Restaurant: Koyoi

Let's face it. Toronto isn't close to any ocean, so it's going to be rare to find a sushi restaurant that REALLY stands out without breaking the bank. But that shouldn't stop us from enjoying yummy, scrumptious Japanese eats! My recent joys? Finding little Izakayas (居酒屋), which generally serves Japanese style tapas.

Ambiance: 2.5 / 5
Cleanliness: 2.5 / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Taste: 4 / 5
Presentation: 3.5 / 5
Price: $
Overall: 3.5 / 5

You really can't go wrong with a quaint little restaurant that can fill up your belly with yummy tapas for under $20. For a long time now, I've a big fan of おでん (oden) and in particular, 大根 (daikon - radish).

It's only $1.50 a piece and very light in flavour. I could totally eat this all day long. If I remember correctly, the above photo is scene with some fish cake.

Of course, you're not going to JUST eat おでん for dinner. Another item worth noting, is the Koyoi Salad, with some tofu and lettuce, there's also some chips for a bit of crunch too. Nice and light in flavour, I highly recommend this.

The next thing that came was Koyoi's version of お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki), again, one of my favourite dishes. Unfortunately, most places I've tried, can't make this right. Luckily, Koyoi's rendition is quite good. I found them a little heavy on the bonito flakes, but otherwise, still very good.

I was introduced to this little Izakaya a little while ago, and have been back a few ti mes, wanting to try as many of their little tapas as possible, I've been back a few times. The picture above isn't very clear, but at the bottom, it says that only 25 portions of this Tonkotsu Ramen is made starting on Wednesdays. But every single time I go, it's already sold out. Last time, the waitress told me that if I come any later than Thursday, it's likely to be sold out. So I just HAD to know, what is so special about this Ramen? Not only does it cost $13.99 (one of the most expensive things on the menu),  but they only have 25 available a week?!

Finally went this past Wednesday so that I could FINALLY try this elusive ramen. Went with a few friends, we each put an order in. And waited while we enjoyed some of their other dishes, and waited while we sipped our tea, and waited while we conversed about how to save the world, and waited, and waited and waited. It took OVER 45 minutes for them to bring out ramen. Seriously?! It only takes about 4minutes to cook a pack of Nissin. I mean, granted, this isn't Nissin, but over 45 minutes?!

OK....45 minutes, this thing better be WORTH the wait, better be WORTH the $13.99.When the ramen finally came, there was one. yes, count it....ONE piece of Tonkotsu. Are you kidding me?! On top of that, there were 5 of us. Each piece of Tonkotsu that was served got progressively SMALLER. Mine was the 2nd bowl!
In their defense, all the money is in their soup. I'm fairly certain that they make one huge pot of soup base each week, chock full of ingredients. Although a bit too oily for my tastes, the soup was very rich and very delicious. But seriously, how much does a single slice of pork cost? I'd rather the ramen cost $14.99 but have 3+ pieces. This just feels like a big rip off.

Koyoi is definitely worth visiting, just stay away from the Tonkotsu ramen. It's not worth $13.99 and definitely not worth waiting over 45 minutes. And to finish, just a couple of other items I've tried.

Ankimo (アンキモ)

Tsukune (つくね)

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Koyoi
2 Irwin Ave.
Toronto, Ontario
(647) 351-5128

~Cheers.