/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto’s new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge

By Renée Suen| Photography by Renée Suen
Copy link
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge

Name: Chotto Matte Contact: 161 Bay St., 416-988-8097, chotto-matte.com/toronto, @chottomattetor
Neighbourhood: Financial District Owners: Kurt Zdesar (NZR Group) Executive chef: Jordan Sclare (NZR Group including Chotto Matte London and Miami, Black Roe and Fucina; London’s Aqua Kyoto, Buddha Bar, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Savoy Hotel) Accessibility: Accessible entrance through Brookfield Place; accessible washroom behind the host stand on main floor.

The food

A full spectrum of Japanese-Peruvian seafood dishes served with Nikkei dipping sauces, and sharing plates of robata-grilled meats. Besides vegetarian and Nikkei sharing menus, there’s a by-request “Chef Experience,” as well as luxury bento boxes and express toban yaki (sizzling beef) sets for lunch.

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The Nikkei sashimi is made with yellowtail sashimi, cherry tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro and yuzu-truffle soy. $19.50.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The Chu-Toro tiradito features medium fatty tuna sashimi topped with fresh wasabi, green onions and aji amarillo in a mango-yuzu sauce. $29.50.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The Nikkei gyoza are stuffed with pork and shrimp, and come with an aji amarillo-sweet potato purée, and a red pepper ponzu. $20 for five.

 

Advertisement
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The dinner-only beef tataki on smoked aji panca is dressed with passion fruit salsa. $19.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The Barriguita de Chanchito features char-grilled pork belly that’s been marinated in aji panca and aji amarillo chilli. It comes topped with nashi pear and yellow tomato salsa. $18.50.

 

The drinks

Japanese whiskey, sake and pisco aplenty, plus a few local beers on tap, a few Japanese beers in bottles and a list of international wines by the glass and bottle. There are also classic and signature cocktails, like the Yuzu Martini and the Nikkei Negroni.

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
Flor de Manzana is made with Stolichnaya mango vodka, sake, passion fruit, apple juice and elderflower. $16.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
Moshi Moshi is made with Hayman’s gin, nigori sake, St. Germain liqueur, house-made sesame water and yuzu. $20.

 

Advertisement
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The Nikkei Negroni is made with Hayman’s gin, Martini rosso, Campari, green tea and aji amarillo. $18.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
She’s So Smoking is a mix of Courvoisier VS cognac, peach, ginger, lapsang and hickory-infused yuzu. It’s garnished with a shiso leaf. $20.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
Here it is again.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
A visual spectacle, Holy Water is made with Miguel Torres pisco, junmai sake, roses and citric extract. Here it is, pre-lit. $18.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
This drink is lit.

 

Advertisement
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The flames reveal a hidden rose.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
NZR Group’s executive chef Jordan Sclare (left) with C.E.O. and founder Kurt Zdesar.

 

The space

The 10,000-square-foot, Andy Martin Architecture–designed space is decorated with dramatic murals and includes various sitting areas, including a robata grill counter, a sushi bar and a main dining room that can seat 220 guests. AkACHAN, the cocktail lounge, will host nightly DJs and live entertainment. Coming soon: a Front Street–flanking heated terrace that will accommodate up to 150 people.

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
Here’s the lobby.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
This is the main dining room.

 

Advertisement
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
Photo by Renée Suen
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
Here’s the robata grill counter.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
Here’s the cocktail lounge, Akachan. Japanese for baby or infant, Akachan is the brand’s first cocktail lounge.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
The cocktail lounge has a DJ booth.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
And more of the great art that adorns the restaurant.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
There’s even a mural on the way to the washrooms.

 

Advertisement
What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
This is the Brookfield Place entrance.

 

What's on the menu at Chotto Matte, Toronto's new Nikkei restaurant and cocktail lounge
And from the street.

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

More New Restaurants

What's on the menu at La Boulangerie Dundas, a French bakery and bistro from chef J.P. Challet
Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at La Boulangerie Dundas, a French bakery and bistro from chef J.P. Challet

Inside the Latest Issue

Inside the Latest Issue

The April issue of Toronto Life features the anatomy of a Bay Street fiasco at RBC. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.