Zakkushi on Carlton - BANNED

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Date visited: March 24, 2013

Time: 6:30 pm

Party Size: 2

Price: $41.87 plus tax and tips

Website: http://www.zakkushi.com/

Food consumed:

• Appetizer sampler (choice of 3) - $5.80
• Takowasabi (raw octopus with wasabi stem)
• Kawahagi (dried file fish with spicy mayo)
• Hotaruika (marinated fresh baby squid with soy sauce)
•  Yakitori - Premium set - $19.80
• Wagyu Beef (Wagyu beef skewer with Oropon sauce)
• Wagyu beef tsukune (Wagyu beef meat ball)
• Free range chicken momo (free range chicken thigh)
• Premium beef tongue (thick cut beef tongue with salt & pepper)
• Unagi (eel with teriyaki sauce & sansho pepper)
• Zakkushi set - $8.80
• Momo (chicken thigh)
• Umeshiso Yaki (Chicken thigh with sour plum & Japanese basil)
• Me Maki (garlic stubs wrapped with pork)
• P-toro (crunchy & juicy pork)
• Oropon beef (with grated Daikon & Ponzu sauce)
• P-Toro - $1.80 (we ordered this before the Zakkushi set)
• Yakitori Don (teriyaki chicken, half-boiled egg, mayo, green onion & seaweed on top of steamed rice) - $7.50

Pictures of food consumed: (Click on images to enlarge)

Appetizer sample. From left to right: Kawahagi, Hotaruiki, Takowasabi

Premium Set. From left to right: Wagyu beef tsukune, unagi, beef tongue, free range chicken, wagyu beef

Yakitori Don

Zakkushi set (1 of 2). From left to right: Umeshiso Yaki, Momo.

Zakkushi set (2 of 2). From left to right:P-toro, Me Maki, Oropon beef

Review of Restaurant:

• Why did I come to this restaurant?

 My friend wanted to try this restaurant out and asked me if I wanted to join. I asked if it was ran by Japanese people. He replied saying "Yes". I immediately told him to make a reservation for the following night. 

I am fed up with all those knock-off Chinese operated Japanese restaurants. They are not authentic. It is like asking a Caucasian to make bubble tea for you or eating Chinese food at Manchu Wok. It's just not the same. For your information, Manchu Wok is not authentic Chinese food (big shocker for most people). We call those "tricking Westerners" food.

We ordered two sets of each skewers. We only shared the appetizers and Yakitori Don. This ensures that we have two comparable specimen.

• What did I think of the service?

I found it very ingenuous that my seat had a removable cushion to conceal our jackets and weapons (if we were this was during the Edo period). Japanese people never ceases to surprise me.

The waitress kept "bugging" us assuming that we knew what to order. They were polite, which is part of the Japanese culture but kept asking if we were ready to order. I like to make a detail analysis, performing calculation of the "worthiness" of each skewer on a mental spreadsheet. This is how accountants determine what to order, at least for me.

We sat beside a column where they place all the orders. I found it annoying that the waitress kept coming beside me to update the orders. They should definitely change where they write their orders.

An interesting pit stop is the washroom. At first, you'd think it is only for one person, but it's actually for two (at least for the male washroom). They had Listerine for you to use and pamphlets to explain the history of the restaurant. A good read for #2.

• How did my sensitive stomach feel?
  

You would think that expensive food would be safer for my stomach. I had diarrhea for the following two mornings. The rest of the day I felt fine. Due to this experience, I am banning this restaurant. My friend did not get sick, only me again. He said it is due to the raw octopus. I really don't know, I had too much food that night to zero-in on the culprit.

City of Toronto Inspection Report

(Click on image to enlarge)

Source: http://www.toronto.ca/health/dinesafe/index.htm?show=detail&id=108847

As expected, Japanese people are very clean individuals. I would expect that the establishment be spot clean since they have robots to clean the place for them.

After eating all this, I was still not full but my wallet getting emptier with each skewer. Mind you, each skewers cost at least $2. I would have probably spent $60-80 to satisfy my stomach.

VERDICT: BANNED! Despite being operated by Japanese people, one bad incident and you'll end up on my banned list.