Tojos Vancouver Sushi Restaurant
Tojo's Restaurant Serves Vancouver's Best Sushi and Japanese Food
Tojo's Restaurant in Vancouver has been delighting local diners with the best sushi and Japanese cuisine in town for years.
Ask any Vancouver sushi-lover where to dine and chances are she’ll point you to one place -- Tojo’s Restaurant.
Famous for his creativity, Chef Hidekazu Tojo trained in Osaka, Japan before coming to Canada in 1971. He opened Tojo’s in 1988 and has watched sushi go from an exotic treat for those with posh tastes, to something you can buy at the 7-11.
Or something you can make yourself - start with Tojo's Perfect Sushi Rice recipe and your Tojo Sushi Maki roll - how to's here - will be a success!
Shop Locally
Besides playful creativity, another secret to Tojo’s success is one shared by many top chefs – shop locally.
“I use mostly west-coast seafood. I like many, many flavors, but I like to use more local albacore tuna. Tojo tuna is very famous," the chef told me.
“I like to make my own dishes. There are lots of creations I invented just trying new things – like I see northern lights and I make Northern Light Roll - very unique and very Canadian. For Canadian ‘east meets west’ I use smoked salmon and lobster. I roll it and put green asparagus inside. It looks good and tastes delicious.”
Those in the know ask for the Omakase and let Tojo prepare a meal to suit their taste and budget - and it needn't be just raw fish. There is a whole other world of Japanese food to explore at Tojo, too.
It All Started With Shogun
Tojo delights in the ongoing popularity of sushi and Japanese cuisine and figures the North American love affair with all things Japanese started with the 1981 TV movie Shogun and just kept growing.
“Many famous people go to Japan, discover new tastes, go ‘oh this is very good’ and bring the taste back with them. Also, many North American people are ‘heart attack people’ but Japanese people live a very long life. They’re skinny and healthy. People try to do what we do.”
Tojo says in Japan, almost everyone makes simple sushi at home, visiting local restaurants for more exotic creations. In Canada, do-it-yourselfers can easily get necessities like nori and bamboo rolling mats in larger grocery stores or specialty stores. The technique is in the rolling – and (equally importantly) the rice. Follow Tojo’s instructions to give it a go yourself. Enjoy your sushi with saki, beer and bright local wines.
Tojo's Restaurant
1133 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V6H 1G1
Tel:+1 604 872 8050, Fax: +1 604 872 8060
Orignally published in The Globe and Mail
