What's the vibe?
After closing its doors for three months, Blowfish has reopened with a new menu. The space maintains its smart Manhattan-style vibes with a mix of mood lighting and natural light from the large windows facing Bathurst Street. The dining room offers an intimate space to feast on elevated Japanese at a long sushi and sake bar, while adjoining room 'Bar Fish' welcomes the after-work crowd for cocktails and small plates.
What to drink?
Cocktails come courtesy of mixologist Nishan Nepulangoda, who combines Japanese flavours with fresh ingredients to create a drinks list for the senses. The Pineapple Summer pretty much sells itself at this time of the year: a refreshing blend of vodka, cointreau, yuzu sake, pineapple mango juice and a kick from smoked pineapple chipotle syrup. Barrel-aged Negronis and Manhattans round out the cocktail list, but if you're here for sushi, you're here for sake. With nearly 20 varieties on hand, there's one for every palate and price point with glasses ranging from $12 to $25 a pop.
View on Instagram
What to eat?
Personally headhunted from Sao Paolo, Brazil, Chef Daniel Ken Miyamoto takes modern Japanese cuisine and adds in his own tropical notes throughout. The menu is divided into tapas, cold and hot plates and the more traditional sushi offerings. The Blowfish Ebi Shooter combines tiger shrimp, mango, avocado, kewpie and tobiko, and it tastes as fun as it looks. The pan-seared sea scallops with shiso chimichurri offers something a little heartier and if sushi is your thing (let’s be honest, you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t) there are some truly indulgent choices like the Tuna Maki topped with Fois Gras and the Truffle Albacore with tuna paste, tiger shrimp, and avocado topped with a truffle oil drizzle.
Dinner and drinks for two: around $190
668 King Street West; 416-860-0606; blowfishrestaurant.com
