Vincent Sushi
67 Roncesvalles Ave
I have to give Laura credit. When she puts her mind to picking places to eat that are in areas that she hasn’t been to, she pulls out all the stops. This time we went looking at antique furniture at Queen & Raunchy, with a side trip up the street a bit into Little Warsaw. I know what you’re thinking. Sushi in a Polish neighborhood? I know, it’s going to be a cabbage roll with a stern looking old polish woman looking at me, challenging me to complain.
OK, silly jokes aside, she was able to find a real gem. While maybe a bit over staffed for a Sunday afternoon, it was a really pleasant little place. There were 4 people staffing this afternoon, and unless I’m grossly mistaken, they’re family, with the youngest being trained to wait tables. It was really homey. The restaurant is geared more towards take out I’d say, as there was really only 1 table and a bit of stooled seating at the front window. Still, on a sunny Sunday, sitting at the window and watching the world go by was just what I needed.
First up was the Spicy crab at $5.95. It was exactly what I expected. Crab stick and tempura with some spicy mayo thrown in. Not too spicy, not too bland, and priced very reasonably. While I’m not the biggest fan of crab stick anymore, I would sweat there are different grades of the stuff. From my casual observation, when it’s separated and not a “log” of reconstructed fish meal it seems to taste better. Either that or the presentation bumps up the appetite.
Next up was the Vincent Roll at $7.95. Whenever I’m in a restaurant that has a “signature roll” I give it a try. This dates right back to my first blog post about Simon Sushi. Though that was tied more to the locale than the restaurant. But I digress. More crab stick, but this time with some cucumber, tempura, a sliver of tuna, and a dash of spicy mayo. For such a bright, hot, sunny day I was sure hitting the spice hard. Once again, it wasn’t over powering, and really quite hit the spot. Though I must admit I was cleansing the palette (my mouth, not my painting equipment) with Cola a fair bit. The rolls were both a bit small though. I was still a tiny bit peckish at the end. I could have gone for a simple Tekka Maki to finish.
The best part came as we were leaving. The family was sitting down to their own lunch, and it looked really good. I was tempted to smile, and sit down at their table next. :)
A strange location, to be sure, but one thats really worth visiting!
And you can’t forget the artfully placed wasabi on our plates, squeezed out by a pastry tube. A very enjoyable afternoon indeed!
[...] yet is that on a Saturday you can go anywhere you like. Just over a month ago, after I checked out Vincent Sushi I got an email from someone at the Roncesvalles Villiage BIA thanking me for the review and [...]
I eat here weekly (it’s very close to my house, very tasty, and the people who run it are really friendly and always make me feel welcome and at home.)
My favourite rolls:
volcano roll
boston roll
spider roll
I like the size of the rolls and that they’re comfortably mouth sized. I always hate when restaurants give you a huge roll that’s impossible to eat without destroying.
My lunch regular is: sashimi lunch (usually includes red tuna, white tuna, seared albacore tuna, snapper, salmon.. but they change it up) with a side spicy tuna handroll. Even their miso soup is exceptional.
Sounds pretty good, I’ll have to give it a try. By the way, are you sure you want to drink cola with sushi? Better to stick to tea …. and water if you are thirsty. But thanks for doing all these reviews and especially the map. My wife and I just moved here from 15 years in Tokyo and need these resources.