Ame
19 Mercer St.
Toronto, ON
416-599-7246
Perfect For: After work drinks, Romantic Dinner, Girls’ Night Out
Sometimes a work week is so long and gruelling, Friday night after-work drinks become a must! A couple of weeks ago, Al and I decided to check out Ame (pronounced Ah-may) – Japanese restaurant on Mercer St. (formerly Rain). We went without reservations or expectations, with just one goal – to get a couple of drinks and have a nice chat. From the get-go, we both were very impressed with the decor and the service. The space is very warm and inviting; Asian decor influences are mixed with modern lighting and wooden panels. Each place setting comes with a cute pebble to rest your chopsticks on. And both the server and the hostess were very attentive and welcoming.
Now to the food. The best Spicy Tuna Roll ($14) I’ve ever had! As in the best. Fresh fish, amazing seasoning, and crushed pepper. Delicious! All six pieces were gone in a flash. Al’s Robata Grill Butter Fish ($19) came covered with a large, green, chip-like shell. It was spicy, but tasted a bit like a Cheeto. Not exactly sure what to make of it, but it was tasty. The Butter Fish was small, garnished with mushrooms and some sort of a creamy sauce. Ah-mazing! Really, really flavourful. But not as flavourful as the Sushi Rice ($6) side. Such yummy rice! It was really tough to eat it with chopsticks, but if I had a few more Stellas, I would lick the plate! By the time we polished off our dinner, both Al and I were blissfully happy.
Another thing we loved about Ame, is that noone ever bothered us about holding a table for 3, while waiting for le boyfriend to arrive. He made it to the restaurant about 2 hours after we first sat down and we never felt rushed and neither did he. After le boyfriend polished off his Tuna Sashimi ($16), we were all ready for some desert!
One Liquid Chocolate, one Lemon Meringue, and one Apples and Chestnuts later (each $9). We were stuffed and unable to move. All three deserts were visually beautiful, and tasted divine! Combinations of crunchy, liquid, mousse, and ice-cream…simply amazing. The names don’t give those deserts justice!
All in all, our Ame experience was very solid! Attentive service, yummy-licious Japanese food, gorgeous, and just as yummy, deserts, all set in a wonderfully decorated dining room – added up to a belly-full night to remember. Wish more of my restaurant experiences were this fab! If you love Japanese cuisine, and still haven’t checked out Ame…you’re really missing out!
Deserts after the break!
