Japanese – Michael Eats

Delicious Soupless Ramen at Kajiken

Published on December 14, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4850 Yonge Street, North York
Website: https://kajiken.ca/

Kajiken is a Japanese ramen chain that opened in Toronto a couple of months ago to quite a bit of fanfare. I drove by a few weeks ago around lunch and there was a line going around the block.

I figured things had probably mostly cooled down by now, but just to be safe, I showed up around 10 minutes before they opened at 11:30. There were maybe a dozen people in line, and by the time I left, the line was smaller, but still there. So yeah, popular place.

Does it justify the crowds? Yes, yes it does.

They specialize in abura soba, AKA soupless ramen. The menu lists their three most recommended dishes, and number one is the homura abura soba: “homura spicy minced pork, spring onion, chives, egg, nori, fish powder, bamboo shoots.” The egg comes either raw, onsen (“lightly poached”) or ajitama (“seasoned boiled egg”). The waiter recommended onsen, so that’s what I went with.

The dish comes with everything on top of the noodles and some sauce at the bottom of the bowl, and the idea is that you mix it all up until it becomes one cohesive whole.

It’s extremely tasty. The flavours here are definitely reminiscent of what you’d find in a standard bowl of ramen, with a really addictive savoury punch and a nice kick of spiciness. And the waiter was definitely right about the onsen egg; its silky texture means that it blends right in with the noodles and the sauce, giving everything an extra richness.

The thick noodles are perfectly chewy, and if you feel like jazzing things up, each table has a variety of condiments like toasted sesame seeds, chili oil, and vinegar.

Yeah, that’s worth waiting in line for.

Tasty Rice Bowls at Omai Rice Bar

Published on October 21, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 21 Baldwin Street, Toronto
Website: https://omairicebar.com/

Omai Rice Bar is a spin-off of Omai, a high-end Japanese restaurant. The rice bar is much more on the casual end of things — they serve a selection of six rice bowls that are all around 15 bucks, and it’s take-out only (they also have a few benches on a patio out front).

I went with the Oh-My Fried Chicken: “Korean fried chicken, garlic yuzu glaze, wasabi cucumber, kimchi slaw and pickled daikon. Every bowl comes with our signature Omai salad on a bed of steamed white rice.”

I liked everything about this. The fried chicken was fresh, crispy, and tender, and was tossed in a tasty sauce (that was maybe a touch too sweet — my only complaint). Everything else in the bowl complemented it perfectly, with a whole bunch of bold, zippy flavours.

Even the salad on the side was a noticeable upgrade from the standard vinaigrette-tossed greens, with a nice citrusy punch that was really satisfying.

It’s all served on a bed of fluffy white rice, and it’s great. I wish I lived closer to this place, because I feel like I need to try every bowl on the menu.

Tasty Conveyor Belt Sushi at Tora

Published on October 5, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3401 Dufferin Street, North York (inside Yorkdale Mall)
Website: https://www.aburitora.com/

Tora is a conveyor belt sushi place, which is mostly a gimmick, but a fun one. They have a million of these in Japan, but they have yet to take off in Toronto for some reason.

(There’s been a few over the years, but I believe this is the only one that’s currently open.)

I should note that there isn’t any pre-made sushi going around on the belt that you can pick up — there’s a tablet at every table, and you order on the touchscreen. A few minutes later (it’s very quick), the sushi zips along on the conveyor belt and stops at your table.

The sushi itself isn’t going to blow anyone’s mind, but it’s all solid. Everything I tried was pretty decent, with the exception of the tuna nigiri, which was a bit fishy.

One of the specialties here is aburi sushi, which is a style of sushi that’s torched on top; a card on the table noted that the aburi ebi oshi, which features shrimp and a mayonnaisey sauce, is one of their most popular dishes. And yeah, that was probably the highlight of the bunch, with a decent smoky flavour from the torch and a nice zippiness from the mayo.

Quick Bites: Ramen Ryu, Matt’s Burger Lab, Lola’s Gelato

Published on March 16, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Ramen at Ramen Ryu in the Well

I mentioned, a few years ago, that Ryu’s Noodle Bar serves some of the best ramen in the GTA. Well, they’ve got a quick-serve outpost in Wellington Market in The Well, the fancy new food court (sorry: food hall) downtown, and it’s quite tasty. The depth of flavour isn’t quite there and the noodles were a bit on the soft side, but for something from a food court, it’s satisfying. The broth may not be up there with the best in the city, but it’s creamy and tasty. It’s a solid bowl of ramen.

Classic Smash Burger at Matt’s Burger Lab

Though Matt’s Burger Lab has a surprisingly deep menu, with a whole bunch of creatively-topped burger and fried chicken sandwiches, I figured the Classic Smash was probably the thing to get: “4 ounce prime beef patty, fresh onion, iceberg, pickle, Lab Sauce.” I skipped the onion, but otherwise got this as-is. It’s pretty tasty. The patty has a decent amount of crust on it, a nice coarse grind, and a mild beefy flavour. The bun (potato bun, I think) is nice and fresh, and the toppings suit it well. The Lab Sauce is basically like a sweeter, zestier version of the typical Big Mac-style sauce you’ll find on so many burgers in the GTA, and it works. There’s quite a lot of it, which in this case is a very good thing, because the well-done burger patty is quite dry. The sauce basically balances things out, but the dryness holds it back from being much better than pretty good. Still, I enjoyed it.

Almond Raspberry gelato from Lola’s Gelato

This is going to be a quick one. I’ve written about Lola’s a few times before on this blog, and it pains me that it doesn’t always come up when people are talking about the best gelato in the city, because it’s a strong contender for that crown. But I think maybe the word is finally getting out, because on my most recent visit, the place was absolutely packed. Of course, it’s just as delicious as ever. This particular flavour had a great almond flavour, which works surprisingly well with the raspberry sauce they have swirled throughout. And it’s just as creamy and luxurious as always. Good stuff.

Tasty Japanese Food at Tanuki

Published on February 4, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
Website: http://www.tanukirestaurant.com/

Tanuki is actually in the same location as the great Shiso Tree Cafe, which, sadly, shut down near the beginning of the pandemic. I kinda want to hate this place on principal, like, how dare you try to replace the Shiso Tree Cafe?? But you know what? Just based on this one visit, I think Tanuki might be just as good.

I came during their brunch service and tried the seared duck breast (“served medium rare, chimichurri, garlic chips”), along with the omurice (“soft omelette, chicken fried rice, shiitake, edamame, gravy”).

Both were very, very tasty. The duck breast was perfectly cooked; it was tender while still having a nice meaty bite, and while the skin wasn’t crispy, once I started eating, I didn’t miss it. The garlic chips give it that crispiness while also adding pops of flavour. It’s a great dish.

The omurice was just as good. Slicing the omlette open to reveal its eggy interior is thoroughly satisfying, and the creamy eggs complement the tasty fried rice quite nicely. That fried rice would have actually been perfectly fine on its own, with the mushroom/chicken combo being thoroughly delicious, nice pops of freshness from the edamame, the occasional bite of crispy rice, and some nice smokiness from the wok.

But once you add the perfectly cooked omelette, things really take off. The omelette is silky and creamy, with its richness only amped up by the gravy that comes on the side. Add a few spoonfuls of the zippy habanero sauce they have on the table, and you’re really in business.