Name: Hana Contact: 102 Yorkville Ave., 647-343-8887, aburihana.com, @hanayorkville Neighbourhood: Yorkville Owner: Seigo Nakamura (Miku Toronto, TORA) Executive chef: Ryusuke Nakagawa (Kikunoi) Accessibility: Fully accessible; elevator to entrance
The food
The restaurant group’s first luxury concept is focused on Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine. “Typically the kaiseki menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients, so now that I’m in Toronto—even though we’ll import some ingredients from Japan—I don’t just want to focus on Japanese ingredients. This is the only place in the world where you can have this kind of menu and experience,” says Nakagawa. There are two menus, each including 15 courses that alternate between creative nigiri and cooked dishes. The $195 Aburi Kyō-Kaiseki menu lists dishes like a silky Quebec foie gras chawanmushi. The $330 Hana Kyō-Kaiseki dinner lasts up to two-and-a-half hours and features premium ingredients, like black truffle wagyu nigiri over uni shari (seasoned sushi rice).
The drinks
Beverage director and head sommelier Alexander Powell is behind the beverage pairings that feature a mix of carefully selected wines and sakes ($125 for the Aburi menu, $180 for the Hana). For the connoisseurs (read: $$$) there’s also a collection of rare wines and sakes that have been secured from auctions.
The space
Clad in refined finishes, Hana’s serene space was purposefully designed to bring Kyoto to Toronto. The reservation-only chef’s counter seats up to 16 people at each of its two nightly seatings. There are also five kakurega (Japanese for “hidden gem”) private dining rooms that can accommodate two to eight guests.