Restaurant Review: Sushi Yugen – Precision Is the Only Luxury That Matters

If you arrive at Sushi Yugen expecting warmth, you will be gently disappointed. This is not that kind of restaurant. Sushi Yugen does not flatter you, does not sell itself, and certainly does not explain itself unless pressed. It simply does what it came here to do, very well, and trusts you to keep up.

Located at the base of an office tower at York Street and Adelaide Street in downtown Toronto, Sushi Yugen is a destination you deliberately seek out. The restaurant is the quieter sibling to Sushi Masaki Saito and carries the same philosophical inheritance: reverence for Edomae tradition, intolerance for excess, and an understanding that confidence does not require volume. The name “Yūgen” refers to a Japanese aesthetic ideal—subtle profundity, the beauty of what’s suggested rather than declared. The room lives up to it: pale woods, clean lines, soft lighting, and a calm that gently discourages unnecessary conversation. You come here to pay attention.

At the centre of the counter is Chef Kyohei Igarashi, whose career reads like a long study in restraint. He trained at a culinary institute in Yamagata, Japan, along the southern coast of the Tohoku region, before moving to Tokyo and Yokohama, where he spent 15 years refining his craft under master chefs in both high-end sushi and kaiseki kitchens. That was followed by nine years abroad, exploring Japanese cuisine across multiple countries. His final post before arriving in Toronto was leading the omakase counter at a Michelin-starred restaurant overseas, under a Master Chef who held one Michelin star in Japan for seven consecutive years. The discipline, confidence, and absence of fuss at Sushi Yugen all trace back to that lineage.

Lunch here is unmistakably omakase in spirit but fast-paced in execution—a tightly choreographed counter experience designed for diners who value precision and efficiency in equal measure. Fish arrives steadily, rhythmically, without pause for commentary.

My guest and I opted for the lunch set menu, priced at $80 per person, which feels almost mischievous given the quality and pedigree involved. The chef’s-choice offering includes ten pieces of sushi, alongside miso soup and a tuna hand roll, delivered in a brisk but thoughtful progression that leaves little room for distraction. There are optional add-ons, such as A5 Wagyu.

The opening scallop was pristine and faintly sweet, a quiet assertion of freshness. Sea bream with yuzu followed—clean, citrus-bright, and sharpening without aggression. Striped jack fish appeared more than once throughout the meal, subtly reinterpreted each time, as if the chef were making a case for repetition done properly. Amber jack brought structure and depth, firm yet yielding.

The cuttlefish, meticulously scored, avoided the usual chewiness, landing instead in that narrow zone between technique and elegance. Then came the tunas: light fatty tuna, silky and composed; medium fatty tuna, richer but disciplined, stopping just short of indulgence. Each piece was brushed with nikiri so precise it felt more like punctuation than seasoning.

Salmon, often treated as filler elsewhere, was lush and clean, handled with respect. The sequence ended with salmon roe, glossy and saline, each bite delivering a brief, satisfying pop.

The supporting elements mattered. The miso soup was deeply umami and grounding, while the tuna hand roll—warm rice, crisp nori, impeccably ground tuna—was clearly meant to be eaten immediately, before the moment slipped away. At Sushi Yugen, moments move quickly.

The beverage program follows the same focused logic as the food. The menu leans heavily toward sake, with a concise but thoughtful selection, alongside Japanese beers and carefully chosen teas. There are no distractions here, just pairings that make sense.

Dinner expands the scope. Sushi Yugen offers a counter dinner service at $98 per person, as well as a chef’s counter experience priced at $275 per person. The latter is a meticulously crafted 16-course tasting, beginning with kaiseki-inspired dishes before transitioning into refined omakase sushi. Each course is prepared and served personally by the head chef, and all ingredients are sourced directly from Japan. It is designed as a singular, immersive experience. Service was professional and impeccable, although if you’re looking for small talk with your server, this is not the place.

Sushi Yugen does not indulge theatrics. What it offers instead is something rarer in Toronto’s dining landscape: a fast, focused omakase shaped by decades of training, global perspective, and an almost stubborn commitment to doing things properly.

Bisous,

Mme M. xoxo

4/5 étoiles

La rubrique de Madame Marie
1 étoile – Run. Before you get the runs.
2 étoiles – Mediocre, but nothing you couldn’t make at home.
3 étoiles – C’est bon, with some standout qualities.
4 étoiles – Many memorable qualities and excellent execution. Compliments to the chef.
5 étoiles – Formidable! Michelin Star quality. Book a reservation immediately.