The opening of Guu Izakaya has pretty much been front of mind -- and stomach -- ever since the news first broke six months ago. The first thought: They're putting the new Guu there? At the old Mr. Tasty where the pimps used to hang out and watch their hos on Church? Okay, cool. Secondly: Holy crap, a Toronto Guu -- they better be open for my December birthday.So after months of walking past the Church and Gerrard digs and seeing the gradual construction of its beautiful wall of stone exterior, and months of constant googling for any shred of new information, I was surprise-treated to a dinner for two with the lovely girlfriend at Guu's soft opening on Wednesday.
For those of you headed there tonight in a matter of hours and this weekend, one piece of advice: give yourself time -- lots. You will eat and eat and eat, and drink and drink and drink, and before you know it, it'll be 2.5 hours later and you'll wish you had more room in your belly to try the grilled saba mackerel or beef tongue grilled in spicy salts.
You will be immediately comforted by the genuine enthusiasm of the Japanese staff, shouting greetings and farewells and bowing (yes, all of them) at everyone who enters and leaves (yes, everyone). Order a few rounds of $12 pitchers of Sapporo or Okanagan to get the party started. You should, however, try some of the amazing cocktails on the menu, including Japanese-style flavoured vodka sodas.
There will be hemming and hawing between the lightly seared salmon sashimi with ponzu sauce and wasabi mayo and lightly seared albacore tuna sourced straight from Vancouver, but there is no wrong answer.
The Kabocha deep-fried pumpkin ball with boiled egg will sound odd, but I guarantee a second or third order of the strange dish once everyone at the table has tasted it. (It's that much better on a 90-degree angle)If the little voice in your head urges you to just order the entire menu, ask it to stop -- you'll be back many times to sample everything you missed.
Other highlights: Gindara black cod grilled perfectly (the newfie at the table knows a good cod when she eats it ); a medley of marinated jellyfish and vermicelli on a bed of lettuce; calamari deep-fried with spicy ketchup for a surprising kick; and the one everyone will drool over, melt-in-your-mouth miso-braised pork belly, as delicious as anticipated.
Keeping in mind it was a soft opening for family and friends (and us two snoopy outsiders), we were still wowed by the enthusiasm and care taken by the staff at Guu. Dishes were carefully explained to us, the kitchen was efficient, and we felt incredibly welcomed into a dining experience that is not your typical Toronto night out.
When drunk on food, being stumbling distance from home is definitely key.
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