Dynamite Sando
Fried chicken, milk bread, too much sauce. The reason most people are here.
Japanese · Dundas West
Hanmoto
A hidden Dundas West izakaya with a fried chicken sandwich people plan evenings around
JapaneseDundas West, Toronto$$Details being confirmed
The review
Hanmoto is behind an unmarked door on Dundas West and does very little to help you find it. Inside it is a small, dark izakaya running charcoal skewers and cold sake until one in the morning, which is more than most of the neighbourhood manages.
The Dynamite Sando — fried chicken on milk bread with more sauce than seems advisable — is the dish that put it on lists, and it lives up to it. Beyond that, order yakitori by the skewer and take the cuts you would normally avoid. The chef's sashimi is whatever arrived that day.
Honest notes: it is small, it is hard to find, and it does not work for a group. Two or three people at the counter, late, is the correct configuration.
What to order
Yakitori Skewers
Charcoal, salt or tare. Order the parts you would normally skip.
Chef’s Sashimi
Whatever came in, cut properly, no menu negotiation.
What works
- Genuinely late kitchen
- Skewers cooked over real charcoal
- Small enough that the chef sees every plate
What doesn’t
- Hard to find, deliberately
- Very few seats
- Not a group restaurant
Verdict
The sando, skewers you would not normally order, cold sake. Late, and small.