IN Toronto magazine

Blink and you’ll miss it.
Asuka Japanese Restaurant is one of the only authentically good places to eat in Yorkville, a neighborhood normally known for overpriced mediocre food served with poly-blend napkins.

Located down a few steps on the north side of Yorkville Ave, Asuka has been there for as long as I’ve lived in the neighbourhood (we’re going back to the 1990s), and it’s as loved by locals as it is celebrities visiting for movies and love affairs alike.

Lunch is packed with local business people, and dinner is rammed even more. During the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)everyone comes through here at some point, and Asuka has the pictures and autographs on the wall to prove it — from Britney Spears to Jean Chretien to Captain Kirk.

Sato, the loveable owner, never forgets a face. He’s known me since I was a kid and even though I left the country for my university years, returning as a woman, he still remembered my order the first time I sat at the bar upon return.

The ninja rolls are a signature maki but, really, everything is good. The cuts of fish are above pretty much anywhere else in the city, and the prices aren’t astronomical either. Try the chirashi lunch, the wonton soup or the salmon sashimi to get a really authentic Japanese meal.

If you’re planning to pop in with more than one friend, make a reservation. If you want a private booth, make a reservation. If you’re going during TIFF, make a reservation way in advance.

Or, if you’re like me, drop by in the off hours, sit at the bar with a book or magazine and get to chatting with Sato about baseball or movie stars. He’ll thrill you all afternoon.

ASUKA Noon-11pm.Mon-Fri. Noon-2am. Sat. 5pm-midnight. Sun. 108 Yorkville Ave. (416) 975-9084.