Edo $150 (1 ½*) serves up gorgeous sushi in contemporary setting.

Forrest Hill families, groups of 30-something friends and gooey-eyed couples frequent this 20-year neighbourhood mainstay which built its reputation on efficient service and traditional Japanese fare. The large dining room’s contemporary feel has a warm and casual tone and the walls display a mix of art-for-sale and Toronto skyline prints.

Taste the Chef Ryo Ozawa’s true talents and stick to sushi. Black cod teriyaki with grilled asparagus and charred peppers lacks finesse despite two succulent pieces of fish—and desserts, a muddy looking but fine tasting green tea crème brulé could buy another gorgeous roll instead.

Visual flare highlights impeccably fresh ingredients like a stunning display of BC white tuna slices fanned over a mound of frissé and a nest of thin carrot spirals. The turquoise plate showcases the pale fish, so supple on the tongue it’s like delicately soft tofu. Hints of sweet maple and mild wasabi mayo add flavour and drama—their black and beige drops graduating from tiny to silver-dollar size around the plate. A whole steamed Japanese eggplant arrives on a long white plate, its pearl-white flesh the texture of perfectly cooked scallops and a thin layer of nutty and sweet white miso adds just enough panache. Another stunner: lobster tempura maki with thick and crispy pieces of crustacean, cuke, avocado and tobiko encircle a pristine and hollow lobster head. Hotate (scallop) nigiri is 1/3 of the price of Kobe ribeye nigiri but twice as pleasing, the former’s delicateness far surpassing the beef’s charred and chewy texture.

Extensive sake and moderate wine list features a bottle for every budget.

• 484 Eglinton Ave. West, Toronto
• 416.322.3033