So for my birthday, my friend brought me to Fin Izakaya as a surprise..
First Impression
Very much like Guu, smaller than Guu - yes, when I read the word izakaya, the first thing I thought of was Guu. And when we first entered, they greeted us as how Guu would greet us -lively and happily.
Decor
Decor was simple, and elegant - the place was small, but there was just enough room.
They lightly partitioned off some parts of the restaurant, so there was some privacy, for those that didn't want to be disturbed.
Service
We were there on a Friday night, so it was quite busy, and we weren't able to get the more private tables, and we didn't want to wait, so we sat at the bar, right in front of where they made our food! The people are super duper friendly! And the chef was amazingly friendly, and he knew the regulars by name and they talked like old friends :)
Food
Ahh we ordered a lot here, the ones with stars are notable mentions! (although all of it was good!)
* Beef Rice Bomb - teriyaki rice ball wrapped inside beef strips, topped with special mayo
It was an interesting dish! it sort of looks like those beef balls you have during dim sum. I think the teriyaki rice inside the beef is a perfect pairing - a simple but excellent dish. The mayo tasted surprisingly VERY good with it - made the dish even better!
Giant Sushi Roll (8 piece) - weekend only: 8+ ingredients in each roll
This roll was HUGE! like maybe.. 3-4x a normal roll? Our roll had sweet tomago, eel, cucumber, avocado, crab meat, gobo -burdock root, fish roe, and radish, i believe. Hard to eat, but an interesting eat.
Our Roll Being Made :)
*Amaebi Sashimi - Raw Shrimp Sashimi
I've had better in Thailand, but I don't see it in Sushi places in Toronto often, so it's worth trying.
Snow Man Parfait - Vanilla ice cream wrapped in a thin crepe-like white pancake, with fruits (looked like a snowman)
Ahi tuna wahu carpaccio - Ahi Tuna Sashimi with chef "special sauce"
Duck Shichimi Yaki - thinly sliced duck on sizzling plate
Crispy Rock Salt Wings - Name says all :P
interestingly, these wings only had one bone in them, and although tiny... they actually had a fair amount of meat on them
Cheese Cake
*the rest of the pictures can be seen in my photobucket album
Drinks
Island Drink - sake, lychee liquor, blue curacao, pineapple + guava juice
Very fruity ! Classic drink if you like sweet and fruity
Big Buddha - cassis, rum and black sesame ice cream
Awesome drink! probably cause I like black sesame ice cream. The initial taste of rum, and black sesame ice cream aftertaste = AWESOME! Like an alcoholic milkshake.
So elegant!
Overall..
Decor 3.5/5 - simple, nothing special; i liked how the place had partitioned off places that gave you privacy.
Service 4/5 - service was nice! Everyone was super happy and talkative
Food 3/5 - food was good, but nothing too special
*Make Reservations!
Comparison to Guu?
This is a quieted down place, and there's a lot more personal interaction with the waiters/waitresses/chefs since it's not AS busy (since it's a smaller place). There's a larger variety of food, but at the same time their dishes aren't as spectacular. They essentially have different things to offer versus Guu, so it's a good visit.
55 Eglington Ave E
Toronto, ON
(get off @ Eglington Station)
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