Le Cafe Michi

After hearing so much about this tiny Japanese café, my mom finally made reservations to Le Cafe Michi in her neighbourhood.

Restaurant: Le Cafe Michi
Location: Scarborough
Meal: Lunch
Day: Sunday
Son's Age: 20 weeks

This place is a tiny little café tucked away inside a plaza, and it's very easy to miss. It's also unlikely for you to get a seat without a reservation due to the small size. I've always been curious though because I'm not entirely sure if it's a café that serves sushi or a sushi restaurant that serves coffee and cakes.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️
Upon arrival, they had set up a small chair for me to put my son's car seat on. Once I attempted to place him there, it became quite obvious how precariously balanced the car seat was, and the server quickly swapped it out for a larger, sturdier chair.

Due to the size of the place, it was a little difficult getting my son into the seat, but we were able to manage after a bit of difficulty. The washrooms, on the other hand, had neither a change table nor counter space for diaper changes.

The good news is that there is a parking lot so I could take my baby outside and change him in the car if necessary.

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Despite the size of the establishment, the server was very friendly and accommodating, particularly in  getting us an appropriate chair to place the car seat on. She was also very patient with us as we per used the menu, and service was quite prompt. I found her concern and efficiency really helped to create a positive dining experience for us.

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The menu had sets that included green tea or coffee, salad, and dessert. My husband ordered two different meals to share. His came with the regular house salad.

I admit that there was nothing special about the salad. My dish, on the other hand, came with a crab and seaweed salad.

This was a pleasant surprise and while the salad itself was smaller, I found it delicious and quite substantial for a starter. As for my meal, I ordered the café au lait chirashi.

The chirashi had a great assortment of sashimi, including the usual suspects of salmon, tuna, and shrimp, but also scallops, octopus, and sea urchin. Under that was a thin layer of tamago, then rice, then a layer of unagi, and more rice. I had initially been shocked at how expensive the meal was, but once I ate it I understood why it would cost so much. I definitely think this is worth the money. On a side note, since it is in the photo, the tea and coffee are bottomless.

My husband ordered the chochin bento, which was three layers (shown separated) containing deep fried chicken, sashimi, and unagi on rice. This was so good. The chicken is not a typical fried chicken, and the sashimi, just like in the chirashi, was so fresh. There was also a decent amount of unagi - usually when I get unagi don I find that there is way too much rice and not enough eel, but the proportions here were perfect.

Both my husband and I got the tofu cheesecake for dessert. This has such an interesting texture - silky smooth and quite light, which made for a great ending after such a decadent meal.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The food and service here are exceptional, so while some improvements could be made from an accessibility standpoint, overall I'd give Le Cafe Michi a solid four stars.