Subpar Sushi at Ginza

When a new sushi restaurant crops up near work, it means one of three things things: it will become my new favourite lunch spot, it’ll go into light lunch rotation, or it won’t live up to my standards and fade into obscurity. I gave Ginza Sushi three tries and have to put them in the second category. They’ve got some great thoughtful touches, but they also break a few cardinal rules.

I first tried dining in, and the meal starts off great, as they bring a small bowl of complimentary salted Edamame to our table. These get gobbled up quickly and put our hunger at bay for a few minutes as we wait for our orders to arrive.

Next come a Salad and Miso Soup, which are included with my sushi combo. The salad is above average and the soup is also better than most because it’s not too salty with a surprisingly hint of sweetness. Plus, the addition of a few floating straw mushrooms is a really nice touch.

My main course is Ginza Combo For One ($16). My biggest beef with Ginza is the freshness of their fish is definitely inconsistent. The fish used for the salmon nigiri and the salmon-avocado hand roll were past their prime. They smelled fishy and the consistency was tough. I couldn’t even bite through it when I tried. I had to leave these pieces on my plate, disgusted. On the other hand, the salmon sashimi was delicious and of good quality, so were the tuna, butterfish and eel. A wet noodle lashing for whoever thinks extending the shelf life of raw fish is a smart idea.

I did try to give Ginza a few more chances, ordering their Assorted Sashimi on Rice ($6.99) lunch special to go. Twice, the tuna I was given was at least a day too old. The colour, smell and texture were off and I had to toss them into the garbage. Trying to sneak in some old fish is unacceptable. The third (and I thought final) time I visited, the tuna was in better shape, and as usual, the salmon sashimi was incredibly fresh. I was much more forgiving than most customers who likely wouldn’t have given a place so many chances.

It’s an easy fix and a very important one for Ginza to improve its reputation. So please step it up, and hopefully your customers be back more often.

Ginza Sushi / 100-1255 Bay St., Toronto
647 351 0238 / Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11am-10pm, Fri. & Sat. 11am-11pm, Sun. 11am-10pm