Imanishi Japa Sleep Machine T Chen

Cozy atmosphere, perfect for intimate dates but not so much big group hangouts. Space is pretty tight, and their under the seat baskets for your belongings is appreciated. Prices are on the higher end, but for the taste and quality, I think it's pretty justified. They have nice cocktails, and a good selection of sake. The sashimi, curry and the skewers were very tasty, skip the pickles-they are not impressive, but the best ones, the ones I recommend, would be the miso mackerel and the Tokyo toast- so good! Took one star off of service because while the staff was courteous and communicative when serving you, it was pretty difficult to catch their attention in the first place. All in all, its a good place to try.

A very warm and intimate atmosphere with amazing service. The interior seems like an accurate representation izakayas in Japan. We ordered the Suntory Hi whisky cocktail and it was very refreshing with a nice citrus kick. In terms of food, the corn kakiage and tokyo toast were incredible. Both were crunchy and had just the right amount of seasoning to improve it from good to great. However, I found the other dishes we ordered a little disappointing. The saba miso-ni was slightly overcooked resulting in the meat being tough to chew. The beef curry also lacked beef with only 2 small pieces of meat in the bowl. The ribs were good but I found the sauce a little overpowering.

A small cosy shop just due west of Trinity-Bellwoods park. The server(s) were all super friendly and had great recommendations for both food and drink. The space was a little cramped (to be expected for the building footprint), so expect to be able to hear the conversations of those around you. Food was all fantastic - the monkfish liver wasn’t too fishy (and served on the most amazing toast), and the anchovy potato salad wasn’t super umami and unique (not the mayo packed, super creamy kind). The beef curry was great, but had next to no meat in it; this is the reason I knocked a star off the review). Dessert toast is to die for - just get it.

It’s a dark, date night, vibe inside. Service was good and vibes were right. It feels like they put thought into how the food comes out because it was spaced well given the tapas style plates. We got the sashimi plate, octopus, shrimp salad, the fried corn and the anchovy toast. Everything tasted great but nothing tasted outstanding and made us think “wow we need to come back for this”. My favourite was the shrimp salad. It was really fresh with the cilantro and cucumbers. Second favourite was the corn because I’ve never had that before and it had great texture and crunch.

Reserved a spot and came here on a Tuesday night. The vibe of the restaurant would be perfect for a date night, with candle lights on each table. My top 3: Eggplant, Curry (it was a tie between curry and tai carpaccio), and Tokyo Toast Sashimi ($32 for 9 pieces) It came with Hamachi, Scallop, and Snapper. The pieces were tasty and fresh. It felt a bit expensive, but they were good. Cold Served Agedashi Eggplant ($9) I love eggplant, so I made sure to order this. My friend who wasn't too keen on ordering this said it was the highlight of the dinner. lol It was well soaked in dashi broth, well cooked, and tasted quite delicate but very tasty. Gailan Gomaae ($9) I liked how cooked the gailan was (not overly cooked with a nice crunch), but it tasted a bit too vinegar-y for a gomaae. I'm pretty sure it's because of the dressing they use, but I would probably not order it again. Beef Tataki ($21) The beef seemed a bit too cooked, and the fried chickpea added for a nice presentation, but was very dry and crusty for it to go with the dish personally. Tai Carpaccio ($19) This went REALLY well with the vinaigrette and salsa. I liked it much more than the tataki. Anchovy Potato Salad & Chips ($10) Great price. The anchovy taste was quite faint, and I found the potato chunks to be too big. I liked the idea of adding the taro chips, but I would want a potato salad that's a bit more flavorful and perhaps creamy. Corn Kakiage ($9) It was good. I love corn and I love kakiage in general, so seeing the reviews, I was definitely overly hyped about it. But it tasted like it looks. I do wish there was a bit more corn. Tebasaki ($15) Great value and pretty solid taste. The meat was quite juicy as well. Saba Miso-ni ($13) I was surprised by how much I got for $13. It was also very well cooked and the sauce was great. Karashi Ribs ($16) The meat was tender, juicy, and fell off the bone with ease. While, I thought this would be my highlight, the karashi mustard overpowered the dish a bit. Pork Belly Miso Katsu ($16) It was good. I personally liked it more than the tebasaki, but it might be because I am very used to the taste of the tebasaki since I've made similar ones at home. Gyudon ($15) It was good but nothing special. The price was good but felt more expensive than the other dishes we ordered. Imanishi Beef Curry ($15) Great fruity Japanese curry gravy. I loved it. I just wish they put more beef chunks as it was hard to find the chunks. Tokyo Toast ($9) This was definitely one of my favorite. I did not expect it to be that good. The toast was a bit crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside, with a nice combination of icecream and the texture and taste of toasted soba. I found this place to be a very affordable place for the quality of food you get as well. I'm also glad that they were transparent about how many pieces comes with each dish. And how the server was telling us it might be too much food for us when we initially ordered, and explored food menu options that might be better for the first round of ordering. They were also very prompt in changing the dirty plates for us as well.

Good experience and great atmosphere! Ordered: - Corn Kakiage (a must!!) - Tai Carpaccio (very fresh) - Monkfish Liver Pate - Pickles (light + great side dish) - Nagoya Ramen (it was good but nothing outstanding to me; I wouldn’t get it again) - Karashi Ribs (yummy & tender but sweet) - Tebasaki (delicious!) - Imanishi Beef Curry - Tokyo Toast The waiter saw that we had some pate leftover but no bread so he offered to bring more and we accepted, BUT we didn’t know that we’d be charged for those 4.5 thin pieces until we saw the bill (a heads up would’ve been nice, especially considering it was barely any bread anyway). Overall nice place to eat with friends especially if you enjoy sharing food.