Our Story
Named after our uncle, Oji Seichi is inspired by our Japanese Canadian roots and the family meals we grew up with. At those meals, the food was always a mix of local ingredients and Japanese home cooking. Shoyu wieners, steamed rice and tempura french fries were always part of the spread. On special occasions - especially New Years Day - big bowls of noodles were lined up next to buckets of crispy fried chicken and an endless variety of delicious treats. These childhood memories are the essence of what Oji is all about. Through our food, we want to recreate these special moments and share them with our community.
OUR BELIEFS
Family Tradition
The Japanese Canadian story is all about family. Those traditions are the foundation of Oji Seichi.
Quality Ingredients
We're a proud Canadian company influenced by local quality ingredients. Our broths, tares and noodles are all made in house.
Community Focused
Our staff, our guests, our partners and our neighbours. We’re looking forward to being part of this great community.
SEICHI OJISAN
The restaurant is named after our family's very own Seichi Ojisan
Uncle Seichi was our fun uncle. He was a painter by trade with a strong creative streak and a gift for the spontaneous. We remember him showing up unannounced and turning a normal weekend morning into a day long adventure.
At Oji we’re living the spirit of our Uncle Seichi. We are a friendly, comfortable place - a space to connect over a meal with family and friends, as our uncle loved to do.
MITCH BATES, EXECUTIVE CHEF + PARTNER
Mitch's food is comforting and speaks to the food we all grew up with
Mitch Bates helmed the Michelin starred kitchen at Momofuku Ko in New York, later leading the way at Momofuku Shoto and Grey Gardens in Toronto. Since joining our family in 2012, Mitch has become part of the organized chaos of our family dinners, at once meticulously planned, delightfully unpredictable - and loud. Now, Mitch’s food pairs his experience with the delicious recipes and traditions of our Japanese Canadian family.
OUR FOOD
Prepared with the freshest locally inspired ingredients, every bowl
of ramen tells a story
Our ramen begins with Canadian poultry, seafood and vegetables simmering for hours to create our broth. Then we add our fresh noodles made in-house from a handcrafted blend of Canadian flours. We finish with carefully selected toppings to make each bowl a delicious experience.
MIDORI THE NOODLE MAKER
All the way from Japan, Midori is our in-house ramen maker
Our noodle machine is such a vital part of the Oji family that we decided to give her a name - Midori. Shipped to Toronto from Japan, Midori allows us to perfect our ramen noodles using quality Canadian flour and ingredients. Made fresh daily, you can count on every batch to be consistent and of the highest quality.
