TORONTO — Aburi Restaurants Canada has expanded its Canadian restaurant portfolio with the opening of TORA at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
TORA represents Aburi Restaurants’ second restaurant in Eastern Canada. The company operates four additional restaurants, including Miku Waterfront, Gioza Bar and Minami in Vancouver, as well as Miku Toronto.
TORA aims to connect people with food through state-of-the-art technology. The casual-dining experience is centred on an innovative sushi-concierge system — an intuitive ordering platform and series of laneways. Once seated, guests place their order through a tablet installed at the table and the restaurant’s direct-delivery system will then transport the dishes straight from the chef’s hands to the diner’s table.
“From the beginning, the Aburi brand has been dedicated to developing innovative, industry leading concepts that create joyful moments for our guests. For TORA, our chefs have created a menu with traditional Japanese dishes with our signature flair, as well as new, inventive dishes made from local ingredients,” says Kazuya Matsuoka, COO and corporate executive chef, Aburi Restaurant Canada Inc.’s. “TORA’s roots are steeped in Japanese history, while also embracing a futuristic dining style. We are very proud to introduce the first TORA by Aburi Restaurants in Toronto.”
TORA serves Aburi Restaurant’s signature flame-seared Aburi sushi, as well as nigiri, rolls and Japanese-style tapas. The restaurant also offers new EdoPrime Nigiri — traditional Tokyo-style (Edomae) sushi featuring premium cuts of fish sourced from straight from Japan. All Tora sushi is served with Akazu Shari (red sake-vinegar sushi rice).
The restaurant’s interior design is sleek and modern, fully immersing guests in a futuristic restaurant atmosphere. Designed by Vancouver-based firm Ste. Marie, the 4,100-sq.-ft. space has a seats 140.
