By Priya Kumar There is no shortage of culinary gems in Toronto. Visitors to our fine city are always in awe of the depth and breadth of choice available, while us locals take the whole scene for granted. However, on a very special occasion, it’s worth indulging. Recently, I had the opportunity to do so at Blowfish Restaurant and Sake Bar. The landmark upscale fusion eatery is far from new to downtown foodies. Founded in 2003, its King Street location is housed in a beautiful, historical bank building at the corner of Bathurst Street— the place to be any night of the week. Blowfish provides ambience unlike any other Japanese restaurant in the city. Designed by architect Johnson Chou, the space has infused the old with new using modern materials on the walls balanced by oaky finishes. The overall ambiance of the space is high-energy and aesthetically contemporary, but let’s not forget we haven’t even gotten to the food. 68 SHE CANADA
Executive Chef G. Q. Pan has successfully combined Japanese and Pan-Asian cuisine to suit European and North American taste buds and let me be the first (or n hundredth) food critic to say he’s done it seamlessly. Known for their “Blowfish Giant Ebi Shooters” (a sushi cornet role with a mélange of exotic Japanese fare placed in a shot glass for effect), the menu is both inventive in its presentation and daring in ingredient combination. Into gourmet Mexican? Try their Tuna Taco (diced tuna, negi, frieze, daikon sprout and Japanese tartar served in a crispy wonton taco). For the herbivore types there is the Goji Berry Greens (baby greens, gobo, tofu, lotus root, snap peas, Asian pear, pine nuts and goji berry; tossed in kombu orange vinaigrette), a salad to die for. And how could we forget the sushi? My favourite has to be the Truffle Albacore roll (spicy albacore tuna paste, tiger shrimp and avocado; topped with a garlic chip and truffle oil drizzle.