Lunch Tuesday: Hosu

As you may have heard, it’s a steaming, sizzling, scorcher of a week here in Toronto.

I’m not complaining, mind you – I’m just saying it affects what I’m going to eat. When the mercury rises I’m in no mood for a steaming burrito or bowl of pho. On a 40C day, I want something that’s never seen a stove.

This week, I went to Hosu (2352 Yonge St.), one of two locations for the Japanese/Korean restaurant.

Immediately inside the door is the cash register, where two customers are already lined up to place their take-out order. Four chairs in an area clearly defined by a low railing make for a pleasant waiting experience, with no jostling at the door (unlike the Queen West location, where those waiting to pick up food cram against those eating at the bar and others waiting for a table).

There are two four-person tables that look out onto Yonge Street, with several more two- and four-person tables before the restaurant opens up into a larger dining space. At one o’clock on Monday, it’s busy but not packed.

The beers on display were looking awfully refreshing but it was Monday and I was due back at the office. Instead, I took a closer look at the stove-free work space behind the register. Three men in white hats were busily chopping and rolling, in full view of customers.

I ordered a green dragon maki ($8.95) and the Yonge Street sushi ($10.95). The waitress suggested that for a dollar less, I could get one piece more with the 12-piece lunch special ($9.95) – not to mention, a soup and a salad would also be included.

It was a surprisingly nice move, and, agreeing with her suggestion, I placed my order and sat down to wait. The last time I went, I ate in and ordered a snack-size portion of hot edamame ($2.95) followed by a massive bowl of seafood udon ($9.95). When I started the soup, the noodles were thick and slightly chewy, but by the time I reached the bottom of the bowl, they had become a soggy mess.

This is not the place for light eaters, a fact I remembered when I unwrapped the largest avocado-based roll I had ever seen. That’s the green dragon below, pictured beside a standard-sized pen and a bendy straw.

The avocado, despite a slightly yellow appearance, was butter-soft. Once the silky topping disappeared, however, the roll lacked flavour and needed a dash of accompanying ginger to spice things up.

Does anyone eat that tangled pile of shredded daikon that comes on nearly every sushi platter? It was included in this one, and I tried it, because I always try it and wonder what I’m supposed to do with it, because I can’t imagine eating more than a single bite.

The soup, too, was a disappointment. Sure, it was free, and it was packed so that it didn’t spill on my TTC commute, but it was basically salt water with a few cubes of tofu and seaweed floating in the yellow broth.

The salad, though, was great – crunchy lettuce, juicy tomato, and dressing in a separate container, because no one likes a soggy pile of greens.

As for the lunch special, it was standard lunch-box sushi fare: everything was fresh, the rice was packed tightly but not densely, and everyone I shared it with gave the fish rave reviews. (I polished off the dragon roll solo and had little room left.)

Definitely worth a revisit, and many working in office towers nearby seemed to agree.