Zen

6 Reviews on “Zen”

• Madhav Khurana

  Weve been going to this restaurant for 4 months now and it never disappointed. The sushi is amazing – one of the best Ive had in Toronto so far. The tempura is very good too- not too oily like in other places… very enjoyable actually…The staff is just great… always careful to the customers needs and with a smile on their face… It is more expensive than other japanese restaurants but well worth it.

  July 13, 2019, 6:16 pm

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• Cooking With Alison

  This is my favourite Japanese restaurant in Markham. Although it is quite pricey (slightly overpriced in my opinion), I do find that the quality of the fish and service is much much better than most. I really enjoy their omakase menus and found their cooked foods to be quite delicate in flavours and well balanced. Also, they make the best hand rolls I’ve ever had. I also love their ice cream. But you have to pay $16 per hand roll and $8 per scoop of ice cream. Their soft shell crab had the softest shell I’ve ever had! It as ever so lightly battered. The only cooked dish that I haven’t liked was the sea bream head boiled slowly. cookingwithalison.com

  July 15, 2017, 5:41 am

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• Happy_foodie

  We came here for their omakase kaiseki menu since it appeared to be highly recommended. I’ve been wanting to try this place since they opened this new location. To be honest I tried their old location in scarborough and wasn’t impressed. But this new place was amazing! I’ve been to Kaji as well and wanted to compare the two because they are similar in price. Here are my thoughts: – sushi and sashimi were comparable between the two, although I think there may have been a few more pieces at Kaji? Don’t quote me on this… – appetizers were also pretty comparable but I think Kaji had more unique flavors and variety. I appreciated the fine details in the tiny appetizers at both places that I know must have taken some time to produce. – one thing that stood out to me here at Zen was the wagyu beef hot pot. It was a nice touch among the fish and appys and something to warm the stomach since everything else was cold. It was a good balance. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed both restaurants. However if I had to choose one, I think Zen has a slight edge over Kaji in my opinion. But keep in mind that I’ve also gone to Zen more recently than Kaji so it’s more fresh in my mind, if there was a bias to my opinion. Happy eating everyone!

  September 9, 2016, 1:03 am

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• TC

  My husband and I visited Zen’s new Markham location for the very first time – it was better than we remembered from our visits to the Scarborough location! We both had omakase sushi at the sushi bar – sushi was placed on our plate as they were made by the chef. My husband and I love Japanese food, many of the fish served were not foreign to us: sea bream, salmon, fluke, etc. We were impressed by how the same fish can taste so refreshingly different at Zen. The omakase started with lighter tasting variety of white fish – sweet and a touch of citrus. We then moved on to the shell fish – snow crab, sea urchin, sweet shrimp, and scallop. My husband does not enjoy shell fish, I usually have mine and finish his – not at Zen! He turned to me after trying the sea urchin sushi and said it was the BEST tasting sea urchin he has tried outside of Japan. To finish the omakase, we had toro hand rolls. I thought it was going to be messy and difficult to eat – seaweed could be too soft to chew through, rice and other ingredients could fall from the other end of the roll… Instead, I found the seaweed wrap extra crispy but not flaky, I was able to take a bite and taste all the unique flavours from each ingredient, without leaving bits of seaweed on my lip or between my teeth! After a satisfying meal, we shared a desert from the menu – soy milk ice cream. For those whom have tried and loved the Chinese tofu desert, this is the frozen version of it and ten times better on a hot summer day. The texture mimics Taiwanese shaved ice, extremely fine and delicate. It is placed in a small bowl topped with perfectly cooked red bean, mochi, and most amazingly, black sugar syrup! I would return and JUST have this desert.Like many other reviews here, I agree it was an expensive meal. It is not a place I would visit every week but it is definitely a place my husband and I find very special and want to reserve it for special occasions – as I suggested to my husband, our anniversary every month should be celebrated here at Zen.

  December 6, 2015, 9:15 am

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• Devilfoodlover

  Zen finally moved to Markham. It’s more convenient for York region residents. The new place with new decor, new furniture, new utensils and new menu. They provide omakase now with limited a la carte menu now. The sushi bar has increased to 11 seats. Unfortunately, I could not book the sushi bar.I ordered sushi omakase. Not sure if it’s the reason that I did not sit at the bar and have the sushi one by one, I found the sushi was not that fresh, more wasabi used (to cover the unfreshness?) when compared with the old location. To confirm if I’m wrong, I plan to go again and make sure I have the seats at sushi bar. Nevertheless, the dessert is the highlight. Shiso sobert is the special dessert. It’s fresh and yummy. I like it very much. Their signature, tofu ice cream with sweet red bean and mochi is wonderful. The dessert has covered the weakness of sushi.

  September 7, 2015, 8:48 am

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• Jayani Hapuhennedige

  Fish is so buttery and delicious! I was blown away. Yes this place is pricier than your average sushi joint but the quality is sublime. I would put this place above the west coast joints I’ve been to as well and that’s saying a lot.

  August 17, 2015, 4:46 am

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