Of course, during my short mid-summer visit to Vancouver, I had to try the new Guu, Guu Garden. I went with Rose and found that the setting was quite different from the other Guu’s. It seemed more relaxed, more of an “executive lunch” setting than a loud and lively izakaya. The food did not disappoint.

Got the chance to try this Japanese restaurant on Baldwin St. called Konnichiwa, recommended by Yen’s brother. I really loved the simple and clean flavours. My favourite was the grilled Arabesque Greenling pictured above.

Gotta love that sake, especially on a Friday night with good company…

Finally found some quality sushi and sashimi in Toronto! Went to To-ne Sushi on Queen St. The presentation was amazing and the taste was fresh.

So the craze of Japanese izakaya dining has finally made it’s way over to this side of the country. ‘Guu’, as many of you know, is an izakaya restaurant brand in Vancouver that, depending on who you ask, sets the bar for izakaya dining in the city. Earlier in my time in Ontario, I was surprised most, if not all, Torontonians had never heard of this type of dining. Now that Guu is in Toronto, you all know there was no way I would not go to try it. I heard from a friend that one of the chefs came from Vancouver to help start up this restaurant in Toronto. As a result, I found the dishes were at the same high level of quality as they are found in Guu in Vancouver. They seem to have imported the most popular dishes from the four Vancouver Guus (as well as special cocktails) and put them all under one roof in Toronto. I’m glad I could bring a bunch of my Toronto friends to try this type of cuisine without having to fly them to Vancouver.