TORONTO -- As a resident of one of the most land-locked places on the planet, one of the first things I do in a larger, more cosmopolitan city is scope out the fish and seafood options.
Hence my good fortune of finding one of the best oyster bars in North America only an hour after landing in Toronto, a city many Winnipeggers must visit on their way to somewhere to else.
Patrick McMurray, owner of the Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill.
A few blocks east of Yonge Street, facing downtown's leafy St. James Park, Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill offers up a remarkable selection of bivalves and other shellfish from both sides of the Atlantic -- all from sustainable sources.
The Starfish menu changes daily, but on any given visit you can sample up to a dozen different oysters, including rarely-seen Galways from Ireland, briny Belons from France and more affordable but equally sumptious varieties from both Canadian coasts.
You can also find intensely mineral-tasting littleneck clams, sweet raw scallops on the halfshell and glorious, golden-brown sea urchin roe served in the invertebrate's spiny husks.
Starfish also handles cooked seafod expertly, especially if you stick to the small plates. The fork-tender, barely-grilled squid with pimentos will make you forget about every bad breaded calamari experience you've ever had. The whole grilled sardines, finished with a drizzle of sherry, can encourage even the most fish-phobic prairie dweller to get their fingers dirty in order to remove delicate flesh from bony spine.
And a simple sautee of razor clams -- tube-shaped, almost translucent bivalves that live in shells that resemble vintage straight-razors -- turned out to be one of the most amazing tastes I've ever encountered. The stunningly sweet flesh of these odd East Coast beauties finds a perfect match in a little olive oil, garlic and hot peppers.
An equally amazing seafood experience -- albeit with far less an emphasis on sustainability -- can be found in the unlikely Toronto suburb of Etobicoke. Way out on The Queensway, across the street from a Tim Hortons, sits Sushi Kaji, a traditional Japanese restaurant with no equal in Canada.
Sushi Kaji is no place for a California roll fan. The kitchen offers up a choice of three tasting menus that rely on impeccably fresh fish, unusual Japanese produce and the subtle flavours and artful presentation you will never find in a conventional tempura parlour.
Regardless of the tasting menu, the courses start small but quickly build into a mind-blowing crescendo: eat every morsel of that scallop-and-scallion pancake and you won't have room for the kampachi that dominates the sushi course. This place offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience, well worth the $80 to $120 price.
For a less sushi-centric take on traditional Japanese food, head back into Toronto and check out Kaiseki Sakura, a stylish little Church Street nook where the artistic designs mean your lotus chip may actually be a chestnut and an apparent sweet may actually be flesh. Pay attention when your earnest server tries to tell you what's actually on your plate.
Or if that sounds a bit too precious, venture west on King Street to Toshi Sushi, a narrow, nondescript-looking seafood parlour that sits next to a garish strip club. Wander past the tables to the sushi bar in the back, and you'll find yourself in a raucous little room where you will likely be the only customer who isn't speaking Japanese. Among the excellent fish is a $6 slice of foie gras sushi, which the chef sears with a blowtorch just before service.
Toronto also boasts dozens if not hundreds of Chinese seafood parlours. For some reason, I have yet to wander into any that can match the service and quality of those found in Vancouver.
But the city's growing Indo-Canadian population has had an effect on chefs of all stripes. At Greg Couillard's Spice Room, a dimly lit space in the hard-to-find basement of an upscale Yorkville stripmall, oversized scallops are seared and slathered with tandoori spice, while a cold octopus salad gets a Trinidadian spike of citrus and hot peppers.
Is it wise to consume so much marine protein in one weekend? And can the pleasure justify the expense?
Who cares?
Landlocked Winnipeggers get only so many chances to enjoy a seafood orgy.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca
PREVIOUS
