Welcome to Toronto’s most expensive restaurant.
This article comes to us courtesy of my buddy Jonas who found it in the Toronto Star. While I admit that the prices are, in fact, high, after reading the article, I am not sure that they are not worth it.
I go for dinner at Hashimoto in Don Mills expecting perfection, and find it. I also pay $300 for my meal, nine courses of mainly cooked dishes that culminate in a peaceful Japanese tea ceremony. Tea is the only drink; a liquor license is pending.
The article focuses on a restaurant called Hashimoto that just opened in the Don Mills area. It is chef Hashimotos second restaurant and it seats 6-10 people. The restaurant is opened only when there is demand for it. I.e. people make a reservation and he opens shop.
The food is almost all imported from Japan, and the attention to detail and the bespoke service really sets it apart from the everyday dining experience in Toronto.
Below are some excerpts from the Toronto Star article. The Full article can be found here.
Hashimoto East is the new restaurant of Masaki Hashimoto, ranked one of Japan’s top five chefs in a 2008 competition. He’s been preparing painstaking and authentic kaiseki dinners at his original Mississauga location for nine years; it’s the only restaurant I’ve ever rated full stars.
A kaiseki meal emphasizes seasonality and beautiful presentation. The progression of dishes is formalized, showcasing the chef’s skill with certain techniques (stewing, grilling, frying, etc.). Ingredients are often repeated as a theme.
The Menu Prepared For Amy Pataki of the Toronto Star
1st course
An amuse bouche (on jya kuzen in Japanese) meant to quell hunger pangs with simple foods, especially before drinking sake. Plain rice, egg-shaped tofu and a ground-sesame “tofu” ball plus sweet-and-gritty saikyo (white miso) soup do the trick.
2nd course
The formal appetizer: Tenderest white squid splashed with rhubarb juice, topped with a macerated cherry and paired winningly with Japanese fava beans. The red-and-white colours match the dish it’s served in.
3rd course
Sashimi of wild, line-caught madai (distant relative of snapper) is fanned out like blushing chrysanthemum petals. The leaves and stems of fresh wasabi are served along with the green ground paste; we’re encouraged to eat them and enjoy their distinct vegetal flavour.
4th course
A soup with ishidai (rock porgy) rolled around gobo (braised burdock root), garnished with naturally red Kyoto carrots, yuzu peel and salted cherry blossom. The clear stock is thick with kudzu starch and bright with colourful rice crackers.
5th course
A fish course of cooked ainame (grouper) dolloped with miso stained green by kinome (prickly ash leaves). Sweet yam is carved into a flower alongside, while dots of red sour plum puree gleam on lily bulb with the texture of cooked chestnut.
6th course
Stewed and steamed: Bamboo shoots, stewed for two hours, are crunchy and delicate. Soft grey madai roe represents the “steamed” element. Tiny, carved vegetables: a red carrot leaf, buttercup squash, chayote and a miniature turnip green.
7th course
Grilled and fried: Grilled cubes of highly marbled Wagyu strip loin are essentially fat. The A5 designation is considered the best in the world; a little goes a long way. The fried part is represented by a fan of somen noodles tipped with rice crackers. Carved daikon crane is Hashimoto’s signature.
8th course
The main: Unigohan, or sea urchin roe mixed into rice. On top are cooked eel and frizzled ginger. Exquisite daikon pickles stained with squid ink (from the second course) and rolled in sesame; crunchy fried eel spines are a nice treat. Second helpings of rice and pickles are encouraged, but asking for thirds is bad etiquette.
9th course
Mini scoops of strawberry and matcha ice creams are one-half of dessert. The other half is an agar-based jelly of macerated cherries with mashed red beans and gold shavings. A shot glass of icy, boozy, salty cherry soaking liquid is the first and only appearance of alcohol at the license-pending restaurant.
Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto East Address: 6 Garamond Court, Don Mills, 905-670-5559, www.kaiseki.ca
Chef: Masaki Hashimoto
Hours: By demand at Hashimoto’s new location
Reservations: Mandatory at least 1 week in advance
Wheelchair access: No
Price: Dinner for two with tea, tax and tip: $800