RESTAURANT CUISINE: Japanese

HEAD CHEF: Sam Kim

HOMEBASE: Korea 

How long have you worked for Guirei?

I opened Guirei on February 24^th 2002 so I have worked here for a little over 8 years now.

Did you always want to be a chef/ work in the hospitality industry?

Before I began working in the hospitality industry I actually owned a convenient store. I have only been working in the hospitality industry for the past 15 years. I now own two restaurants, Guirei in Toronto, as well as another Japanese restaurant in Richmond Hill.

What other styles of restaurants have you worked for before coming to this one?

I have only ever worked in Japanese restaurants as they are they type I own. I work as the head chef at Guirei so I have really gotten to refine my cooking skills in this type of cuisine.

Tell us an interesting fact about your restaurant

We have great food, friendly nice people, as well as a great patio with a beautiful view of the waterfront. I think that makes us both interesting as well as a great place to visit.

What is your favorite menu item?

My favorite menu item is the Tuna Tataki, if you love fresh seafood and sushi then this is a great option as the tuna is served very rare with a blend of spices.

If you were to recommend 3 menu items to someone that was trying your restaurant for the first time what would they be?

For the appetizer I would recommend the garlic pai as it is a very flavorful and popular choice. For a main course I would recommend that people try our course selection menu as they can order dinner for two, four, six etc. In this case they can mix and match menu items that appeal to them. If they enjoy seafood they can choose a dish with fish, or if they prefer a vegetarian option they can choose that.

What menu items would you recommend for health conscious consumers? 

I would highly recommend any of the sushi or sashimi items from our menu; these items contain little to no fat and are a very good choice for anyone seeking a healthy meal option.

What is something unique about your restaurant that sets it apart from the competition?

Our beautiful patio makes us unique; we have a waterfront view which makes our patio very different than many other patios in the downtown core. Our guests really seem to enjoy this and constantly request to be seated out there during the warm weather months.

If someone was to order a menu item for delivery what would be the best option that would still taste great when it got there?

I would recommend the Maki; Maki is a type of sushi that comes in several varieties, depending on how thick the roll is and how the roll is constructed. This is a very popular item that people generally order for delivery and it always tastes great.