Christian Ventura is changing the way you think about sushi.
In 2012, while he was a ‘traditional’ sushi chef, he went vegan and decided to align his career with his values. Following a trip to New York, where he tried vegan sushi for the first time, he thought, “This is good but I think I can do better”. On returning to Montreal, where he had lived since moving from Mexico, he quit his job and decided to try his hand at being a restaurateur.
So, with eight grand in his pocket and two weeks, he opened his first restaurant, Sushi Momo, in Montreal. He did this alone—literally alone. He took on every aspect of the restaurant from designing the space to seating and serving guests to making the sushi to washing dishes. Guests lined up outside the restaurant and waited up to three hours to get a table. Undeterred, they reveled in the concept of ‘vegan sushi’.
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The rest, as they say, is history and today he owns and operates Sushi Momo, Bloom Sushi, Bvrger (an upscale burger and shake joint) and, Poké restaurant, Nofish.
I first met Christian in 2023 when we were both at a radio interview to promote the Montreal Vegan Festival. It’s hard not to be charmed by Christian with his easy laugh, quick sense of humour and self-effacing. We sampled a few of his menu items paired with some wines I had selected and I was blown away by the creativity of the ingredients as well as the gorgeous, colourful presentation. If it’s true that you eat with your eyes first, then be prepared to overindulge.
It’s all about the layers of flavour in each bite at Sushi Momo.
It was therefore a great delight to hear he was bringing Sushi Momo to Toronto last summer. Located at 1122 Queen St. W., at the site of what was formerly the plant-based restaurant Hello 123, it’s a collaboration with Hello’s Mark Kupfert (of vegan ‘quick-serve’ chain, Kupfert and Kim). The space itself is cozy with warm lighting and a large, enclosed and heated patio and it is easily one of the most creative plant-based menus in the city.
What goes into vegan sushi?
A key ingredient is konjac, or ‘elephant yam’ as it’s commonly known. Konjac has a gelatinous texture which Christian uses to mimic the texture of raw fish, along with a variety of mushrooms and other vegetables. The key to his sushi’s great taste, however, is the layers of flavours he puts into each menu item, taking inspiration from cuisines and cultures around the world, as well as from McDonald’s.
The ‘Delhi’ futomaki has vegan shrimp and vegetable tempura in a Japanese curry with a spicy mayo. The Italian-inspired ‘Melitzana’ is eggplant and sundried tomato in a cheese panko with basil and truffle sauces. The ‘La Vie en Rose’ sees red beets and green apple flavoured with yuzu ponzu, basil and raspberry sauce. The ‘Siam’ pairs soba noodles, vegan shrimp, mango, coriander, cucumber and pickled onions with peanuts and a peanut butter sauce. And the ever-popular ‘Big M’ stuffs soy paper with vegan beef and bacon, lettuce and pickled onion in the secret ‘big momo’ sauce, and ‘qp’ mayo.
Wine and Sake
Explore a creative cocktail, wine and sake list at Sushi Momo.
There is a nicely-curated wine list focusing on natural wines. You’ll find a wide variety, including gruner veltliner, Sancerre and Chablis, to a variety of orange and rosé wines, to grenache and cabernet franc, all designed to complement the bold or delicate flavour profiles of the food. There is also a fun cocktail menu but it is their selection of sake (a fermented-rice based beverage) that is the star beverage here.
Many people see sake as a one-note beverage sold in pretty little pink bottles, but the variety and nuances in this rice-based drink can be every bit as noteworthy as those in wine. For starters, sake can be aged, creating ‘vintage’ sake. It can be served hot, cold or at room temperature, and it can be aged in traditional sake barrels called ‘kazaridaru, or in wine barrels. Alcohol content ranges from roughly 15-17%, slightly higher than what we see in wine.
As the saying goes, ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do.’ So, when dining on sushi, it’s best to drink sake as the accompanying drink. What grows together goes together and while you can definitely find something on the wine list that will work with your meal, I’d encourage you to try some of their aged and rare sake to enjoy the full experience of this truly unique sushi restaurant.
Sushi Momo is open six days per week.
1122 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H9
A foodie and wine lover, Priya Rao has been active in the world of vegan food & wine since 2011 and is the co-founder of The Social Herbivore. Priya’s vegan-focused contributions to VineRoutes help build awareness for the plant-based enthusiast and curious alike.
