Akane-Ya

Sushi places pepper Toronto's Beaches area. If you happen to be in the area and get peckish after a stroll on the boardwalk, neighborhood stalwart Akane Ya offers great appetizers to cobble together an izakaya experience. Nibbling on a wide range of satisfying snacks in between rounds of Asahi sounds suspiciously like small plates dining, but it's not that ridiculous spend more for less style; rather, a sort of lost in Shibuya way to feed and socialize after work.

Although tempted to get one of those easy combo meals with a bit of everything, I instead pick items off the usually bypassed appetizer list. The exception is the rainbow roll ($12.00). Its brightly hued and girthy looks were pleasing.

It should be noted that I'm no raw fish expert. In fact, I'm one of those people who always gets salmon and then proceeds to douse it in enough soy and wasabi to make anyone cringe. In my mind, there's nothing comparable to that certain mix of mouth-feel and flavours: salt-slick soy, wasabi-tingle, piquantly pickled ginger, silky salmon, creamy avocado, and softly chewy vinegary rice.

From the appetizer card, Kaki fried ($4.95) are nuggets of oysters in browned crispy panko. They were in the fryer a couple of minutes too long, however, they were still satisfying in the way that any sort of battered and deep fried consumables usually are.

Grilled squid ($6.95) was tender and splashed with a sweet and thin teriyaki sauce.

The black cod ($6.95) broiled with miso was amazing. The firm, thick pinky-white flesh was as soft and rich as a well marbled steak. Even the skin was delicious - transformed by sweet, smoky miso glaze. Crispy without a whit of fishiness.

The thing I love about Toronto's Japanese restaurants - heck with purists who like to squabble about how much vinegar is or isn't in the sushi rice - is the lack of authenticity. I'm referring to all the one stop shops for noodle soup, tempura, sushi, donburi etc., or crazy maki concoctions that Canadians have come to know and embrace as the norm.

Like other casual Japanese joints in Toronto, Akane-Ya has that ubiquitous menu (albeit lighter on selection and not as cost effective as its Bloor Street brethren). BUT, it does have that cod, and that is something I'd definitely go back for.