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Joe Yee Vegetarian Cuisine
Categories: Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Japanese Vegetarian, Japanese [Edit]
9688 Leslie StUnit 17-18
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4C4
(905) 884-6882
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
Matt A. said: "We've been to Tabule 6 times now for a reason. Love this place. Great service. Nice atmosphere. And they're generous too. Little touches like complimentary pita, a generous middle eastern olive and pickle plate and healthy portions…" read more »
17 reviews for Joe Yee Vegetarian Cuisine
17 reviews in English
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Review from Will V.
Toronto, ON
4/14/2012
I was happy to have a meatless day without feeling "left out". This place offers a unique vegetarian menu and varieties.
Atmosphere: Very clean compare to the majority of Chinese restaurant.
Tea:
Served good Japanese Genmaicha (brown rice tea).
Food:
Spicy salmon sashimi roll - not spicy tho. But I quite liked the mock salmon. I found it "crunchier" than real salmon. Next time I'll tell them to skip the mayo and terriyaki sauce.
Yuzu mushrooms - not bad. Luckily the sauce wasn't too sweet. Didn't realized it's tempura style. =( Would like it more without the breading.
Roasted pork and BBQ pork - Mom was amazed that the roasted pork had "fat" and the "net" that connected the meat. Very crunchy on the outside. I just didn't like the "fat" - both in the veggie and real roasted pork.
BBQ pork - probably the best seitan I've tried.
Overall: Very filling. I thought 3 dishes were not enough for 2 but they were! Worth a try and will come back again. -
Review from Joanne W.
I wish I knew about this place earlier.
I came here yesterday evening with my parents and brother (who was visiting from HK) for Lunar New Year. We called a few restaurants earlier to see if they had available seats -- Joe Yee had available seats at 7 PM, so we went.
I wasn't too impressed by their fake shark fin soup - I actually had better at T&T. However, it was pretty healthy, considering that it was made with pumpkin (I still somehow think they gave us the wrong soup).
However, I DEFINITELY recommend the "duck lettuce wrap" and the "salmon sushi pizza". The "salmon" sashimi tasted fairly similarly to real salmon.
Service was pretty good for a Chinese restaurant. However, the food was a bit on the pricier side.
Will definitely visit again. -
Review from Thuy T.
Woodbridge, ON
10/26/2011 9 photos
I wish someone told me about JYVC sooner, it's amazing ^_^
JYVC has a large menu and they are willing to adjust the dishes according to your request.
JYVC's VEGETARIAN SUSHI was impressive!!!!
Restaurant Rating:
0(Too Sad), 1(Horrible), 2(Poor), 3(Ok Lah), 4(Good), 5(Excellent)
Food: 3-4
Clean: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: Casual
Will I Return? Yes
Keep in mind all food postings is according to personal preferences and taste buds. Therefore, it's best to try the places out for yourself and see if it suites your taste. -
Review from Emily M.
4/15/2011
I work near by and am for SURE SURE SURE a fan!
Very friendly staff and you can tell it's family owned and run. I've only been here for lunch, and they have excellent lunch deals. I drag the meat eaters from my office here and they like it too!!
I usually get one of the lunch deals and then try on of theirs sushi rolls on the side. It. never costs more than $12 and I'm completely satisfied (if not stuffed) after wards. Check it out!!Listed in: veg veg veg...!!!
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Review from Sandra T.
Toronto, ON
2/15/2011
We will be back!
The food is very good and very unique; and the menu is extensive.
Ordered the pumpkin soup which was featured under the chef specialties heading - not bad but not a favourite and it did not stand out to me.
The deep fried eel was good but weird. I am not a fan of eel and have a huge fear of limbless creatures so it took some time for me to warm up to the dish. The taste of dish reminded me a little of ginger beef but with an eelish twist. The presentation of the dish frightened and creeped me out since it basically looked like a plate of fat black worms.
Not a huge fan of the crab claw... and it was kind of expensive - $4 for one.
Noodles were not bad.
Oyster mushroom sushi roll was a little disappointing. I did not really detect any oyster taste. However, I did see a dish called deep fried oysters which is what I actually wanted to order but guess that will be something I order the next time!
Tango (i think) Sushi Roll was okay ... but I am not a huge fan. The pieces of mango and avocado were delicious but it was not really my style.
We also ordered a combo platter of maki rolls.
Now, what totally stood out for me was the spicy crispy salmon roll that was included in the combo. The vegetarian salmon was sooooooooooo good! So realistic ...the texture, the look, the taste ... W.O.W!!!!!!
Now, the service is also something that really stood out to me.
The waitress was sweet and friendly.
There was an old grandfatherly type character helping out. He brought my son a high chair, gave him a little plastic cup, gave him a little spoon, clapped his hands to make the mechanical caged bird sing. He was so sweet.
I like to think that this old man is Joe Yee.
There was also a table full of what looked like this man s grandchildren. These kids were just hanging out, talking, having fun - so cute :) In other words, this place is very family and child friendly.
The decor is pretty nice - modernish and sleek.
Oh, and along with the menu, they also offer a photoalbum so you can view pictures of the menu items.
We will be back to gorge on salmon related menu items!!! -
Review from Giuliana B.
SCARBOROUGH, ON
12/9/2010
Wow - this place is pretty great. Meat that looks like meat but isn't meat? What?!? The salmon sushi pizza we had looked like it had salmon on it - and texture was almost exactly like that of salmon. And yet, it wasn't salmon. In fact, I still don't know what it was. But it was GOOD.
The mixed "meat" platter. I'm still scratching my head over this one. The "pork" tasted awesome. It felt and looked so real! What is this stuff!?!
I really, really enjoyed the BBQ and roasted "pork", salty "fish" and the tofu and the "eel". It was all just really tasty and so confusing. Seriously. How do they do it?
I gotta come back - and thankfully, this place is in my hood so it is guaranteed repeat visits :) -
Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
11/18/2010
I'm having some Technical Difficulties in my head as I review this place. A preview should be necessary just in case you think this is a horrible review. I might have to admit to that since I barely knew what I ate and what is considered Vegetarian. This to me is very ASIAN Vegetarian because of the elements and ingredients that make up the dishes.
I have limited experience in Vegetarian consumption but what I have had is Chinese Buddhist Vegetarian which consist mostly of Deep Fried Tofu Pockets doused in sauces while others include Wood Ear, Bamboo Shoots, etc. Nothing too exciting for the General Public but to devoted Buddhist it was. Moving to present time....
In that comparison of the more traditional Chinese Vegetarian, this modern take trumps it in Creativity, Presentation, Flavour, Texture and Selection. This ain't my Grandmother's Vegetarian Platter by a long stretch and I'm sure she would spit this stuff out because she would think it's REAL meat.
I think 95% of the Yelpers that are reading this but haven't reviewed Joe Yee yet will be disappointed to know that Buddhist cannot consume Meat or Alcohol, the sign at the doorway also notes that neither can be brought into this establishment. The other 4% are curious and eats everything and anything(open minded) while another 1% are forced in by their GF. I bet he's having a Burger right now as I type this.
Now you understand the background. You can understand also why I give Joe Yee the rating I did. If you were without such knowledge and assume this is a regular Vegetarian restaurant in the western sense, you might have an adverse experience. Excellent service tonight by the Cantonese speaking Gentlemen that catered to our sharing needs.
Roast Pork - YAY (Texture, Flavour)
Salmon Sushi Pizza - YAY (Creativity, Presentation)
BBQ Eel - YAY (Texture, Flavour)
Tofu w/Mixed Mushrooms - A-OK (Flavour)
Deluxe Spicy Salmon Roll - A-OK (Presentation)
Bean Curd Wrap - Meh (Not a Fan of Taro)
Char Siu - Meh (Didn't have that meatiness)
Mock Salmon if I remembered correctly uses Agar Agar and Whey. T&T has it in their Frozen Ice Cream aisle.Listed in: 4+ ****Stars****
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Review from Rana L.
11/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
On sugar high still & trying to remember the wonderful din from last evening w/ some great yelpers. Ummm cupcakes & macarons.. no this wasn't part of the menu but we will get to this later.
We had about 6 or so dishes. My favs were Salmon Sushi Pizza, BBQ Eel, Deluxe Spicy Salmon Roll, Tofu. Presentation wise, everything was great! In fact I forgot I was at a vegetarian restaurant. The first thing I had was the Spicy salmon roll.. I just put the whole thing in my mouth w/o admiring the workmanship... ! damn next time :) It was amazing... was it salmon? it looks just like it!! what was it? :) The same could be said for all the dishes.
Service was great & fast. Our waiter recommended some dishes to us & always had a smile. He even gave us a knife to cut up the macarons & cupcakes (thanks Jen & Wayne for the wonderful sweets!!!). Even though we're not supposed to bring in food from outside.
Can't wait to come here again soon! Next time... I will eat everything slllowllllyyyyy :) Also... wear smth washable cuz your clothes & everythiong will reak of fried oil...Listed in: Asian Eats Reviews
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Review from Stephen C.
Scarborough, ON
6/13/2010 1 photo
Located on Leslie, past 16th in a suburban strip mall sits Joe Yee Vegetarian Cuisine.
A Vegetarian Salmon California roll? Mock Salmon along with real fake crab meat it can easily pass for the real thing. Had the fried sweet and sour fish and it was pretty good. The BBQ pork was pretty amazing.. they even recreated the pork fat to make it look like the real thing. Its definitely worth a visit to taste and experience at least once. -
Review from Brian C.
Toronto, ON
7/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
First, I'm not a vegetarian.
Second, Joe Yee is a pretty good place to eat anyway. Much of the menu is typical Chinese and Japanese done with meat substitues, many of which come pretty close in taste and texture. Its like eating shitty cuts of meat (which I know doesn't sound like a glowing review). If you are a carnivore like me, just avoid these since you can have the real thing whenever you want. However, the dishes made with veggies only are great with fair portions and delicious sauces. The service is fast and very polite. One other reviewer claimed a language barrier but I didn't experience that.
In short:
Vegetarian craving meat? Joe Yee = Awesome
Omnivore craving Asian? Joe Yee = Above Average -
Review from Min Min T.
Scarborough, ON
10/28/2009 2 photos
Located in Richmond Hill, Joe Yee is a breath of fresh air for the veggie foodie. How often do you find vegetarian Japanese places around Toronto?! My family and I ventured here from Scarborough after reading Helen's review, only after it'd been open for 5 days. The staff here seem to be new to the restauranting industry, as they do not have a good grip of what good waitressing is yet (i.e. how and when to bring the bill, asking whether we need help). Although they are very polite, some of the servers seem very shy.
The interior is very clean, with about a dozen tables or so, with the windows covered in coloured placards, introducing recommended dishes. Useful to the local community is the fact that the menu is marked with both Chinese and English. There is a sushi bar with the glass partition where sushi is typically made; it actually freaked out my sister and she asked if the 'fish' was really fish, despite the fact the restaurant is clearly marked as vegetarian! The only downside is that the 'sashimi' - made in Taiwan - has milk powder in it, and is not vegan.
My aunt and I actually went outside to look at the appetizers (obviously an awkward situation once winter rolls round) and choose the deep-fried 'shrimp' ($6.95). I was quite upset that there were only four pieces, because it was one of the most delicious things I'd ever eaten!
In addition to that, the avocado mango roll was quite yummy, as well as the 'chicken' sushi roll. There are quite a number of typically non-vegetarian speciality rolls which have been made veg-friendly, such as the cream cheese and 'salmon'. I hope to come back and try the whole gamut!
As a vegetarian restaurant, the location might be unusal and farther than where its clientel may be looking. If it were downtown, there'd definitely be a good stream of customers coming here! Keeping my fingers crossed; I'd like to see Joe Yee become a hot spot! -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
Updated - 7/14/2010 21 photos
A revisit to Joe Yee and I am more impressed with the food this time. This is because now I know what good to order!
The Salmon Sushi Pizza is so out of this world! You can even see the fat on the faint salmon and it tasted like salmon!! How can it be!!! This is so so amazing!
The Roasted Pork is another almost like real dish.. The time they spent to prepare this...
Another reason I love the food here. The hot and spicy dishes are really hot and spicy!! I have to say it is even better than some of the Malaysian one I been too..
However, I still have my doubts about why one will make the food like real meat and seafood. Maybe the idea of not killing any animal to feed us carnivores is their objective??
They accepts Visa and Mastercard.Listed in: Lunch Specials in Richmond…, Places that will make My…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/4/2009
I would have never imagine myself going to a Vegetarian Restaurant, since I like seafood so much. I… Read more »
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Review from Kwoky L.
11/24/2010
I am a big fan of Chinese vegetarian food and Joe Yee certainly knows how to make them right. The vegetable and tofu stir frys are well seasoned and light. Their meat substitutes are tasty and some even look like real meat. I sat next to the sushi bar and I kept looking at the block of tuna and salmon. I can't believe how real they look! We eventually ordered an order of sashimi and sushi roll. The texture was OK but the taste was spot on. If there's one dish you have to try, it would have to be the roasted pork. I can't get enough of it!
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Review from Helen L.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 1/22/2010 3 Check-ins Here
I've been back to Joe Yee numerous times since my last review so its time for an update.
If you go there at lunch, there is no doubt you should just skip the regular menu and order from their lunch special menu. They have a variety of mains for $6.95 and bento boxes for $7.95. The bento box comes with miso, salad, spring rolls, california roll and a choice of a stir fried dish or veg tempura. The tempura is not very good but everything else I've tried there are great. The fried noodle with mock duck is perfectly crunchy, not overly salty or oily and comes with tons of veggies. The sweet and sour fish from their bento selection tasted so much like real fish, it creeped me out a bit.
If you are having a party and looking for some vegetarian sushi, you can order a party tray. The largest one is 75 pieces for $56.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/22/2009 First to Review
Joe Yee Vegetarian Cuisine is a brand new vegetarian spot in Richmond Hill that just opened this… Read more »
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Review from Charmaine L.
Richmond Hill, ON
12/11/2010 2 photos
Very tasty veggie meat, a lot better than the other regular Chinese vegetarian restaurant. I particularly like the roast pork veggie meat, it looks so much like it and it tastes fantastic too! I will def come back to try the sea eel dish.
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Review from David V.
North York, ON
12/21/2010
You will not believe that the "salmon" is actually vegetarian. Really great imitation meats here.
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Review from Elizabeth L.
Toronto, ON
3/22/2010
I heard about Joe Yee Veg Cuisine from http://BlogTo.com. The reviewer said everything, including the sushi, was vegan, so some friends and I checked it out. I had the most amazing meal, I have to say. I never, ever liked real fish, let alone mock fish in the first place but decided to give it all a go. Turns out the California rolls wrapped in salmon were absolutely ridiculous. So good. Except it turns out they're not vegan. In fact, as it turns out, most of the dishes at Joe Yee have animal by-products in them and you have to ask them if they're vegan (which is difficult because of the language barrier).
If you're vegan, don't even bother going, honestly. It's a hassle to get there without a car and it'll be a bummer when you see all the delicious dishes they have to offer that you can't have. That said, if you're vegetarian and love Japanese food, this will be your new favourite place.
It would be nice if they could alter the menu to clarify what's vegan and veg. Hopefully they do that soon. Then I'd check it out again...just to make sure.
