makes a great sushi restaurant. There weren't any fish on the menu or part of the Omakase that you could not get at other sushi restaurants of similar quality.

It's a nice restaurant but it doesn't justify the insane...

I was quite hesitant to post my review on here, but that is only because I don't want it to get too busy to the point where it will be hard to get a reservation.

BUT

This place deserves a review! Wow! Wow! Wow!!! My husband and I rarely go out for dates but last night we decided to go for it...and what better place then Nakamori. It is a perfect date spot. Not a lot of seating, but just enough to make it intimate.

-The servers were lovely and constantly reassured my husband that the food is sage for him to eat (he has a severe nut allergy).

-The decor is simple with beautiful japanese art throughout the restaurant. It was also very clean inside. Even the washrooms downstairs were spotless. EXTRA BONUS POINTS FOR THEM HAVING PICTURES OF ONE PIECE PICTURES DOWNSTAIRS. That was a cute little touch.

The side salad: I am not a salad person, but this salad was dressed perfectly. The fried tofu on top was lightly salted.

Wasabi Beef Steak 4.7/5 : Veggies still had a nice bite to it. Flavors are not over powering. Beef is not chewy. Wasabi flavor is settle but definitely there in the best way possible. The Japanese rice is cooked perfectly.

Sushi & Sashimi Deluxe 5/5: if you come here, you MUST get this. Everything in this plate not only looked absolutely stunning but it also tasted fresh and delicious. I usually hate unagi BUT NAKAMORI HAS CHANGED MY MIND! My eyes opened wide as I took the first bite and savoured every second of it.

Salmon Sushi Bento 5/5: My husband picked this. He couldn't believe how fresh the salmon was. He highly recommends this if you are a salmon lover.

Spicy Lobster Roll 4/5: it was delicious. Flavors blended well, however I very much preferred the other items more.

Matcha Creme Brulee 5/5: i love my creme brulees. I've had many of them throughout the years, so i didn't have high expectations especially since it was matcha flavor BUT BOY WAS I WRONG. I have to say, this is definitely my favorite dessert now. It has a slight undertone of matcha without become overpowering. The custard has nice and smooth and not too sweet, while the brulee had a thinly nice crunch to it. Definitely worth the money to try it. The tiny fruit on top of it complimented the creme brulee well. Highly recommend!

OVERALL: whether it's a lunch meeting with coworkers, a date or you just want to grab a bite out to eat, GO TO NAKAMORI. You definitely won't be disappointed. Even though I've ordered pick up and delivery (all still good options), the experience, ambience and eating the food right away IN the restaurant is absolute perfection. This place will not...

Utterly flabbergasted by their scrumptious daily Bento-box luncheon offering.

If ever there is a delightfully enjoyable, ‘ bang-for-the-buck ‘ meal in the GTA, Nakamori’s special daily luncheon bento box offering must rank at or near the top of such consideration.

With no errands planned and no medical appointments to attend, my wife and I decided to take advantage of this rare freedom and have a relaxing outing. Watching a matinee Omnimax movie - “ Planet Earth “ at the Science Centre came to mind. The outcome was a most educational, entertaining and surprisingly awesome show.

Hoping to carry-through the above unexpected surprise, we decided to revisit one of our past Japanese favorites - Nakamori for lunch. ..which was just a short drive along Eglinton East. And were we glad we did!

For just $37, our lunch comprised of the following: Arugula salad with ginger dressing and garlic toast square Seaweed Miso soup Bento box of: Shrimp, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Tempura Teriyaki Chicken with mixed stirred fry vegetables Cherry Tomato and Mozzarella cheese salad with Yuzu dressing 4 pieces of Nigiri Sushi Maguro and Salmon Sashimi

To the above, we also added for dessert the following: Roasted Matcha Tea Creme Brulee Chocolate Souffle

Looking at the meticulous way the Chef dresses each single piece of the Tempura Shrimp with a dollop of Wasabi Mayo, the inclusion of ‘Toro’ in one of the nigiri pieces and augmenting a normally, stand-alone and bare, Teriyaki chicken piece with some fine looking stirred fry mixed vegetables, we know we were in for a treat……and were we right! The food was all lovingly prepared and indeed wonderfully delectable. The tempura, with the lightest of batter ( by GTA standard ) was piping hot and greaseless. The Teriyaki Chicken accompanied with a light but super-tasty sauce, the Sashimi pieces especially the Tuna were pristined fresh.....and Yes!.....that piece of melt-in-the-mouth TORO!!

To finish off, our dessert provided us with a most memorable and tasty ending. We were surprised that this tiny, cozy and obscure Japanese restaurant could come up with one of the most enjoyable, freshly baked ‘ Chocolate Souffle ‘ we have eaten in the GTA for a long while. The Roasted Matcha Creme Brulee was another winner! The artistic plate presentation was another stand-out surprise!

As I alluded above, for the quality and quantity of food we were presented. At only $37, this Japanese Bentobox lunch was more than a STEAL!!!

I...