Sushi and street-style vibes: Two chefs with total of four Michelin stars team up in Toronto
The restaurants Saito craved didn't exist, he adds, 'So, I made them myself.'
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Since Saito moved to Toronto in 2019, after running the counter at the two-star Sushi Ginza Onodera on Fifth Avenue in New York City, he says the culinary scene has changed 'little by little.' New York's evolution may be faster, but he thinks its growth has almost reached the ceiling. 'Canada has more space,' says Saito. 'Canada has potential.'
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His vision for Japanese cuisine in Canada doesn't include any more sushi spots. 'We did that already,' he adds. 'I want to open a tempura and a yakitori. More Japanese cuisine techniques.'
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Saito says many Japanese restaurants operate at the mid-level in Canada. Unlike New York, which has the likes of the Michelin-starred Tempura Matsui and Torien, specializing in binchotan-cooked skewers, the high-end is lacking. 'If we open, I want to open (a Michelin-level restaurant). No competition. Blue ocean.'
He already has his sights set on Western Canada (Calgary and Vancouver specifically), but any future projects would open in Toronto first, with an increased focus on Canadian products.
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Sushi Masaki Saito aside, which he sees continuing to use predominantly Japanese ingredients, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and trade war, Saito is pushing more local products at his other restaurants.
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'They should use Canadian products more and more. And then more Canadian pride, like this,' he says, tapping his Sushi Masaki Saito chef's jacket with the Japanese and Canadian flags side by side. Saito notes that he didn't put an American flag on his chef's whites when he worked in New York City. (However, if it ever came down to Canada versus Japan, his allegiance lies with Japan, 'of course.')
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He points out that many people go to Japan to learn how to brand and care for food products so they fit into the premium category. (Witness the $120 melon or $325 strawberry.) 'Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, they know branding. So Canadian products — pork, chicken, everything — more high-brand, Canadian pride, please.'
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Saito says it isn't necessarily a question of one nation's products being better than another's. Factors such as the weather, temperature, humidity, the environment and nature all impact the quality. The Canadian products he considers the most promising include oysters, lobsters, spot prawns and sea urchins, which people already consider luxuries.
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He uses sea urchin companies as an example, which he thinks have the potential to build a brand that captures high-end chefs' attention at home and abroad. 'Then, in 50 years, after we die, maybe the Canadian sea urchin (will be) very famous in the world. They should do it because the Canadian sea urchin is good. Canadian lobster is good. The Canadian oyster is good. Very good, good, good.'
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