Minami

LUNCH: Sablefish entree, Premium Selection

Sablefish was cooked to perfection. The pickles served with it were so delicate in taste and complimented the meal perfectly. The rice under the fish was full of flavor and crunch. The toastes sesame... Delightful.

Premium Selection of Nigiri, Sashimi, Aburi - 12pcs !! Super value for such EXQUISITE tastes!! Literally some of the best sushi I've had outside of Japan. I was blown away by the tiniest of flavor enhancements on each piece. They brought Aburi to Canada and they are likely still the best at it!!!! Each one was next level with its sear and smokiness and unique taste differences. The saba was off the hook - I may get just a few more of those next visit. Even the shrimp. And the salmon aburi too... layers of incredible. Have I used enough adjectives yet?

Attentive wait staff ... accommodated mods with perfection and professionalism. They literally set the tone at the start and it was delight throughout.

I also saw a pretty awesome Whiskey Selection and a very friendly bartender - I'm sure they're drinks are awesome too.

If I lived in Vancouver, I'd be here monthly!! Perfect for impressing anyone!!

Our family of 7 stopped by Minami for dinner on a Monday night earlier this month and had some excellent food! Our server was amazing and led us through all elements of the menu and made some great suggestions to keep us well-fed, as well as keeping us super aware of cross-contamination possibilities for the dietary restrictions for our group. The main reason one star is docked is because the portion sizes are pretty small for the amount paid; more on that later.

We got a bunch of things to share, and the parents loved the goma-ae and the pressed sushi the best. My husband and I loved the flavor of the ebi oshi best; the yuzu sauce that came with it really elevated those bites, enough that we ordered another round. Chicken nanban was just alright, and the aburi octopus was a bit tough, but the two rolls we sampled were also delicious and the desserts we tried were super refreshing and not too sweet.

One person in our group is allergic to seafood but luckily there's enough on the menu that he can eat; we ordered him the 8oz ribeye and he not only enjoyed the steak but also raved about the vegetables that came with it. However, it was truly sad to see the nickel-sized portion of mashed potatoes he was given. I don't have a picture of it, but we were all shocked that that was how much mashed potatoes were on the plate. Our server was super apologetic about it and we ended up ordering a full side of the mashed potatoes anyway, but the skimpiness of that portion size didn't leave a great impression. However the rest of the meal was solid enough that I would recommend Minami to anyone looking to try aburi-style sushi for the first time!

The waiter is really kind.
Food thoughts are in the photo captions
It looks great inside but at the front it has a weird smell
Had a party of 6 and table was easy to find

The food was amazing. We had not heard of "pressed" sushi before and it was our favorite thing. The umami flavors of the salmon and I think it's torched mayo were unbelievable.

I arrived in Vancouver and chose this place for lunch. It was just before 12 pm and there were empty seats inside the restaurant. I didn't have a reservation but seated immediately. The atmosphere inside the restaurant seems nice. I ordered Minami zen. I forgot to take a picture of the sushi because I took it home. I wasn't what I expected but the staff was a very nice.
I would like to try something else next time.

A return visit 10 years later and although I didnt expect too much since there is such amazing sushi in Vancouver and I've had a negative experience from Miku's take out, theres a reason this is one of the top must visit restaurants in the city.

Our server, Adrian, came and checked on us frequently, refilling water and making polite conversation as well. The food came quite quickly as we asked them to serve whatever was ready first and we were treated to a variety of hot dishes, appies and sushi.

We ordered:
Oshi Aburi Trio - saba, salmon and ebi all seared with a perfectly flavoured block of rice beneath. Each of these are a little bit oily and filling but just one piece is the perfect amount.

Red Wave Roll and Champagne Roll were all very well constructed with quality ingredients and aesthetically pleasing. My favourite of the two was the champagne roll as the Red Wave had some intense wasabi as a garnish.

Kaisen Soba - soba noodles in a tangy sauce with assorted seafood. Was quite oily on the bottom but very flavourful. An appropriate amount of shrimp and scallops in this dish but not as good as I had remembered.

Nanban Chicken, Brussel Sprout Chips and Squid Katsu - of these three hot and fried dishes, the one that stood out the most was the squid katsu. Coming out looking more like tofu than squid, the panko breading was perfectly crispy while the squid itself was anything but chewy. The brussel sprouts were quite oily and salty while the chicken was good.

Assorted Nigiri - really enjoyed our small selection of nigiri including the bluefin tuna, Hotate, Hamachi and otoro

Overall, a good experience here at Minami tonight with prices that don't seem as high now that all of Vancouver is expensive.

Minami sure put the "happy" in Happy Mother's Day with its 3-course Minami Zen ($45), featuring:

(1) Signature Dish (choice of Redband Steelhead, Aburi Chicken, Aburi Butler Steak) with Miso Baked Tofu Salad, Ebi Fritters, and Miso Soup
(2) Aburi Oshi Trio and Classic Nigiri - Hamachi, Chutoro, Scallop, Salmon, Saba, Ebi
(3) Lychee Panna Cotta Dessert (exclusively for Mother's Day!)

SERVICE - Right off the bat, we were impressed with the service. Small gestures like providing the menu to my mom first and having a Mother's Day card ready on the table were positive indicators of what was to come. Our server, Hannah, and the kitchen also kindly did what they could to accommodate our low sodium restrictions, such as providing low sodium soy sauce and not brushing the oshi and nigiri with additional sauce. Although there was some delay with our main course, the other courses followed promptly and Hannah checked in with us throughout the service. She was very pleasant to chat with.

FOOD - Every course was presented beautifully as a feast for the eyes. The panna cotta in particular was stunningly intricate with its tuille garnish and spoon sized sorbet. It tasted light and refreshing, being a great palate cleanser for the courses before. As per usual, the oshi and nigiri were a hit - the fish was fatty, buttery, and smooth, with just the right amount of wasabi to tingle the tastebuds. My only feedback would be for the main course, which was a tad salty for our liking. My sister also thought the ebi fritter could have more of a crunch, but we both agreed that the steak was cooked very well.

AMBIANCE - Minami has a sophisticated and more intimate vibe with its plush seating, dim lighting, and gorgeous carp mural. It has both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a waiting area.

The restaurant is really nice and spacious. All our dishes were really good. The staff are friendly and service was excellent .

The salmon aburi is the best. The blue fin special roll was really delicious too. We had the soba noodles which was good but a bit too spicy. The ebi fritters were delicious too. The prices are not cheap but the quality is superb.

It was by bday dinner and we got a nice surprise at the end. It was much appreciated. Definitely will go back.

This place is good, not great. It has potential but it seems like either a place that is still getting it right or just doesn't really want to put in the effort consistently anymore.

The steak was cooked very rare, and the roasted veggies were good. The cocktails were also very enjoyable.

The rice wasn't right, and it kinda messed with the whole sushi platter. The pressed pieces "their signature" were rice heavy; and the service was not what I'd expect. They seemed kinda slammed and not super responsive.

Overall, not the worst but definitely not the best.

I really enjoyed Minami! It was easier for us to get reservations for 4 than it was for 5. The service was super good - waitress was super attentive and kept checking in on us and recommended us some delicious food. We got the brussel sprouts appetizer which I highly recommend! After we got the set and it was delicious and so fresh. It's very modern, stylish and slightly darker lit so made it feel more intimate. The aburi sushi is so good and I love the taste.