We have been looking long and hard for a new sushi restaurant to frequent in London, Ontario after the closing of Taika, which used to be located on Oxford near Wonderland Road. Taika had wonderfully fresh fish and very creative and tasty house specialty sushi rolls, which were to die for. Oh how I longed for a plate of Thames River Maki or the Sir Papillon roll. Chef Tai was a master of combining textures and flavours. We still had a couple decent fall-back sushi restaurants that we enjoyed – namely Take Sushi and Shiki on Wellington Road. But we were still looking for a sushi joint that would capture some of the magic from our Taika days.
We had tried TAHHH Sushi on Commissioners Road near Wonderland a few months back shortly after they opened, and we really enjoyed it – but weren’t blown away. We decided to try it again last weekend. I guess sometimes it takes new restaurants a little time to feel their way along and solidify their culinary identity. And boy, has TAHHH Sushi figured things out.
One of my concerns from our first visit was the price to portion size ratio. I thought they were a bit pricey – very tasty, but a bit pricey. So we ordered some of the dishes we enjoyed from our first visit and were surprised to see the portion size had increased considerably. I’m not sure if the number of sushi pieces increased, but the size certainly did.
We ended up ordering a few of their specialty rolls – the Besame Mucho and the Phoenix along with the mymy maki and our old standby – Spicy Tuna roll. As the saying goes – with the best meals, you feast with your eyes first. And this is certainly the case at TAHHH Sushi.
As you can see below, the presentation is excellent. It’s only bested by the actual taste of the food (illustrated in the last shot). All dishes were wonderful! The fish was fresh and flavourful, the veggies were crisp and fresh, the tempura bits were crunchy and tasty – what more can you ask for. And the soya bean leaf wrapper is tasty and a nice departure from seaweed. What an outstanding meal. And the left over Besame Mucho roll made an excellent little snack the next day.
And I don’t know what it is about good sushi joints. Just like Taika back in the day, they always seem to be little hole-in-the-wall restaurants located in strip plazas. So don’t expect much in terms of decor and ambiance. Its just a little place, clean and cafeteria-like, but clearly you are coming to this restaurant for the food. And the guys that work there are great too. We will definitely be back. For now, back to the cage.
