3/5 Claire H. 2 months ago on Google • 390 reviews New
"On
the
cusp
of
something
great".
Having
traveled
extensively
in
Japan,
I'm
pretty
critical
about
Japanese
food.
Aburi
Hana
sits
somewhere
between
the
best
and
average
high-end
restaurants:
A
good
baseline
quality
of
food
for
a
nice
night
out,
but
still
a
way
to
go
in
terms
of
creativity
and
technique.
First
off,
the
hospitality
is
unmatched
and
you'll
feel
like
you're
taken
care
of
the
moment
you
walk
in
until
you
walk
out
of
the
door.
The
servers
were
very
attentive
and
the
service
was
befitting
of
the
calibre
of
this
restaurant.
I
was
expecting
the
chef
to
show
up
and
engage
with
us
at
some
point
but
he
did
not,
so
that
was
a
slight
disappointment.
However,
the
food
was
where
it
didn't
quite
hit
the
mark
for
me.
I
appreciate
the
use
of
premium
ingredients
(which
is
expected
for
kaiseki
like
uni,
maguro,
A5
wagyu
etc)
but
it
felt
more
like
Japanese-inspired
Canadian
food.
While
the
presentation
was
very
pretty
with
some
video-worthy
moments,
it
felt
like
it
was
mostly
just
for
show
and
not
an
actual
reflection
of
creative/modern
Japanese
cuisine.
An
example
would
be
starter
course,
the
meatball
(tsukune).
The
basket
it
came
in
with
the
flower
buds
was
supposed
to
represent
early
spring
(which
is
rather
thoughtful
considering
the
name
of
the
course),
but
the
dish
itself
had
nothing
to
do
with
the
theme.
The
choice
of
foie
gras
filling
was
rather
bizarre,
as
a
matter
of
fact.
In
terms
of
course
flow,
it
felt
like
it
was
leaning
heavily
towards
seafood
and
fish.
Don't
get
me
wrong
-
I
love
fish,
but
the
lack
of
meat
was
very
glaring.
I
know
this
was
a
"cheaper"
course
compared
to
their
usual
omakase
menu,
but
it
threw
off
the
balance.
So,
I
was
really
looking
forward
to
the
wagyu
when
it
finally
arrived
but
the
cut
was
so
thick
that
it
made
it
difficult
to
chew.
It
was
a
shame
because
the
flavours
were
good
and
you
could
see
it
was
such
a
generous
cut.
The
fu
next
to
it
on
the
same
plate
was
sadly,
much
easier
to
eat.
This
was
the
only
real
meat
dish
so
it
felt
like
a
missed
opportunity.
Dish
after
dish,
I
had
the
same
feeling
of
something
missing:
I
couldn't
feel
the
soul
in
the
food
I
felt
in
some
of
the
most
memorable
kaiseki
restaurants
I've
been
to.
At
the
end
of
the
course
when
asked
which
was
my
favourite
dish,
I
couldn't
answer
because
nothing
really
stood
out.
But
if
I
had
to
pick
one,
it
would
be
the
rice
dish
near
the
end
because
of
the
medley
of
ingredients
(uni,
yuba)
and
warmth
of
the
rice.
It
was
simple,
but
heartwarming
and
a
fitting
close
to
the
course.
The
pickles
were
also
some
of
the
best
I
tasted.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
for
almost
$400
after
HST
and
the
mandatory
20%
tip,
I
was
expecting
an
unforgettable
night
but
this
wasn't
quite
it.
I
would
have
liked
to
see
more
thought
being
put
into
the
menu
-
specifically
how
to
make
the
ingredients
sing
and
become
the
star
of
the
show,
instead
of
focusing
on
immaculate
presentation.
