Sushi Marche
1105 Queen Street East
Phone: 416.463.0114
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Sushi Marche is leaving some serious money on the table. A restaurant that serves raw fish this fresh, and this good could easily fill a large room seven nights a week; and run up tabs with bottles of Asahi and unfiltered sake. But that's not what head sushi chef and founder John Lee has decided to do. Instead, Sushi Marche is almost strictly a take-out operation.
Ok, technically there's a small table near the window, just out of reach of the shelves stocked with a select few Japanese groceries. But on most nights it's not spoken for. Instead, throngs of raw fish fans take their maki and sashimi to go, knowingly calling ahead to place their order which usually takes about 20 minutes to prepare.
Last weekend that's what my dinner date and I decide to do. I order the sushi dinner ($18 - pictured above) which comes with five pieces of sushi, a choice of a kamikaze OR California roll and a miso soup. It's not cheap (especially for take out) but it's quality that's the name of the game here so I know what I'm getting into.
Speaking of quality, the sushi is, as expected, fresh and delicious but the real star is the accompanying kamikaze roll. Layered with buttery salmon, cucumber, tempura flakes and fish roe, the roll is a nice meld of textures and flavours with the tempura flakes giving it a bit of a crunch and some spicy sauce lending a bit of a kick to what otherwise might be bland ingredients.
Knowing how good the maki is, I'm now salivating over my date's maki moriawase dinner (also $18) across the table, hoping she's not going to have the appetite to finish the whole thing. No such luck. She's game for the four rolls (pictured above) which include the aforementioned kamikaze as well as a California roll, tuna roll and salmon roll.
With no maki swapping hands there, I turn my attention to the miso soup. It's standard but good. Nothing ground breaking but a larger than average portion compared to what I've had at other sushi takeout places.
We didn't order the gyoza but the nice lady who packed everything up for us threw it in on the house. I think we should have warmed it up. Served room temperature, this gyoza (normally $4) isn't going to win too many friends but for take-out I tend to eat the food how it's served so that's how we ate it.
And for dessert there was the traditional sliced fruit - a standard assortment of oranges and melon.
For a look at more photos and to check out the menu see below:
Comments (10)
Marche on over to this Leslieville gem.
Excellent sushi prepared by a delightful husband and wife duo.
Who doesn't love food garnished by an orchid bloom?
One of my neighbourhood favourites. Sure it's a bit more expensive than run-of-the-mill sushi take-out but damn that's some fine fish. Definitely call ahead though.
"There's a reason there's only one sushi restaurant in Leslieville..."
I always thought it was because Leslieville is so far from the ocean ;)
he seemed to skip the lesson where putting a slice of citrus on everything but be beautiful and all but it cooks the fish and saturates it with the citrus taste rendering the fish flavour virtually indiscernable.
i've had a lot of bland watery fish from sushi marche that doesn't speak much of the quality of their seafood. definitely not a place you go out of the way for though i could see why it would be a local haunt.
I agree great sushi. Now, eating sushi that is flown and trucked in from all over the world is not exactly low-impact activity, but does Sushi March? need to be so completely environmentally hostile? Miso in Polystyrene? Goyoza on polystyrene meat trays? Everything in plastic containers? (Sure, some of the plastic is recyclable, oh, unless you live in a condo.) Couldn't they make even a token effort to include some biodegradable corn-based packaging?
This is my fave sushi in the city, I only wish they would open up an eat in spot. Luckily I live in the same block so can just haul it upstairs. Which is precisely what I did when I moved in this Spring, I think I ate here 4 nights in a row. I had no groceries and was quickly addicted. Salmon Kamikazee rolls for life!!!
And I love that they always give you something free, typically yummy mixed fresh fruit.
Slowest service in the city. They'll always make you wait at least 45 minutes.
And give the lemon slices a rest. totally bush league.
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Nice review, but you should really check their Dine Safe record:
http://app.toronto.ca/food2/DineSafeMain?userRequest=view_history&ESTABLISHMENT_ID=10215214
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