Location: 760 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://sukoidesserts.com/

Taiyaki — a fish-shaped, waffle-like dessert that’s traditionally filled with tasty custard or red bean — is great.  What’s not to like?  It’s delicious.

But I was a little bit concerned that the taiyaki cones they’re serving at Sukoi Desserts might be one of those looks-first, taste-second Instagram-bait creations that have been popping up all over the city.  The fact that I overheard the owners discussing the cost of bringing “influencers” to the shop certainly didn’t instill confidence.

You can customize your cone in a few different ways — the ice cream (they had black sesame and vanilla when I went), the filling (red bean, custard, or Nutella), and the topping (chocolate cookie crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, or sprinkles).

I got a black sesame / vanilla twist, a topping of cookie crumbs, and a filling of red bean.

It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but I wouldn’t call it empty Instagram bait, either.  The ice cream was fine — it had a pronounced sesame flavour and an enjoyably subtle sweetness.  It was a little grainy and not particularly creamy, but it wasn’t bad.  I enjoyed it.

The taiyaki was easily the highlight.  It was warm and fresh, with a pronounced crispiness on its exterior and a perfect amount of substance on its interior.  The generous amount of tasty red bean filling complimented it perfectly.

Overall it’s a tasty enough dessert, but the middling ice cream mostly just gets in the way of the delicious taiyaki, so… I guess it kinda is Instagram bait.  Oh well.