The first stop on our Japanese Restaurant review was Koko Share Bar in Yorkville – a sexy little 25-seat Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant with the most beautiful interior. The tables, the bench seating, the bar, and even the ceiling is all made out of reclaimed barn wood by the talented hands of restaurant co-owner, Brian Hubbs. Bram, Jimmy and I arrived with empty stomachs and ate like kings at Koko Share Bar! We ordered so much food, but worry not, none went to waste on that cold evening in January.
Frank, our server, was delightful and very informative. He explained the menu and each dish as they arrived. First, we sampled the Pear Kimchi Salad. The menu said mildly spicy, but I beg to differ! It definitely had a kick to it that I wasn’t expecting, but it was still very delicious. The goat cheese and pine nuts tied in the flavours with the Korean pear cooling it down a little. The Seaweed Salad was served with grapefruit which was an interesting twist. I love my seaweed salad, but I am not a fan of grapefruit. At Koko Share Bar I was delighted because I got to try something new and it ended up being the best flavour combination I’ve had in a seaweed salad…Ever!
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We ordered a Temaki plate that is supposed to serve only two, but we could have fed a small army. This was the highlight of the evening as you get to roll your own sushi. The Temaki plate had assorted sashimi, vegetables, tempura and nori sheets and you get to go to town making whatever kind of roll you can dream up.
Yorkville’s Koko Share Bar makes their own Soju infusions in-house that make interesting and tasty cocktails. Soju is like a rice vodka, only it has half the alcohol percentage. Behind the bar are lovely glass jugs filled with their five infusion flavours: Citrus, Goji Berry, Pure Vanilla, Cucumber Tomato Dill, and Ginseng. Each of our drinks arrived in different styles of glassware and mine in particular arrived in an ice bath to chill. Fancy!
Finally, the sushi rolls…Nigiri sushi is what I live for and salmon is mine and Jimmy’s favourite. When the sushi arrived we were immediately excited because the fish was bigger than the rice. I cannot tell you how many Japanese Restaurant let-downs I’ve had when the salmon sushi arrived on a mound of rice that could be mistaken for a baseball.
We loved Koko Share Bar and will absolutely be returning. Everything served was extremely fresh, beautifully presented, and explained in detail upon arrival at our table. The service was excellent, and the food was amazing. Koko Share Bar is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. If you’re in the area and craving sushi, drop in to Koko and tell them View the Vibe sent you!
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KOKO Share Bar | 81 Yorkville Ave | 416-850-6135
