I didn't try sushi until the ripe, old age of 19. It was a California roll served as an exotic appetizer at the long-gone Amsterdam on John Street.
Fast-forward 20 years. Sushi is now available at supermarkets, sporting events and food courts, and there is a Japanese restaurant (or five) on every block. The bento box is the new Happy Meal.Lately, I've cut way back on sushi. High mercury levels in tuna and the depletion of the seas are big reasons, but I've also been spoiled by the superior sushi enjoyed on trips to Vancouver to visit my brother and his family. Once you set the bar high, it's hard to go back to musty tilapia, fake crab and oxidized tuna remarketed with hot sauce as "spicy tuna roll".Which brings us to Sushi Kaji, widely regarded as the gold standard for raw fish and rice in Toronto. Mention Kaji to any of my chef friends and they will stare misty-eyed into the distance and sigh, "Ahhhh. Kaji."Mitsuhiro Kaji, who has been making sushi since he was 13, gets a daily shipment of fish and seafood from a supplier in Japan that is of a freshness and quality that makes most fishmongers look like purveyors of chum. This superior product, inflated by Kaji's FedEx bills, comes at a price. There are three tasting menus at $80, $100 and $120 a head. But considering that's the same as a big ticket musical or concert, it doesn't seem unreasonable for two hours of gustatory entertainment.From the endless parade of hot dishes, there are two standouts. The first is luscious sea trout cooked en papillote with caramelized onions, chewy hon shemeji mushrooms and an umami bomb of miso-ginger sauce. The other is a simple bowl of smoky dashi broth with handmade udon noodles and shaved scallion. I could eat this soup three times a day for the rest of my life.The real stars of the night are sashimi and sushi. Effortlessly falling from Kaji's razor sharp knives, sashimi brings perfect slices of amberjack, bream, barely cooked lobster, salmon and tuna topped with grated mountain potato. There are only two condiments: freshly grated wasabi root and beautifully balanced soy sauce.The sushi is, without exaggeration, the best I've ever had, even better than Tojo in Vancouver. The perfectly cooked, still warm rice takes the chill off rich hamachi, a quickly torched sweet scallop, horse mackerel with shiso leaf and on and on. The piece de resistance is toro, the fatty belly of tuna. It's like the kobe beef of fish, a melt-in-the-mouth, gasp-out-loud experience. There will be accusations of elitism for promoting such an expensive restaurant over cheap-and-cheerful sushi joints. But the democratization of sushi has come at a price: quality. I would rather visit Sushi Kaji once a year than suffer through a monthly meal of mediocrity. Ultimately, you get what you pay for.Sushi Kaji860 The Queensway (at Islington Avenue)416-252-2166Dinner for two with sake, tax and tip: $260www.sushikaji.com