Bites Nearby: Toki Sushi Bar

Born in Osaka, Japan, Chris Kajimoto has been serving Carrollwood some of the most authentic Japanese food in the Tampa Bay area for 19 years.

Toki Sushi Bar, Kajimoto’s intimate restaurant located in The Palms of Carrollwood shopping center at 14313 North Dale Mabry Highway, offers sushi as well as other fusion Japanese specialties with entrée prices ranging from $5 to $13. Diners can expect to find an extensive selection of traditional sushi, as well as crowd-pleasing tempura rolls like the Volcano and Mexican rolls.

Gina Melton, Patch’s resident foodie and dragon roll lover, had the chance to sit down with Kajimoto to talk about his journey from Japan, traditional sushi and Iron Chef.

Patch: When did you start cooking?

Kajimoto: When I was in junior high school. My mom worked, and I enjoyed cooking. One day, I just told her that I’d take over the cooking in the house.

Patch: What was the journey that brought you from Japan to where you are today?

Kajimoto: I left Osaka in 1974 after spending a year learning classic French cooking techniques and then working in a classic Japanese restaurant. (Classic Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods like rice or noodles with a soup and dishes made from fish, meat, vegetable, tofu, that are typically flavored with dashi, miso and soy sauce. It usually has an artisan or decorative quality to it.)

I wanted to expand my horizons, so I moved to Dallas and worked in a restaurant there. I had only planned to stay for three weeks, but weeks turned into months and eventually I obtained a visa. Five years later, I moved to St. Petersburg because I had a contact here. I opened Toki 19 years ago.

Patch: What type of dining experience do you offer your customers?

Kajimoto: I want customers to experience real Japanese food, not just fusion or “Americanized” Japanese. Fresh fish will always be the most important thing on our menu, and I won’t ever compromise on quality. Americans have come to expect that sushi rolls have a lot of components and sauces — so much so, you can’t even taste the fish. In order to stay competitive, I offer those types of rolls, with the hope that eventually, people will also try more the traditional sushi that I offer.

I enjoy being behind the sushi bar at the restaurant so I can talk to the customers but also see what’s going on throughout the dining room, to make sure every diner is having a good experience.

Patch: What do you like to cook at home?

Kajimoto: Sushi! It’s what my two daughters love. My youngest has quite a discerning palate.

Patch: When you eat out, where do you eat in Carrollwood?

Kajimoto: I like Vizcaya Restaurante, Jasmine Thai and when my wife and I don’t have the kids with us, Donatello for Italian.

Patch: Do you watch any cooking shows?

Kajimoto: Iron Chef, the original Japanese version.

Patch: So, do you think the chefs know what the secret ingredient is before the show?

Kajimoto: They must! It would be too difficult to decide the menu and get the food prepared in an hour otherwise.