Miku

Don't usually write reviews but...

I've eaten great sushi in Seattle and tokyo. And bad sushi in other parts of the US. I generally don't like messing with sushi. I don't like gimmicky rolls or god-aweful cooked sushi I have seen crop up in the US.

For this visit to miku it was my 13th wedding anniversary and I knew they did some weird "aburi" type thing but they had regular sushi, good reviews, and I wanted a view so I booked it.

My expectations were greatly exceeded!!

We were taken to a 4 person table with the best view. Treated to 5 star attentive pour your sake for you service. Which by itself would have been a great experience. But what happened was far better than I ever anticipated!

For starters, I was told that sushi would be served without extra wasabi and soy sauce. Something I commended but also didn't want to leave to the chef so I made my request known that I need some on the side despite the classical rudeness.

Then what happened was crazy. The server said no problem" returned with our huge assortement (i got chefs choice) sushi as well as soy sauce in two sections of a single dish one for sweet and one for normal. The fact that they knew the difference was nice but not really amazing. But what happened next made the deal.

I looked down and noticed that my nigiri had been lightly brushed in soy sauce. I took a bite and noticed a decent wasabi kick which felt appropriate. Immediately I had an amazing experience - I didn't need soy sauce or extra wasabi it was done already and evenly in a way no person can dip for themselves.

Look I'm know hiro art of sushi level gourmet but this was outside the Japanese tradition but very much within the Japanese ideal of delivering a perfect piece not needing something else.

Then I wolfed it down immaturely. it was perfect and I couldn't stop...

Then I came across it. That aberration: aburi: slightly seered sushi. It was in appearance perfect. Rectangular salmon on top and salmon inside but otherwise as a perfect sized bite of nigiri. It had a cute piece of jalapeno to add to the ridiculous experience. So inhaled like with the rest then boom:

Wtf: salmon butter? What is this? There is no such thing. Yummy sushi rice, good salmon, no soy needed.. What is happening? This is supposed to be a vain attempt at perfecting sushi..

So I turn to my far more exacting wife ( who is only eating yellow tail sashimi and savoring the singular fish) and say "you have to try this but it's gone."

I look up expecting to do my Seattle thing of being obvious and hoping my server takes notice and instead she and her assistant are across the room, actively make eye contact and hurry over eager to please. I explain that she should have told me the nigiri was perfect and brushed with soy sauce but more importantly that I needed more salmon aburi. I orders two servings.

Shortly they appear and I offer my wife her first piece. (Mind you she is allergic to dairy and egg and hasn't had butter in at least 7 years). She ate the piece as was wrecked. She didn't get it. She was tasting this perfect sushi but also experiencing the feeling of butter texture she hadn't had in forever.

Butter doesn't describe it. Not at all. But I can't explain how different and yet perfectly suited it was to the sushi plate. We ate it all quickly and pushed our stomach limits...

Epilogue:

Miku also provided a special surprise dessert with a happy anniversary message to make the day special despite my last minute booking.

Turns out the dessert takes 3 days to make and it was amazing. But I came for sushi, got wrecked with aburi and that life changing Culinary experience had nothing to do with the perfect anniversary experience that was delivered flawlessly.

My only regret is that people like me will read this and won't try the aburi because the perfect anniversary dinner compromised an otherwise objective sushi critique.

We eat sushi a lot, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but Miku exceeded my expectations! The inside is super bright and inviting, with a great view. While the host seemed indifferent, our server, Chelsea, was fantastic and truly made our meal even better.

We decided to do family style so we could try a little bit of everything, and the food came out really fast. They clearly pay attention to detail here, which I really appreciated. The ebi fritter appetizer was the perfect mix of juicy and crunchy--the shrimp was cooked just right.

The deluxe shokai was definitely the highlight of the meal. It comes with three small appetizers, a sushi platter, and a dessert. The wagyu appetizer from the shokai with mashed potatoes and sprouts was absolutely amazing. I also loved how the sushi platter offered a taste of everything, with my favorite being the red wave roll--it had a great flavor and was refreshing. The surf and turf roll was good too. All of the fish was super fresh, and everything that we tried was delicious.

If you're looking for sushi in Vancouver, I'd definitely recommend this spot. It's probably a good idea to make a reservation since they do get busy. The prices are also very reasonable considering the quality and service you get!

I stumbled upon this gem on Yelp while visiting Vancouver, and it turned out to be one of my favorite dining experiences! Despite it being a Saturday night, our party of four was fortunate to be seated without any wait. The ambiance and decor were stunning, and they have waterfront tables that I assume is available if you come early enough or make a reservation.

We started with the Brussels sprouts and ebi fritters, both of which were absolutely delicious. We also shared a surf and turf roll that was a big hit at our table. I ordered a hamachi nigiri that melted in my mouth. For my entree, I opted for the Oshi sampler, which was a great way to sample the different aburi sushi they offer (salmon, ebi, and saba). Every dish we tried was exceptional, and I would definitely return in the future.

I first had Miku in Toronto with my best friend for a girl's night out and absolutely fell in love with their aburi oshi sushi. So when my boyfriend and I planned a trip to Vancouver, I knew I had to take him to Miku to celebrate our anniversary as well.

Tip: make sure to make reservations beforehand, it's very popular.

"Aburi" means flame-seared and "oshi" means pressed, so aburi oshi sushi is flame-seared pressed fish on top of rice.

Miku offers three types of aburi oshi sushi: salmon, ebi, and saba. I haven't tried the other two because I've only gotten the salmon at both restaurants. I wish I ordered an extra order because it was so good - the seared salmon just melts in your mouth and the oil from the salmon seeps into the rice to give it extra flavor.

For our meal, we ordered:
- Lobster Risotto - the lobster was deep fried as tempura in squid ink batter
- Chef's special nigiri selection
- 6 pc Salmon Oshi Sushi
- Green tea opera cake

The restaurant dimmed the lights as the evening went on, giving it a nice ambience to our experience. I can't wait to come back to get the salmon oshi sushi again!!

Wow! Located in downtown Vancouver near the waterfront, this five star sushi restaurant blew my expectations. Their service was on point, the ambience is very nice. My waitress was wonderful, everyone around kept my waters filled and were so kind going into detail as to what items I was receiving. The sushi is some of the best sushi I've ever had in my life, and I've had a lot of sushi. This was a great start to my trip, it'll be hard to find more sushi like this.

Last dinner in Vancouver and had sushi on my mind. Miku didn't have reservations available online, but after calling, they said we could come at 5 PM but would have to leave by 6:30 PM. Worked perfect for us. Our Lyft driver was Japanese and he confirmed that we picked a good restaurants and gave us history on how the father named two restaurants after his daughters.

Beautiful inviting restaurant, super bright, and gorgeous views of the waterfront. We did the sake flight and ordered oysters (local West Coast) and pan seared Hokkaido scallops. Our server Jeong, who was amazing, let us know which sakes to drink beginning to end and they were all very tasty. I love scallops, but these weren't my favorite as they were large and not as sweet. Hokkaido scallops were tender and cooked perfectly.

First time having aburi oshi and we both ordered Signature Selection. We also wanted to order 6 pieces of the salmon oshi, but Jeong recommended we try the Signature Selection first as there would be a piece of the salmon oshi. We tried it and we were in love and immediately ordered the 6 pieces. Friend said it was her most favorite bite from her 9 day PNW trip. The grains of rice are perfectly cooked and packed with flavor with my favorite salmon, creamy sauce, and not too spicy jalapeno on top. The other sushi were good, but this was by far our favorite. Savored every bite.

Jeong recommended the green tea opera and all the flavors worked so well together, it was delightful and not too sweet.

Great end to our Vancouver trip, highly recommend!

Luckily we were able to walk in and get a seat at the bar without having a reservation. The bar was the perfect spot to view the incredible painting by Hideki Kimura - beautiful salmon swimming along the walls.

Service was impeccable with great suggestions from our server, and the food was incredible. Definitely worth the hype.

The wagyu carpaccio was delicious, as was the sashimi plate and the oshi, with our fave being the seared maguro nigiri recommended by our server - we ordered more of that it was so good. It was our anniversary and the restaurant made it very special with some comped rose (excellent - all the cocktails were excellent actually) and happy anniversary written out in our dessert plate. The green tea opera cake was exceptional - unlike any opera cake I have ever had with a blending of matcha and chocolate.

We will definitely be back the next time we are in Vancouver.

This beautiful restaurant overlooking the cruise ship dock at Canada Place serves terrific high-end sushi.

We had the Deluxe Shokai lunch. It included miso soup, three starters (scallop, salmon, and tuna sashimi; seared scallop in cream sauce; seared wagyu with Bernaise), ten pieces of sushi (rolls, nigiri, and Aburi Oshi sushi), and dessert. It was a lot of food for $75.

Our favorites were the scallop sashimi and seared scallop, but everything was delicious.

Service was very friendly, and the view can't be beat. Outdoor seating is also available, but some of the subtleties of the food might be lost out there.

Full bar and extensive wine list. Maybe ask to not sit near the bar if you don't like the sound of cocktail shakers!

Some of the best sushi I have had. Ever.

This casual, bright, energetic restaurant on the water is unique in that it cooks in Aburi style meaning many of the rolls are square shaped and seared on top. I ordered the chef's flight of sushi which included 7 pieces as well as 3 additional pieces and it was a substantial meal and it was delicious - every bite ( we threw in the brussel sprout " chips " as a starter which were quite good too). Beautiful restaurant overlooking the water. Service was fantastic. Not cheap by Canadian standards but since the dollar is strong right now, the meal was comprable in price to any nicer sushi restaurant back home. Wonderful flavors- no soy sauce needed ( they have soy but ask you try food first with out it ) No wasabi needed ( this I kind of missed as an option but I get why it's not offered as they don't want to mask their delicious flavors). This place has a Michelin star - well deserved

First time visiting Vancouver and we only had one goal. It was to try Miku. For appetizers, we ordered their sable fish and seasonal Goma- ae and immediately fell in love. The fish literally melted in my mouth. It was flavorful and yet I could still taste the freshness of the fish. We also got their signature shokai and this did not disappoint. It came with nigiri and aburi sushi and everything on my plate was delish! Friendly service and with great view. We will Dey be back again.

Saw that this place earned a Michelin star recently. Excited to give it a try. Nice view and ambience inside. Right by the oceanfront and very bright during lunch time. Parking is not as ideal since it's around the busy downtown area.

Overall food is fresh and price very reasonable. Service also top notch. Ordered sushi platter along with a katsu dish. The square cut nigiri is a first for me. Easy to eat and tasty. Though my only complaint is that the rice felt a bit too much. Overpowering the sashimi a bit.

Definitely recommend this place to any sushi lovers around town. For now it seems easy to get seating. Check this place out before it becomes too well known.