Good sushi is hard to come by cheaply.

Michael and I were exhausted from our little shopping trip for jackets. We originally wanted to go to an asian fusion burrito place, but the shop was closed as the owner was taking his son for a weekend getaway; good for him, but we had to choose a different place.

Sushi Toni was our final choice.

We actually passed by the place while looking for the burrito place, and I grabbed a photo of the lanterns outside. But once we stopped and looked inside, the shop was very cozy and quiet. You can see the chefs working away at the bar.

So far, everything looks very faithful.

But this isn’t one of the super expensive have the chefs make-your-sushi-and-feed-it-to-you places. We found this place on Yelp; it had “$$” and a really solid review base.

We had some expectations, but this place exceeded all of mine.

Having each ordered some rolls, tempura and soup; I had a chance to taste everything. The soup was on point; the miso flavor is mild, they used proper kelp (instead of dried seaweed) when making the soup, which gave off the natural strong taste of umami.

The tempura was expected: but the breading isn’t too thick, and there aren’t any Panko on it (the better way, in my opinion). The mix of veggies used complimented each other on the flavors and texture.

The one thing that really impressed me, was the rice they had used.

Most sushi places live and die by their rice. This is not true of AYCE, or any of the sushi shops I’ve been to in Waterloo. To do it right, the rice has to be the right softness; the taste has to be a blend of acidity and sweetness; the texture should be sticky just right; the temperature should be lukewarm.

This place had the right rice.

At that point, 80% of what makes sushi great is already finished. The base flavor is now complete, and everything on top is just icing on the cake. The pairings they had chose in the rolls worked well together, especially the spicy yellowtail roll.

I kinda wish I worked a little closer to this place, because the spicy yellowtail roll is something I can eat so, so much and not be tired.

10/10 would come again.

-Tao