In Japan
124 Atlantic Avenue
Phone: 416-516-4648
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I had really high hopes for this place. I really did. Walking into In Japan was a cool experience. It's nothing like the run of the mill cafeteria style lunch places along the Atlantic Avenue strip. It's cozy, it's stylish, it's Japanese. Judging by the amount of people waiting in the take-out line up, I was looking forward to some good eats. Ummm...yeah. Not so much.
Everything that was going past me looked fantastic. Various sushi and sashimi dishes, teriyaki and tempura - my mouth was watering. Then came my meal. 95 cent miso soup which was pretty standard, over boiled edamame and a wayyyyy too deep fried rice patty that constituted the bottom half of my sushi pizza. The presentation of the meal was fine, it was only after biting into a piece of the pizza that I realized that the rice patty was so over cooked that it was both crispy AND chewy. The sauce that was hiding underneath the salmon wasn't listed as spicy but let's just say that someone's mouth was on FIRE! That's just personal preference but at least give me some warning that I'm going to need seven glasses of water in front of me during my lunch hour. There were other dishes listed as "spicy" but not # 45 and funnily enough, it's listed as the sushi bar "special". Well, it wasn't so special to me. Far from it.
I'm not going to say that I'm not going to eat at In Japan ever again, because I will. I just need to stick to the standard sushi and sashimi dishes. Besides, if you've been in the area at noon hour, what else do I have to choose from?
Comments (16)
Sushi Pizza is always terrible. It's a ridiculous dish, and I don't think it's this restaurant's fault that it tasted bad--it's just their fault for offering it.
That photo of your meal does not look at all appetizing. I'm a Japanese cuisine snob (having lived in Japan for 2 years, I'm ruined for it in the Toronto fast-food scene). Sushi pizza? Spicy sauce? My instinct is that "In Japan" is not Japanese.
"Sushi Pizza is always terrible. It's a ridiculous dish, and I don't think it's this restaurant's fault that it tasted bad--it's just their fault for offering it."
No one who has had a Sushi on Bloor sushi pizza would say that.
eating sushi pizza is like ordering sweet and sour pork(or lemon chicken ball) or putting soy sauce on your steamed rice(or putting soy sauce on any Chinese food you order) in a Chinese restaurant
Good okonomiyaki in Toronto is something I've yet to discover. I might have to head back to Hiroshima soon :)
Sushi pizza in Toronto is to the Japanese as 241 pizza is to Sicilians or Holy Chow is to folks from Szechaun province or a microwavable 7/11 burritto is to Mexicans. :)
Food and food liking is so very subjective. What's devine to one is yuck to another and vice versa. That's why I'll sometimes try restaurants that get bad reviews, and why I value opinions of those I know have similar taste as me most :)
i walked by yesterday and i was tempted to go in. i'm sure it would have been fine, though. i will eat pretty much any sushi, even bento box.
(counting down the days 'til I'm back in Kanazawa...)
I've also never tasted sushi pizza before, and don't plan on it, but I've heard similarly fantastic things about it at Sushi on Bloor.
The first problem here is that you ordered sushi pizza. I'm all for mixing up quisines but there's a point when one needs to draw a line. But then again there's really nothing "pizza like" about this dish. That being said I still ebjoy In Japan (for know.. see my blog for details) But it usually doesn't satisfy my 12 o'clock hunger pains. IMO the most reliable place in the area for a great meal is Island Foods... Boneless Chicken Roti with Spinach... great food great service.
I don't think these ppl know how to make JPN food. They're not even Japanese, but Korean.
I was there not too long ago, and the food was terrible. The fish was cut by an amateur, the chicken was tasteless, the rice mushy, and on and on.
Owners of these establishments should be ashamed of themselves.
This is the worst "Japanese" food I've ever had.
The tempura was oily, the teriyaki sauce was slimy (long strings like mucus--yuck!), and the fish slices on my sushi were so thin.
My miso soup came with nori (do they know JPN cuisine?!) instead of wakame.
The only good point is the friendly service, but that's all. I wouldn't come back here again.
I will agree that this place does not have absolutely the very best Japanese food I have ever eaten; however considering a complete meal including teriyaki entree, soup, salad and side of can be had for $10, maybe some of you are being a little critical.
'In Japan' has prices comparable to a crappy food court joint; but the food is a big step up from that, plus there is table service.
Here's a thought: If you want the best food in the world, don't go to a cheap lunch joint and order "Sushi Pizza".
I WILL continue to eat here because it is clean, the location is handy and the food quality is acceptable given the cheap prices.
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