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.

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!

Visiting Vancouver and came here with high hopes after seeing lots of recommendations online. Also saw the Michelin star rating.

We had dinner together with family and got the prix fixe menu.

Our schedule was pretty random, so we ended up going without reservations. It worked out, and the four of us were seated after about a ten minute wait.

For me, the food was hit or miss. But the hits were really good, and the misses were not too terrible. Two of us had different prix fixe dinners, and two just ordered off the menu.

The dinner courses came out a little slowly, but our server was very quick and friendly. Unfortunately, the one who was explaining all the dishes had a really thick accent and we had trouble understanding the details about the dishes we were getting.

Overall the food was pretty decent. There were a few things I didn't love. Still, I'm glad I got to try this place, even though I have no real desire to come back. The others I was dining with said they enjoyed it--apparently more than I did--and would love to return.

All in all, not a bad experience. But I think a bit overrated and overpriced.

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

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.

Had the pleasure to try the Kaiseki Set Menu at Miku when my family was visiting from out of town. This was an experience! Pricy but worth it if you get the opportunity to do so. It's rare that I indulge in fine dining but I enjoyed the anticipation of each dish, timed perfectly that I was full and satisfied by the end of all of the courses without feeling bloated. Parking is expensive downtown. The restaurant itself on waterfront had a wonderful water view, great to time dinner around sunset before it gets all dark. Moody ambiance inside, respectful waiters that know the menu inside and out. I have not tried their Ala Carte menu but I feel that the set menu is an epic experience curated just so from the chef's perspective.

2023 MICHELIN STAR SUSHI RESTAURANT.
Make a reservation before coming in!
The service was great and the restaurant is clean. Plating is beautiful and you get a nice view of the Vancouver harbour.
I ordered the oshi sampler ($21) which came with two pieces each of salmon, ebi and saba oshi. It was delicious and melted in my mouth. I also ordered two pieces of unagi nigiri ($6.50 each) which was also delicious.
For what it is, it's affordable. I highly recommend coming here for sushi!

OK, so I'm making good on my promise to update my review of this wonderful restaurant after experiencing their "Miku Kaiseki" testing menu last night. In short - all of their courses and our service were excellent. Ambiance is great - the view is lovely!

I don't want to ruin the surprise by relisting all of the courses, but you definitely get an excellent value with many super high-quality ingredients and innovative preparations/presentations. Personally, I would recommend not even looking at the list and just going for it. It's one of the better values I have seen in the tasting arena, and I bet that each iteration of this offering is always delicious.

I hope you will enjoy this beautiful tasting menu when you visit Miku. Itadakimasu!

I've had plenty of nigiri, sashimi, and rolls in my lifetime. So when a friend recommended Miku and their aburi oshi sushi, I was intrigued.

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

Miku offers three types of aburi oshi sushi: salmon, ebi, and saba. They can be ordered as 3 or 6 piece, or as a sampler with 2 piece each type. All of them were very delicious, but my personal favorite was the salmon. Searing fish just brings out this amazing deep smokey flavor. My only gripe with aburi oshi sushi is the fish to rice ratio is too low (not enough fish, too much rice).

I recommend the Miku Signature Selection, which is chef's selection of traditional and aburi oshi, specialty rolls, and nigiri (10 pieces total). It's priced at CA$43 and allows you to try a variety of Miku's menu.

The restaurant is very spacious and staff very friendly. If you have the option to dine at lunch or before sunset, table seating by the window is your best bet for gorgeous waterfront views! I highly recommend Miku and would return if I visit Vancouver again.

I go to Miku for dinner every time I come to Vancouver. If you don't make a reservation or alone, you will be forced to sit at the counter. I don't like counters because when you sit with your back to the waterfront view, there is nothing in front of. I recommend that you make a reservation and choose a seat near the window when you come here.
I ordered Miku Signature Selection and Seasonal Gomaae. Dessert for Ice cream (Maple Soy, Toasted Honey Fig, Salted Caramel Bourbon). The sushi ingredients were fresh and the sushi selection was good. I especially like the fact that the sushi has condiments on top and is not eaten with soy sauce and wasabi. If you come without a reservation on a Friday or Sat, you may have to wait a long time, so in that case, you may want to consider ordering take-out. I look forward to coming again next time.