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![Photo of Jeremy S.](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/assets/srv0/yelp_styleguide/bf5ff8a79310/assets/img/default_avatars/user_medium_square.png)
Jeremy S.
Located in the vibrant neighbourhood of Yaletown, Minami Restaurant follows the pioneering footsteps of its sister restaurant, Miku, in delivering the innovative dining experience of Aburi cuisine to Vancouver's thriving food scene. Each piece of sushi is flame seared using a blowtorch and binchotan (oak charcoal), resulting in sushi with a smoky aroma and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. What truly sets Minami apart from Miku is their emphasis on the appetizer and entrée courses in Aburi cuisine. From the kitchen, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients are integrated into Minami's dishes to reflect Vancouver's diverse flavours. This culinary approach evokes both the passion and beauty of Aburi cuisine, as each dish is artfully plated on custom-designed Arita Yaki plate ware hand picked by owner Seigo Nakamura from the artisan town of Arita, Japan.
Recommended Reviews
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Overall rating
795 reviews
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- Ralph M.San Jose, CA74513May 26, 2024
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!!Helpful 1Thanks 1Love this 2Oh no 1 - Aug 27, 2024
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!Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Nora M.Woodinville, WA01218Aug 9, 2024
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 findHelpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - 87160284Aug 7, 2024
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.
Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Jun 19, 20241 check-in
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.Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 1 - 2388943958May 15, 2024Updated review
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.Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 2Oh no 0Mar 24, 2016Previous reviewI'm writing this review almost 2 years after dining here since I'm trying to go through all my saved pictures but i still remember this delicious meal and savour the green tea opera cake today...but lets go back to the details.
The ambience is very yaletow-esque with a dark dining room and attentive almost overbearing service which should be expected with the prices here. A family of four, we ordered the kaisen soba peperoncino which was absolutely scrumptious. Not too heavily flavoured other than pepper, it was a small dish but loaded with seafood. Next, we got the salmon aburi oshi which was one of my favourite dishes of the night. It is what minami/miku is known for and it was delicious in all the perfect ways with a creamy but not heavy sauce, light torching and a good fish to rice ratio. Also, a minami roll that held spicy shrimp and topped with torched short rib that wasn't as great but still tasty (i like fish more). We also got a black pepper tuna tataki and braised short rib to fill out stomachs a bit. Both were good but again, smaller portions so we had to add onto our order some single aburi nigiri (sorry don't remember which ones), but all were delicious! Not too much rice and perfectly seared. Last dinner item was the saba oshi aburi sushi and it wasn't quite as good as the salmon and a little bit too much rice. Now finally, dessert....and we ordered three since it was a "birthday" dinner for me! My favourite was the green tea opera which had layers of ganache, matcha sponge and paired with homemade matcha ice cream. Equally good was the matcha fondant cake that held molten matcha inside of a decadent chocolate cake paired with black sesame ice cream. Thinking it wouldn't be as good, we got a non-matcha dessert which was similar to an apple tart but is no longer on the menu ): ALL the food was plated with perfection and the flavours were exquisite (fancy words for good food).
Would love to return every day if it didn't cost so much but i will just have to settle for a miku visit another birthday :) - 651361018May 14, 2024Updated review
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.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Aug 26, 2020Previous reviewAlthough I've only had Minami twice, both times exceeded my expectations and left me craving for more. This is partially due to the exemplary taste of what Minami has to offer, as well as the (unfortunate) steep price that comes with said offerings.
My most recent experience at Minami was for a socially distanced picnic celebration. We ordered the Deluxe Sushi Platter for Five ($113) and the Sashimi Platter for Five ($65) through Uber Eats, and they were demolished within minutes.
Presentation-wise, the platters were gorgeously arranged. There was clearly meticulous attention paid to the toppings of each aburi and the slicing of the sashimi.
Taste-wise, they were absolutely phenomenal! Had my party not been there, I may have eaten everything all myself and passed out quite happily. Each piece of sushi had its own unique taste, whether it be enhanced by a delicately placed garnish, a thick slab of seared sashimi, or an intoxicating smear of sauce. Given that Minami is the sister company to Miku, it is no surprise that my favourite piece of sushi was their famous Aburi Salmon Oshi: the wild sockeye salmon simply melts in your mouth and provides incredible mouthfeel against the sushi rice, jalapeno, and Miku sauce. Between the two rolls, however, I do think the Champagne Roll just edged out its competition by one plump Hokkaido scallop. With the sashimi, it's a lot harder for me to pinpoint a favourite since every piece was so delectably fresh and evenly sliced.
This is all to say that, budget permitting, Minami is an exceptional choice that you can't go wrong with. It provides top quality Japanese food that will be sure to wow you and your guests. - Apr 12, 2024Updated review
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.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Nov 26, 2016Previous reviewWe had a tasting menu and thoroughly enjoyed it! Tried a variety of their sushi rolls but the show stoppers were the aburi salmon and mackerel oshi. It was simply delicious and melted in my mouth. Too bad we only got one piece of each. The tofu salad was also delicious . I was disappointed with the hamachi. Hamachi is my favourite but theirs didn't melt in my mouth and was hard and sinewy. Service was ok. Overall the food was good but not crazy about the prices $$$. Good thing I didn't have to pay!
- 139300205Dec 28, 2023
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.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 1 - Apr 22, 2024
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.
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