It's hard being a budget-conscious sushi lover. A career thrifster, I've become so used to cheap sushi that biting into the real deal is always a pleasant surprise. Magnify that shock by a thousand when that fresh, succulent first bite comes from a $7.50 lunch special. Finally! No more contriving weird anniversaries just to get some fresh fish (Happy 6 months after our first subway ride together, honey...let's go for sushi!) Now that Lola Sushi has hit the Toronto scene, this girl is buying her own sashimi!
A few blocks south of Eglinton on Yonge, Lola Sushi lets you eat like you live in North Toronto without paying like it. Traditionally decorated in deep blue fabrics, antique pieces, and rice paper screens, Lola is tasteful and cozy. Quick, cheerful service adds warmth to the atmosphere: my server gladly answered my questions, queired my preferences and directed me to specials I hadn't noticed on the menu, ultimately leading me to this special: 5 pieces of sushi, a California roll, soup and salad for $7.50.
Salmon, thick and fresh, soft rice, sweet avocado, delicate beet curls on citrusy salad, and a mountain of ginger all vied to be my favourite parts of the meal, but the true beauty at Lola is that everything tastes good, looks good and costs little. This is why I ended up there again only two days after my first Lola lunch. (Happy 1 week after our first Christmas together, darling: dinner's on me!).
Now, love at first bite is one thing, but could Lola keep my affection a second time around? Not only was my second meal as good as my first (oh, the tempura!), but I learned that Lola's "lunch specials" run all day! For some reason, serving superiour sushi at discount prices is not enough for the good people at Lola: they've got to sweeten the deal by maintaining an all-day bento selection. According to the servers, there is no plan to end these day-long lunches, so there will be plenty of delicious discount options the next time you need sushi, and they'll be there again when it comes time for those "day I discovered Lola" anniversaries, too.
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Mmm love the shoji screens... or whatever those are.
I'll give them a try, but I can't forgive them for that Comic Sans.
damn they look so good. The more I look at the pictures, the more I wanna get off my comp, go down there and over indulge myself with sushi lol
I don't get it. What's so special about this place? I can name a dozen places within walking distance of where I live that have identical menus, fresh, quality ingredients and good prices. Is there anything that makes Lola stand out?
Perhaps I should ask about the criteria used to choose restaurants for reviews - is it just any restaurant you happen to dine in that gets a write up?
Matts: Actually, as far as I know, yeah. BlogTO invites anyone to submit reviews for publication. Is that too democratic for you?
And I find these simple reviews really handy for neighbourhood eating. Sometimes I don't need an outstanding, stellar place that I have to trek out to, but just a good, affordable, reliable place nearby.
mmm i'm gonna have to look into this!
Also a good recommendation is I ZU, probably one of the best sushi in town but not a lot of people know about it.
It's on Yonge south of Davisville. They remodeled at the end of the summer and the place is looking good on top of their great sushi and fair prices.
I love I ZU! I order from them once a week. Mmmmm Green Tea ice cream :p
Haha, I love how Lola changes its theme more than I change my underwear. First it was a steak house, then it was Thai, now it's Sushi!
I only ate there once when it was a steakhouse, but it was the best steak dinner I've ever had, plus the waiter ensured that my wine glass was perpetually at the rim, and their ceasar salad was pretty great with fresh shredded parmesian and large homemade croutons.
Japanese wax food always looks good... instead of green tea ice cream... should try to find a place that serves black sesame ice-cream...
Hey Matts. That's pretty much it. We review places we eat at. Sometimes they're neighbourhood restaurants that have been around for a while; and sometimes they're "hotspots" that just opened.
Oh, I see somebody has already commented about the Comic Sans. Nothing says "this is a daycare, not a restaurant" quite like a sign or menu done in Comic Sans.
You can tell the difference between a good sushi place to an not soo wise choice by the miso soup.
Hi Matts. Tim's right: we review places we eat at. I chose Lola because a) it's close to my home, b) friends recommended it and c) several blogTO readers suggested it in the "Best Cheap Sushi" comments. Like you, I eat a lot of cheap sushi, but I've had the good stuff too - in Canada, and in Japan. Why did I go on so lovingly about Lola? Because their food tastes like it came from a mid-high end restaurant, but at a low-end cost. I too can name plenty of decent cheap sushi restaurants, and they're all fine - nothing wrong with them. Lola stands out because it's cheap, and EXCELLENT. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back for lunch...too bad I can't review them again!
haha i agree
In the matter of reviewing a restaurant (and an inexpensive one at that), how heavy does the font used in one's menu/decor weigh? Practically none.
If the food and service is good, it gets a check. Who cares what font they use as long as it is legible?
If it was a high end establishment, you would have a good argument there, but really, are you going to hold it against a low end restaurant?
"Oh hay! You use Comic Sans in yer menu. You probably don't care enough to put some effort in your font selection, therefore I'm expecting that you're treating your products the same way too!!"
If your serious about sushi and typically avoid all you can eat sushi restos, avoid this place.
I went here last week and was met with fishy fish and hockey puck nigiri. No seasoning of the rice whatsoever.
I feel a bit bad saying that because the staff were so nice and gave us a couple items on the house so I would definately return, just not for raw food/sushi.
Absolutely love this place! What makes this restaurant stand out over the rest is the quality of food (my Japanese friends can testify on that!)for a very reasonable price. They have this $9.99 sake+ appetizer special on Fridays, which in other restaurants, just the appetizer alone would cost that. They even have a bento box that comes with everything (sashimi, maki rolls [not cucumber rolls but special rolls like spicy salmon], tempura [on a side tray!]) for just over 10 bucks.
I've tried so many sushi places in Toronto ... but this is definitely the best!!! Great food, Great service, Great prices ... I would recommend it to everyone ...
Actually, I'm working there and it is really one of the best options around, especially on a budget as they are saying. The soup is not too salty like some other chains nearby, the salad dressing is very tasty, and the sushi is not too bad, especially for those prices.
Plus I'm always very happy with the service, everyone is really friendly there :-)
There as in working around yonge/eglinton lol.. not working at the restaurant