Mhel

Small space serving small plates with daily printed menus that may change slightly. Reservations are recommended as there are only a handful of tables. Overall food was good but nothing that particularly stood out as amazing, favourite was probably the gazpacho soup and fish dishes. Would be nice if there were additional dessert options as there was only one.

Solo-dined and loved sitting by the counter watching the chefs do their craft. Restaurant is small and cozy so I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Service was exceptional and waitresses/servers were very attentive. Menu changes every day but there are some consistent items (tuna, chicken, beef) just the condiments change. Started off with maguro - beautifully presented and each piece (4) was generous and fatty. The sauce blended well but there was a lot of sauce, which overwhelmed the freshness of the sashimi. Next had the cabbage salad - there is always a salad dish with ricotta cheese and this night it was with cabbage and collard greens. The portion was quite large for a solo diner. It was beautiful with edible flowers, however was confused how to eat it and what the mixture of tastes was supposed to be. The cabbage and greens were bit-sized pieces and at first ate them individually. Some bites were sour and some tasted charred. But when I had a spoon with ricotta and cabbage/greens, it tasted better but still sour. It was good overall just confused. Next I got the chicken thigh which was cooked perfectly! I never had a chicken thigh taste so juicy! It came with peppers and spinach and got a side of rice to each with sauce. Had to get the banchan - the pickled cucumbers were sooooo good. Authentic Korean - found out after the chef’s mom made these and you could really taste the “mom’s hand touch” (손맛 - Korean saying when mothers cook with care). Overall - I loved dining here and would comeback often. Dishes are shareable. But for those who like to plan what they eat before going to a restaurant, the uncertainty of Mhel’s daily menu might be awkward.

Every dish was amazing! The simplest ingredients were turned into a masterpiece - my favourite was the spring cabbage dish, it was devoured before anyone could take out their camera. Even the rice was outstanding, and it goes well with the grilled dishes. The space and service were excellent as well, and I especially enjoyed all the cute plates and cups! A solid choice for any special occasion.

Great service. Great atmosphere. Vegetable dishes were on point(agebitashi, jabara kyuri). Cucumber dish was refreshing and should remain on the menu throughout the seasons. Started off very strong. Proteins were disappointing. I always love having meat cooked over binchotan, but both of the fish we ordered (sawara and kanpachi) were WAY overcooked. I always appreciate crispy skin on my fish, but not to the point where the you want to eat the skin and throw out the flesh of the fish. I think a bit more education to the chef cooking your protein will go a long way. Her timing is off for most of her cooking. Maybe some proteins pan fried make sense for some of your items as well. The tuna dish was decent. The tare sauce was a bit overpowering and was all you could taste. It was overreduced and would have made more sense as a glaze for short ribs. I think we may have just come in on an off day. The menu wasnt as strong as menus we have seen in the past. The rice dish we ordered was horrible- remove from the menu and don't put back on please.. Wagyu we ordered was slightly underdone and the marbling hadnt had a chance to fully soften and was a touch tough for wagyu. The fresh wasabi was as always a nice addition. I know Hoon and Min are great at what they do. Just hoping I can try again at some point and have a more positive experience with the food.

Each dish was thoughtful and delicious. We particularly enjoyed the grilled chicken, kanpachi and asparagus which were all phenomenal and packed with flavour. Great selection of sake and plum wine to complement. We got 6 dishes between 2 people, menu rotates daily.

Delicious and extremely fresh. Fish had no smell, and melts in your mouth. Drinks are a bit pricey for what it is. No cocktails really. Definitely recommend!

A tight menu that, if you’re a group of 3, you can get the whole menu, or if you’re a hungry group of 2, a majority of the menu—which is exactly what we did! The misoae, beans, and madai were incredible small dishes while the gazpacho was unexpectedly memorable. We also got the maguro twice and skipped dessert because why the heck not?! Staff was attentive and all smiles. We loved it!

Price to value is way off. 18 dollars for cabbage and 2 chicken wings? $36 for 5 slices of sashimi? I'm ok paying higher prices but I don't want to feel ripped off. The portion sizes are very small, even at a lower price point I'd feel upset. Is the food good? It's ok, a little salty. Service is good, friendly but took a while to come over to tables. I would never recommend someone to come here.

Amazing food. Menu changes every day so come for the adventure! Service is quaint. Feels like a hidden neighbourhood wine bar but make it Korean / Japanese. The menu when we went was more Japanese so I'm going to have to go back for more! Keep an eye on their instagram for latest seasonal additions.

the constantly changing menu causes the kitchen to have limited ability to "perfect" a dish. For example, the yuan yaki ($35) sounded good on paper but didn't have the taste to match. The thick slice of kanpachi needed more seasoning and something stronger than just a yuzu marinade. Its uneven thickness meant the edges were cooked through while the centre to be raw. Ultimately, I had to leave a piece uneaten given it was gross and gummy. After all, the dish wasn't meant to be eaten raw like the ishidai sashimi ($33), a fish flown in from Nagasaki. In lieu of soy sauce, Mhel created a flavourful seaweed salad providing flavour and a chewy garnish that could be wrapped in the fish to create a delicious bite. In fairness, there's many dishes that Mhel gets right. The sogogi ($46) was fantastic, a sizeable slice of Australian wagyu cooked to perfection so that it's juicy and hot. Brushed with galbi sauce, the beef's Korean flavours reminded me why it could be eaten with chopsticks. Although, I would have loved for a small slice to be put on top of the sushi rice nugget. It's what Mhel describes as a perilla ssam, so a piece of meat would make the bite complete. Mhel's portion sizes are small. Hence, we followed their advice and opted for the heartiest dish for the evening, the dak gaseumsal ($30) with a bowl of steamed Japanese rice ($5), and side of kimchi ($8). The dak gaseumsal's buttery miso sauce was great for pouring over the sticky rice and I loved the accompanying sauteed seasonal greens (garlic scape, Swiss chard, and collard greens). Yet, the chicken breast, while juicy, wasn't overly exciting... perhaps because it was sous vide versus grilled. At least they were true to their word, this dish was much larger than the rest. Still, you may want to get a side of the potesala ($15), their version of a potato salad. The shallots added a slight bite to the potatoes and the pickled ramps and peas gave the dish a freshness that helped balance off the otherwise rich dish. Yet, it's the onsen egg that really made the dish, I wished there was more than a half. If anything, Mhel ensures you have room for dessert. The purin ($10) was a fantastic crème caramel, one of the best I've had in a while. The thickened Sheldon Creek cream was rich but perfectly balanced by a maple syrup glaze that had a toasty taste, much better than your regular caramelized sugar. My husband and I immediately regretted getting one to share.

Mhel was named one of Toronto's best new restaurants for 2024 so needless to say I was excited to try it - and it did live up to the hype. The menu rotates daily, which has its pros and cons since you're always getting fresh food and creatively made dishes, but you never know what you're going to get. I found that all the dishes we tried were good and well made, but there wasn't necessarily a signature dish that blew me away. Our favourite was the dessert - the caramel cake in a maple sauce which we loved! As for the rest of the meal, the potato salad / cucumber salad / sashimi were decent, but the cooked dishes (fish, wagyu, onigiri in broth) were excellent. The sauces / dashi broth for the cooked dishes really stood out to me, and of course everything was cooked perfectly. Overall, this was a wonderful experience, and I would love to come back once the restaurant has matured a bit more. My only qualm was that it wasn't necessarily good value, and I found the portions small for the price relative to comparable Japanese / Korean restaurants I've been to. It would be great if they had a tasting menu as well. Nonetheless, it's at least worth trying!

Part of a longer review... Despite the overall excellence of Mhel, there were moments during our visit when we felt a sense of urgency from the staff, as if we were being rushed through our meal. While this may have been due to the restaurant's popularity and the desire to accommodate all guests, it slightly detracted from the otherwise relaxed and intimate dining experience. This is a minor detail in an otherwise outstanding establishment, but it's worth noting for those who seek a leisurely and unhurried pace. At the heart of Mhel is the power of culinary innovation and the deep respect for tradition. Hoon Ji and Min Yi have created a space that is not just a restaurant, but a celebration of their heritage and a love letter to the flavours of Korea and Japan. Mhel's commitment to quality, authenticity, and innovation makes it a must-visit destination for anyone seeking an unforgettable dining experience. Bravo!

This place has a great vibe and I'm always happy to support local restaurants, especially when they're also trying to support local. They use great vendors such as Affinity Fish, Sheldon Creek, and Linton and constantly iterate on their menu with locality and seasonality in mind. The food portions are on the smaller side, but meant to be that way. You order a bunch of things, grab a sake off their extensive sake menu, and chill with your friends while enjoying a tasty variety of bites. My favourites of the evening were: (1) the menchikatsu, which was a blend of high quality pork and beef patty deep-fried to perfection; (2) the gyutan, which was tender, well-seasoned, and perfect with sake; and (3) honestly one of the creamiest, best balanced puddings I've had with a hint of burnt maple syrup flavour. Honestly if you're going to the supermarkets and buying the Japanese puddings for like $5-10 just go here instead. Service was pleasant and attentive throughout.

Great concept but terrible execution. Dishes were either bland or completely ruined by an overly salty sauce with not much flavour besides that. Terrible wagyu and extremely fishy fish dish. Not to mention it's not cheap either. It's pretty pathetic that this place got best new restaurant award.

Mhel, located in Dufferin Grove, is Toronto's newest sake bar serving a changing menu of Korean and Japanese small plates. They have an extensive list of sake (either by the glass or bottle) as well as few selections of beers, highballs, and non-alcoholic options. There is an emphasis on local and seasonal produce where fresh ingredients are highlighted. The dishes are small and meant to be shared while you drink your sake. The space is intimate and warm where if you sit at the bar, you can watch your food being prepared as it has an open kitchen concept. Reservations are recommended. We dined at Mhel on a Thurs evening where I made reservations 2 weeks ahead of time. My friend and I were promptly greeted and shown to our table. For our drinks, the server was kind enough to give us a description of the available sakes by glass, which was extremely helpful! For food, it was suggested that between two people, aim for 2-3 dishes per person. For sake, I ordered a glass of the Hiwata Kimoto Junmai (a drier sake), while my friend opted for the KID junmai ginjo (more fruiter in flavor). For food, we opted for the following options to share: - Anju (today's drinking snacks) - the drinking snacks today were cucumber and charred peppers. Great crunch and texture. - Chawanmushi (good eggs, ichiban dashi, corn cream, and marigold oil) - we both got our own chawanmushi as we knew it would be difficult to share this dish. Didn't realize the eggs were served cold but the eggs were incredibly creamy in texture. The corn was a nice touch and the you could definitely taste the ichiban dashi through the whole dish. I enjoyed it but my friend wasn't so keen on the "fishy-ness" of the dashi. - Yaki nasu (charred eggplant, miso, mizuna) - I enjoyed this dish. The char on the eggplant was present throughout and the broth didn't overpower the main star of the dish. - Tomato tomato (dashi tomato, yukari tomato) - the tomatoes were incredibly fresh! I loved how the skin of the tomatoes were peeled for you already. - Marguro zuke (Oroshi Bluefin tuna, tare, myoga, new onions) - another favourite dish, fresh tuna complemented by the myoga and onions. - Doyaji (Liton's 5oz coppa (pork shoulder), ssamjang, perilla leaf) - another favourite of the night. The pork was executed well and paired perfectly with the ssamjang and perilla leaf! Overall, the food is fresh, seasonal, delicate, and complemented the sake well! The lightness and freshness of the dishes did not overpower the fragrant nature and complexity of sake. Service wise, staff were friendly, knowledgeable and able to answer any questions we had regarding sake and food. What a great new sake bar with a beautifully crafted menu!