102005 Sat Feb 12 14:46:38 -0800 2005 3 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 552279 Has anyone yet tried or heard anything about that new Asian restaurant in Kensington Market called "Supermarket"? I'm going to dinner there tonight with some friends and was interested in any chow-y reviews so far. All I've seen up to now is this Toronto.com review, which seems to bode well thus far... Link: http://www.toronto.com/feature/13245/?context=restaurants&cslink=cs_generic_2_9 Sat Feb 12 14:46:38 -0800 2005 0 Rani 1 552289 Eh. Reasonably priced, and competent food, but nothing exciting. Don't get me wrong - I tried everything from the sweet potato chips to the jerk pork to the calamari to the dumplings to the curry mussels, and found everything satisfactory. It's just that when a restaurant claims to serve "izakaya-style" food, I expect an interesting selection of sake (EDO on Eglinton W. has a good selection), and food remotely resembling izakaya food. Here, you get the same old, same old Asian/global fusion tapas-portion food that's already been done to death in downtown Toronto. To call that izakaya is pretentious and misleading. The one thing that turned me off right away about Supermarket was the strange smell. You know that cleaning fluid smell you sometimes notice at greasy spoons and such? That's the smell. (Shockingly, I also smelled it at Kaji Sushi the last time I was there.) By the way, if you want some real delightfully unusual izakaya food, try the appetizers at Akane-ya in the Beach, including a selection of daily specials. I've had things like baked baby pumpkins filled with Japanese pork stew, spicy sashimi plate with a spicy honey-mustard sauce, and an oyster plate with oysters done three different ways (raw, miso-baked, deep-fried). The chef (Yoshi Taniichi, or something like that) might prepare you bits of BAKED sushi, which is not on the menu yet (at least not when I last went there in November), if you show an interest in his food. Sushi rolls topped with uni (sea urchin) go in the oven briefly, resulting in no loss of flavour or texture in the fish and uni, but the rice is irresistibly warm. Sat Feb 12 17:31:45 -0800 2005 552279 0 membrillo 2 554274 If you want good Izakaya, go to Izakaya at 69 Front Street (Church and Front)- just opened this week. Very cool and great food. Wed Apr 06 15:43:08 -0700 2005 552289 0 Ramen 1 552408 tried it, it is not really izakaya. it is fusion everything mixed together. (my benchmark is Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe in Vancouver, what an awesome izakaya... chef there is from Tokyo) Tue Feb 15 13:33:17 -0800 2005 552279 0 Frances in Toronto