Extra: Sushi-Q - Toronto Life Square

Well I think I finally figured out why I could never catch the Sushi-Q franchise in Toronto Life Square (a.k.a. Metropolis, 10 Dundas East, That Monstrosity at Yonge and Dundas) when they were open: it seems they never are.

Every time I dropped by, they appeared to be closed for the day. It didn't look like they were out of business; there was food in the fridge, papers on the counter, cleaning supplies by the sink, and a general air of "ooh, you just missed us, try earlier next time". I thought perhaps they were only open for lunch or something. But in my last attempt today, I noticed that everything was sitting in the exact same place it had been on Thursday. Closer inspection revealed a small stack of notices from the landlord, citing them for not being open during mall hours. They dated back to November 7, so presumably the owner hasn't even set foot in the place since then.

So it does not bode well for Sushi-Q. If by some miracle the owner returns from his/her vacation before the landlord evicts them, I'll pay them a visit, but until then I'm going to consider Sushi-Q to be kaput, which means once again we must carry on down the list to the next place... and quickly, it's already Saturday!

Extra: Mochizuki (1.0 km)

Oh noes! Looks like we have our first official casualty of Sushipalooza! Although Sushi Plaza and Sushi Train were already closed before I started my little journey, Mochizuki at Bay and Elm was alive and kicking as recently as a few weeks ago... in fact the eviction notice on the door is dated October 29. So close!

This was a real disappointment, because I was briefly looking forward to Mochizuki... from the time I started casually looking around at reviews yesterday until the time I stumbled on this Chowhound post today alerting me to its demise. I dropped by to check it out for myself, and yup, they're closed all right. I believe this makes Toko the only remaining "conveyor belt" sushi establishment in the Sushipalooza Zone. Boo-urns!

To commemorate the passing of Mochizuki, I went home and made myself some crescent dogs, then sliced them up and served them maki-style. Somehow, it wasn't quite the same.

But never fear, Sushipalooza is prepared for this eventuality. Everything just shifts up by a week and we carry on as usual. Later this week I'll go check out the next place on my list... I hope they're still open!

Extra: Sushi Train (0.9 km)

Ah, poor Sushi Train. You didn't last long enough to make it in to Sushipalooza. In fact, this place has been closed for about a year now. When it was still around, it was a conveyor belt place, not unlike Toko. (No relation to Winnipeg's Sushi Train.)

I went to Sushi Train once. I made the mistake of grabbing everything tasty-looking that trundled past me, as if it was an all-you-can-eat place. At the end of the meal, I had a stack of plates up to my eyeballs. The bill for two of us came in at just over $100. Oops.

I'm not sure what's in here now... I thought they turned it in to a Korean Grill House, but now that I look at the picture I see KGH is next door. Well I shall have to take a look at that and report back. I know you're all on the edge of your seats.

(UPDATE: The answer is... a shoe store.)

Extra: Sushi Plaza (0.4 km)

Well, I'm not going to be going here, obviously. Sushi Plaza would've been next week's Sushipalooza stop... if it hadn't gone out of business, like, a year and a half ago.

I do have fond memories of this place from my university days, not as a sushi restaurant but as a gritty burger joint that was open until 4am and served great french fries. A few years ago the owner retired (or got shot, or indicted, who knows?) and Sushi Plaza took over the space. Apparently sushi was not as popular with the cabbies and prostitutes as burgers were; when I took the picture above, the eviction notice on the door mentioned something like $15,000 in rent arrears. Ouch.

Last time I was by, the "For Lease" signs were gone, and a liquor licence application notice was up. The new place is apparently going to be called Guu Izakaya. So still Japanese, but not sushi. Will it fare better than Sushi Plaza? I'll check it out after it opens and report back! Unless I forget, which I almost certainly will.