FOOD: Shiso Tree Cafe

I first heard of Shiso Tree Cafe about a year ago when I saw photos of some really delicious looking pasta on Facebook. After doing a little research, I discovered that the restaurant serves Japanese-style Italian pasta and immediately added it to my list of must-try places. Since then, I've been there twice and have loved my dining experience both times. I'm glad that I was able to discover this hidden gem in J-Town and, as an avid pasta lover, I will definitely be going again.

What makes Shiso Tree Cafe's menu unique is that their pasta comes in three different styles: Wafu (pasta made with Japanese ingredients), Tomato sauce, and Cream & Rosé sauce. In addition, they have entreé salads, cafe items, and cakes from Bakery Nakamura (the bakery inside J-Town's Supermarket). Set menus and daily sets are also available.

Shiso Tree Cafe
Location: 3160 Steeles Ave. East Unit 1 (905-479-9319)
Price: $$ Moderate
Atmosphere: Very relaxing cafe with comfortable seating
Service: Very good service - waitresses were attentive and polite
Rating: 4/5 drools

Shiso Tree Cafe menu with their three types of pasta!

Each pasta dish is served with a salad. The greens were really fresh and the miso-based vinaigrette had a nice tang to it.

Okonomiyaki fries ($8): Regular fries dressed with homemade steak sauce, Japanese mayo, bonito fish flakes, & green onions. Crispy, delicious and flavourful!

Napolitan pasta ($10): Japanese tomato sauce with sausage, bacon, onions, nori & shiso. A very popular Japanese pasta dish with a very sweet and cheesy taste.

Sukiyaki pasta ($15): Thinly sliced beef rib eye cooked in house made Japanese soya sauce (shoyu) blend & beef jus. Garnished with mushrooms, green onions, nori and shiso. Usually I don't like soup-y pasta but this was really good.

Bolognese pasta ($11): Meat sauce with a combination of beef & pork finished with reduced red wine and beef jus.

Unagi-Don ($17): Cream teriyaki sauce and shimeji mushrooms with Japanese barbecued eel. Garnished with nori & shiso.

Shrimp Okonomiyaki pasta ($14): Spaghetti sautéed with bacon, onions, garlic-dressed shrimp, homemade steak sauce, Japanese mayo & bonito fish flakes. This was my favourite dish because it had such a delicious and unique flavour combination, which I thought really represented Japanese-Italian fusion. The shrimp was also perfectly cooked and there was a generous amount of ingredients.

[Edit 06/05/2013: I went to Shiso Tree Cafe for dinner again last night with a friend and got to try a new dish - tarako spaghetti. Photo and description below!]

Tarako spaghetti ($14): Cod roe spaghetti in a light cream sauce with daikon, nori & shiso. The pasta was cooked al dente and the sauce was really light, creamy and flavourful. This was on the restaurant's special menu.

Overall, I would definitely go to Shiso Tree Cafe again to try their other pastas and dishes. I haven't had any of their desserts yet so I definitely will next time (who wouldn't want black sesame crème brûlée, after all?). I also noticed that the place has a small stage with a drum set, which I assume is for live music performances.

Hope this review helps! Please comment and let me know what you think of Shiso Tree Cafe and any other dishes that you think I should try.

Happy eating!

Cheers~
Victoria