Wandering through the dimly lit corridors of Casa Loma with a glass of rare sake in hand, you might expect a ghost story. Instead, Toronto’s 112-year-old Gothic Revival castle has a 10-course Japanese dinner waiting.
Bushidō, which opened just a few days ago, takes diners through four of the castle’s heritage rooms, with just 16 guests seated each evening. Forget settling in for three hours at the same table. Here, dinner comes with a change of scenery, from cold bites and sushi in the gallery spaces to hot dishes in dining rooms closer to the kitchen, before dessert in a final room.
The man behind the menu is executive sushi chef Yi-Joo Na, whose previous stops include BlueBlood Steakhouse and Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House. He’s drawing on kaiseki, a Japanese tradition of multi-course dining shaped by the seasons. There’s one catch for anyone who likes to plan their order: the menu is kept under wraps and changes nightly, depending on what ingredients are available.
That can mean some unusual arrivals. Na sources ingredients directly from Japan and is particularly keen on miniature soft-shell crabs, bought live and served when the catch allows. In other words, even the kitchen doesn’t always know exactly what will make the final cut until the ingredients come through.
The rooms have their own cast of characters. Creative director Nadia Di Donato took inspiration from Casa Loma’s original Chinoise Suite, bringing together antique Asian objects, period furnishings and contemporary art. Among the pieces are an original Andy Warhol silkscreen portrait of Kimiko Powers, a vintage samurai helmet and face mask and a 19th-century stone screen detailed with jade and mother-of-pearl.
Bushidō takes its name from the samurai code often translated as “the way of the warrior,” with its emphasis on discipline and mastery. Whether the dinner lives up to its $350-per-person price tag will come down to the food, but the setting certainly beats staring at the same four walls all night.
Dinner costs $350 per person, with an optional $100 wine and sake pairing. Vegetarian options are available on request.
Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terr. Reservations are available in advance.