Ode to Tojo's
Vancouver is quite a busy town right now. The UN World Urban ForumIII just wrapped up last Friday. Although I did not get a chance to see Kofi Annan, I did see Wayne Gretzky in the lobby of the WestinBayshore and Marina. He was doubtless in Vancouver for the NHL draft that occured on Sunday.
The dinner party that Ms. Prada arranged at Tojo's was fabulous. It is deserving of its reputation of one of the top if not the top Japanese restaurant in Vancouver if not in Canada maybe even North America. Most certainly, the best Japanese meal I have had. I started with Tojo's top sake: Masukagami. Very delicious and not too sweet either. Rather than order from the set menu, the entire party of ten opted for Omakase, this is the Japanese version of the tasting menu. The word means "entrusting" which is really what you are doing when you ask thechef to make a meal especially for you. Your taste buds are literally in his hands. There are different grades of Omakase, the $60 grade,the $80 grade, $110 grade and the "unlimited" grade. The last choice literally means the dishes keep coming until you say "uncle". What is really unique is that some of the dishes are familiar and others areone of a kind, never to be tasted again.
As this was most of our parties first experience at Tojo's, we opted for the $110. Perhaps next time, I'll be more adventurous go for the "unlimited" Omakase. The first dish was tuna belly marinated in a wasabi based soy sause wiith sesame seeds. Extremely yummy and this dish was just the warm up. What followed as a seafood sashmi salad of thinly sliced yellow tail, salmon and tuna arranged with fresh local sprouts in citrus based vingerette. Very much in the style of cerviche. The fish so fresh, it pratically melts in your mouth.
Then a truely once in a life time dish. Broiled black cod (called Gindara) served with Japanese plum sauce. WOW! Really one of the best dishes of the night. But personal favourite is a novel creation of Canadian sable fish wrapped around fresh bamboo shoots, king mushrooms, slices of mango and asparagus. This was held together isbamboo wrap and folded in parchment paper and steamed. The sweetnessof the bamboo and the freshness the fish was a surprise delicacy formost taste buds. As more dishes flowed in, a hand roll of shrimp with slight hint of tangy wasabi, marinated lobster, flying fish, yellow tail and scallopmaki rolls. There were tuna rolls topped with caviar and even an eggroll topped with bonita shavings.
Our party of 10 started to sound like the tasting panel on Iron Chef. "This is so good." "It melts in my mouth." "Mmmmmm, so fresh." So passed gasps of delight at our culinary feast proceeded through the evening hours. After four hours, our royal meal was done.
I must say that Hidekazu Tojo is is a genius. More than traditional Japanese chef, he is aninnovator in Japanese cuisine. I realize this sounds like a line fromIron Chef too. His Tojo tuna and Tojo-maki (inside-out version ofwhat would become known as "California roll") has helped introduce Japanese cuisine to North Americans. In 1974, Tojo's first introduced the barbecued salmon-skin roll that is found today in virtually every Japanese restaurant on the West Coast. In Ontario, it falls under thename of a BC roll. He was also the first to introduce smoked salmoninto Japanese cuisine. Quite a resume, eh?
The current restaurant was opened in 1988. The site caters toeveryday man and yes to the more famous too. In the private room nex tour gathering, Kristin Davis held court with a late supper. She plays Charlotte York on Sex in the City. Small in stature but of course TV adds 10lbs making her "normal" for Hollywood. She is quite pretty never the less.
Our parties were the last to leave Tojo's as the clockrang out 30 minutes to midnight. The chef personally say goodbye tous and had a few extra words for Ms. Prada Maybe, she is trying to entice him to come to Calgary and set up another restaurant. I conclude with an ode to Tojo's:
Watery depths of my hunger for good sushi
Unagi, hamachi, sake and uni
Slippery and somewhat slimy to some
Its taste can truely compare to none
Bathed in sweet soy and pickled ginegar
All was consumed with gusto and vigour
Quenching a thirst thus unsated
Masukagami's sake arrives long awaited
Amongst friends old and new
A seafood feast thus ensued
Each delicious dish outdid its successor
Each diner proclaimed with mouthfuls devoured in fervour
Seasonal ingredients so fresh in each tasty roll
Easily had Tojo's work achieved its goal
A culinary experience, Chairman Kaga would agree in kind
That was a taste of Japan truely divine.
