Sumi Dojo is Izakaya Party Central on the Main

The izakaya reboot of the former Primadonna gets a nod from La Presse today. Critic Marie-Claude Lortie likes the vibe at Sumi Dojo, from the sake bomb revelry to the accessible, modern, Japanese food. The menu is a far cry from surgical sushi masters, writes Lortie. "Toutefois les saveurs riches classiques sont au rendez-vous. Pensez miso, soja, yuzu, hoisin, gingembre, piment... La base, quoi, fiable."

The critic and her table order a lot of plates ("comme il se doit dans ce genre de brasserie"). Winners include pork buns, jellyfish salad, green papaya and seaweed salad, crispy shrimp with spicy mayo, and soft-shell crab. Perfect food, in other words, to wash down with beer and sake. Go to Sumi Dojo with friends, concludes Lortie. "[C]'est la fête dans cette izakaya, brasserie à la japonaise. On y va en groupe, on prend un verre, on partage des assiettes savoureuses et abordables, sans façon."