Restaurant Review: Guu Izakaya

Well, I finally went, and it was everything I expected. On Tuesday night, I went to Guu Izakaya with a couple of friends. I had been looking forward to this restaurant for a very long time, since I've gotten great reviews from friends, and I love "different" restaurants. Well, Guu really lived up to the hype - what a fun place. It reminded me so much of Japan. The atmosphere and food were unlike anything I've been to in Toronto (maybe a little like Kenzo Ramen on Dundas, but more over the top) and it felt so authentic. Anyway, here's the review.

We arrived at about 7:00 pm and we were informed the wait was about 1-1.5 h. Wow. I was expecting this because I've been told the wait was usually long, but come on. A Tuesday night! Anyway, wait we did, and it wasn't so bad. They don't exactly have an indoor waiting room, but there is a side room heated by heat lamps, and we sat there. Fortunately, you are able to order drinks in this room, which is a HUGE plus, and definitely made the time go by. Sure enough, we waited for an hour and a half.

When you walk in to the restaurant for your table, everyone working shouts "hello!" at you, really loud (I presume it is something like hello, but it's in Japanese). It's like they are celebrating that you finally got a table! They do it for everyone, and they do when you leave to (Goodbye!) so you can imagine how lively the place is. The restaurant is rather small, which explains the long wait. It is decorated pretty modernly and there is an open kitchen that takes up about 25% of the space. All the waiters wear name tags and the kitchen staff wear various kinds of toques. They are all hipster Japanese people who don't really speak much English, which adds to the feeling of authentic Tokyo.

When we asked the waiter for recommendations, he told us everything was good. Very helpful. We ended up ordering the following:

"GOMAAE" Boiled spinach with black sesame sauce;

"MAGURO TATAKI" Loghtly seared B.C. albacore tuna sashimi with ponzu sauce and garlic chips;

"SALMON NATTO YUKKE" Chopped salmon sashimi with seven friends(Natto, shibazuke, takuan, wonton chips, garlic chips, green onion and raw egg yolk). Mix them up and wrap it in NORI seaweed;

"NASU MISO" Deep fried eggplant with sweet miso sauce;

"TOKYO FRIES" French fries in ketchup and other Japanese sauces;

"GINDARA" Grilled black cod with SAIKYO miso and white wine; and

"KAKIMAYO" Grilled oysters with spinach, garlic mayo and cheese on the top.

Seems like a lot but they are all just like tapas - very small dishes.We tried to get a variation of styles, and we definitely did. The food came really quickly, which was great because by the time we sat down, we were starving.

Well, where to begin. The Gomaae was delicious. We really liked the sauce it was covered in. The Maguro Tataki was also delicious - I've never had sashimi with pepper seasoning, and it went really well, more like a beef carpaccio flavor. The Salmon Natto Yukke was definitely the most interesting dish. The "7 friends" come separated in a bowl, but the waiter has this intense mixing routine that he performs at the table, essentially turning the friends into an eggy muck. This muck is then rolled up in nori (seaweed) by us and eaten with our hands. Really fun, good flavor, but the the look of the muck could definitely turn people off. The Nasu Miso was pretty basic and similar to one of my favorite dishes at Sushi on Bloor. Good, filling, cheap, but nothing really interesting or special. The Tokyo Fries are pretty much the one thing that one of my friends would eat, because they were just fries in Asian sauces (he is picky). Basic, but delicious of course. The Gindara was excellent. I love black cod and try to order it whenever I see it. If you haven't tried it, then you definitely should as soon as possible. It melts in your mouth, this heavenly fish, and has a great flavor. The portion was rather small, which was expected because it's an expensive fish, but you don't really need a lot. The Kakimayo was definitely the favorite of the night. They shuck the oyster, take out the meat and puree it with potatoes and cheese, then stuff it back in to the shell and bake it.

To sum up the food, very interesting and delicious, but very different from the traditional Japanese we were used to. If you are looking for something different and authentic, this is your place.

The bill came to $100, including tax, tip, and drinks (2 glasses of wine, 1 beer, 2 Diet Cokes). Not bad considering how good it was.


Rating: 9/10, I will return as soon as I get the chance.

Guu Izakaya is located at 398 Church St., a couple of blocks south of Carlton. No reservations so expect long waits.