Le Cafe Michi continues to be one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto for several reasons. From the signage at the front you wouldn't think they serve sushi, let alone very good sushi for that matter, but the quality of sushi and food in general is very good; a real hidden gem! The space is cozy and relaxed, I feel like it could be in Japan; but think smaller town feel, not the flash and energy of Tokyo. (So, if you're looking for posh, head to downtown Toronto instead.) And, to top things off, the desserts are delicious and made in-house so you'll find desserts such as a green tea red bean cake or tofu cheesecake available.
1802 Pharmacy Aveune
Scarboough, ON M1T 1K1
416-490-9688
The space
Le Cafe Michi reminds me a little bit of zakka culture and a slower pace of life by the atmosphere they generate, the decor, and the cute handmade goods on display/for sale. The place is quiet, perfect for good conversation and when you just want to relax with a cup of coffee or tea and dessert. (By the way, they offer an afternoon tea special that includes slice of cake and coffee or tea for $6.50.)
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| These kitties are so cute!! |
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| Back room for dining and omakase. |
The food
In Toronto there are so many all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants that for many, it's hard to find value in going to a sushi restaurant that isn't. But, sometimes it's about quality vs quantity and Le Cafe Michi delivers on the quality.
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| Top left: salad for chyo-chin bento (could have been a little more interesting tho'). Bottom left: seaweed salad for cafe au lait chirashi. |
We ordered sushi specials which come with salad (pictured above), a choice of tea or coffee and choice of dessert. Besides the sushi specials, they also serve cooked dishes like katsu don and items a la carte.
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| Chicken karaage, this is how the chyo-chin bento looks when served |
The chicken karaage (basically Japanese fried chicken) was crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. Light seasoning and the batter wasn't thick or too oily. Drizzled with a spicy mayo based sauce, this dish definitely stood out!! I was tempted to order it a la carte too but each meal was just enough food on it's own and...I wanted to make sure I had room for dessert. ^-^
The rest of the bento includes 6 pieces of sashimi which were of good quality and unajyu (eel) on sushi rice was soft and flavourful, well made indeed.
The Cafe Au Lait Chirashi was beautifully assembled, my favourite being the mushroom shaped tuna on the left dotted with wasabi mayo (cute!). The sashimi was fresh and the variety is standard (normally they have uni but didn't have any that day). My only complaint was the tuna was not as good as I remember. Underneath, between some sushi rice was some unajyu (bbq eel) which made the sushi rice even tastier.
The dessert
Ranging from Earl grey chiffon to mousse cakes to various cheesecakes, they offer a very good selection of desserts. We opted for a slice of Sake chocolate cake and a slice of green tea red bean cake.
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| Part of the dessert case. |
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| Sake chocolate cake |
You can taste the sake but it wasn't too strong and really went well with the chocolate. Texture of the mousse and ganache was good.
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| Green tea red bean cake |
The green tea cream was ohhh so good, just the right amount of green tea and sweetness! But they were kind of off on the texture of the cake, it was a little too wet and airy. I've had this cake several times and the texture of the cake was never an issue in the past, moist, light and fluffy, so still worth a try if you like green tea flavoured desserts.
And just because I mentioned it, here is the tofu cheesecake.
One other thing to note, if you're going for lunch or dinner, MAKE RESERVATIONS! The place is small and has a loyal customer base, you'll be disappointed if you don't!
