Introducing: Kingyo Toronto, the Cabbagetown outpost of Vancouver’s celebrated izakaya
(Image: Renée Suen)
Kingyo is the latest Japanese restaurant to make the move from Vancouver to Toronto, following the success of Guu, Guu Sakabar, Kinton, Hapa Izakaya and Ramen Raijin. Helming the Cabbagetown restaurant, which took over the space that previously held Stonegrill on Winchester, is Koji Zenimaru , formerly head chef at the original Vancouver location, who is joined by a team of former Kingyo and Guu staffers. The 120-seat room is full of whimsical design touches: tables with tree-stump legs, a bar inlaid with an antique matchbox mosaic, blinking Pachinko machines on the walls. There’s also plenty of goldfish paraphernalia; after all, kingyo is Japanese for goldfish.
Chef Tsuyoshi Yoshinaga heads the kitchen, serving a menu of refined Japanese bar food that will be very familiar to fans of the original Denman Street location in Vancouver, although expect that to change as the kitchen continues to practise kodawari (the never-ending pursuit of perfection). The visually arresting seasonal sashimi platter ($23-$45) is served on a bamboo fan and dusted with thin goldfish-shaped carrot slices, roe and lotus root chips. Staples like the popular karaage (fried chicken) with magic powder ($9) and the “KinChan” chicken wings ($8.20) are available, as is DIY stone-grilled Tajima beef ($30), which is sourced from Australia, and its wallet-friendly counterpart, beef tongue ($10.20). The cheekily worded menu also boasts an impressive array of vegan dishes, including a Kyoto-style kobachi bowl ($15) and “looks like fish yah? vegetable nigiri sushi” ($22), both of which are based on shojin (vegan Buddhist monks) recipes.
The long drink list features reasonably priced wines that are not available at the LCBO, beer both in bottles ($5–$7) and on tap (starting at $4.50), shochu (starting at $3) and a Japanese-dominated list of sakes (starting at $9.50), including Kagatobi Junmai Sake ($30 per bottle). Cocktails include the signature fresh ginger highball ($8.50) and non-alcoholic options like homemade ginger ale flavoured with honey ($4). Come January, Kingyo will also have Kozaemon sake on tap ($9 per glass), an Ontario first.
183578 Japanese porn magazine covers decorate the men’s washroom<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183577 The hand-woven thatched bamboo ceiling above Kingyo’s washroom<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183576 The signs on Kingyo’s washroom doors tap into nostalgia for classic Japanese toys<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183575 The signs on Kingyo’s washroom doors tap into nostalgia for classic Japanese toys<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183574 The fresh ginger highball ($8.50) features Kingyo’s homemade ginger syrup and shochu<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183564 Kingyo works with three distributors to bring in a selection of local and international wines and sakes, and will be the first in Ontario to serve Kozaemon sake on tap ($9 per glass; $22 for 300ml) in January<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183566 The beef after being seared on the hot stone (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-12-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-12.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-12/ dec12-kingyo-12 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183565 The heated stone “grill” is a signature menu item from Kingyo in Vancouver that features either Tajima beef ($30)—commonly referred to as Kobe beef but actually sourced from Australia—or the cheaper beef tongue ($10.20). Both options are served with a trio of condiments: spicy yuzu pepper paste, citrus and a light dipping sauce <br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183562 A tiny goldfish made from a carrot slice (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-08.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-08/ dec12-kingyo-08 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183563 Besides high-quality ingredients, Kingyo also prides itself on presentation; the wasabi and carrot here has been formed into the shape of a goldfish (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-09.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-09/ dec12-kingyo-09 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183561 Sashimi platter ($23-$45). The “5 kind assortment” ($30) features Hawaiian big eye tuna (maguro), Japanese yellowtail (hamachi), B.C. sweet shrimp (amaebi), wild sockeye salmon (sake) and scallop (hotategai), pictured here with a trio of East Coast oysters (market price) <br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183559 The cheeky menu has an index detailing the specialty ingredients, sauces and condiments used in Kingyo’s kitchen (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-05.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-05/ dec12-kingyo-05 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183560 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-06.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-06/ dec12-kingyo-06 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183567 The large party room in the northeast corner is lined with five working Pachinko machines that were brought in from Japan (Pachinko is part arcade game, part slot machine)<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183570 Authentic samurai swords are on display above the smaller 25-seat party room <br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183573 Zenimaru apparently dons this tiger mask for special occasions<br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183558 Decorating the bar: cast-iron teapots, vintage toys, ceramic <em>mon</em> (family heraldic symbols) and a tiger mask that Zenimaru apparently dons for special occasions. Classic Japanese cartoons are projected onto the bar’s back wall (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-04.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-04/ dec12-kingyo-04 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183571 A view of the dining room looking toward the kitchen bar. The blue backsplash tiles were imported from Japan (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-17-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-17.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-17.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-17/ dec12-kingyo-17 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183572 The goldfish tank embedded in Kingyo’s communal table <br />
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(Image: Renée Suen)
183579 Master carpenter Makoto Suda and Jin Choi were responsible for many of the wooden fixtures, including this decorative shelving unit and the communal table, which has a built-in goldfish tank (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-intro.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-intro/ dec12-kingyo-intro 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183557 This mosaic is created out of vintage Japanese matchboxes (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-03.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-03/ dec12-kingyo-03 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183568 Kingyo’s front entranceway. A set of stairs leads to the washrooms below (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-14.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-14/ dec12-kingyo-14 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183556 The plaque above Kingyo’s entrance is the restaurant’s name written in Kanji. It also means goldfish (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-02.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-02/ dec12-kingyo-02 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
183555 Kingyo Toronto is located at 51B Winchester St., just east of Parliament (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Kingyo Toronto Introducing: Kingyo Toronto https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dec12-Kingyo-01.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/kingyo-toronto/slide/dec12-kingyo-01/ dec12-kingyo-01 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
Kingyo Toronto , 51B Winchester St., 647-748-2121, kingyotoronto.ca, @Kingyotoronto