Umami Sushi Toronto

I’ve never been to Canada, but I hear from friends that the sushi is fantastic and superbly fresh. Canadian sushi houses are always of great interest to me.  I enjoy reading on-line reviews of sushi bars in Toronto as I imagine that I’ll soon be on my way to vacation and enjoy sushi there. And when I finally do make a trip north of the border, I’ll most likely have a sushi bar itinerary that far exceeds my list of must see sights.

Umami Sushi, located at 3459 Bathurst Street, T. O, has been on my radar for some time now. When glancing at the pictures on the website, any sushi lover would be enticed by the restaurant’s offerings. Fresh fish perched atop beautifully executed sushi rolls, colorful combinations, and gorgeous presentations make it very difficult to imagine that this is not your typical high end sushi bar. Umami Sushi is a kosher sushi bar. For those unfamiliar or only vaguely familiar with what it means to have kosher sushi, the easiest explanation I can offer is the following: If a particular seafood does not have both fins and scales, it cannot be served at Umami. Naturally, the laws of kashrut go beyond that. But for the sake of simplification, shrimp, crab, eel and eel sauce, all very big parts of sushi culture, are not served.

Owner Andrew Novak and wife Sarah, commit to high standards in keeping the menu offerings fresh and interesting. Sushi rolls such as the Maple, which contains carrots, lettuce, shiitake mushroom and grilled salmon topped with smoked salmon and drizzled with maple syrup are inspiring for their showcase of local ingredients. Also, all sushi rolls are available with brown rice. Salmon gyoza as well as vegetarian gyoza replace standard gyoza which typically contain shrimp and/or pork. And not content for Umami to just be The Best Kosher Maki in Toronto (North York Post), a noodle menu was also added. Rice Noodles, a dish consisting of rice noodles in a ponzu sauce served with salmon, pollock, red pepper and shiitake mushrooms topped with green onion and sesame seeds sounds quite delicious, substantial and at $9.99, quite wallet friendly.

While Novak and his team may not be utilizing all of the fish in the sea, what they do use, they seem to use quite creatively. It is refreshing to see a sushi menu that doesn’t rely heavily on imitation crab as a filler for nearly all sushi rolls. And when I finally do make it to Toronto, I’ll definitely stop in to “experience the 5^th element of taste.”

Umami Sushi

3459 Bathurst Street

Toronto, Ontario

M6A 2C5  Canada

(416) 782-3375

Umami Photo Gallery