Sushi Jin

Why 5 stars? Because this was definitely an experience we won't forget.

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Recently, my wife and enjoyed an amazing Omakase in Houston for her birthday. When we decided to book a vacation to Vancouver, we knew we had to enjoy Omakase in one of the better cities for sushi in North America. So we did a bit of research and booked Sushi Jin.

Just a warning to anyone else who might make this same mistake: there is a $169 fee to book a reservation. This is NOT the entire cost of the experience - it's only a deposit. It actually costs $300 per person. The grand total after taxes and gratuity came out to $738, and that's with us not drinking any alcohol. This was indeed the most expensive meal I have ever eaten.

Was it the best meal of my life? No. Was it even better than the Omakase we just recently had in Houston? No. But, I definitely don't regret it.

In addition to the actual eating part is the experience itself. Watching the chef work was like attending a show. He was so incredibly meticulous with every inch that he moved and every action he took. It's clear that he's done this thousands of times in his life. It made me think of how he does other things in his life. Does he change his own oil with this grace? With how much he clearly respects the craft of food preparation, does he ever just go to Burger King and pig out on a bunch of terrible, greasy food? When he applies toothpaste to his brush, does he methodically spin it around to add to the allure of the presentation? These are the questions I have a duty to ask. But onto the important stuff.

I initially planned on adding a rating to every bite, but it seemed like it would be boring to just say "5-stars" like 15 times, so I figured this would be a better system: if it says nothing, it's 5-stars. The rare 4-stars are noted. * means it was extra amazing, with an extra 6th star. ** means the ever-rare 7-stars, which is defined as being able to cure any disease upon consumption.

1) Lobster & Caviar *

2) Hotaru Ika

3) Gindara Saikyo-yaki **

4) Miso Soup with Lobster Broth

5) Hirame: 4-stars

6) Shima Aji: 4-stars

7) Kanpachi" 4-stars (There was the tiniest dot of green onion on top of this, but you could taste it very strongly on this bite. It wasn't bad, but just crazy how much of a punch it packed for its size.)

8) Bluefin Tuna Chutoro

9) Bafun Uni

10) Botan Ebi *

BONUS) Salmon ** (He ended up just giving this to me because everyone else said they were getting full. I have no idea what it would be called on a menu, but I called it utterly amazing Salmon.)

11) Ikura

12) King Salmon Aburi **

13) Bluefin Tuna Kamatoro **

14) Luxury Gunkan*

15) Anago*

16) Negitoro Temaki **

17) Tamago *

18) Dessert (Monaka Matcha Gelato) *

So there you have it. It was a costly dinner, but one I'll never forget. The USD to CAN exchange rate also played in my favor here, which lessened the blow of that price tag.

One note I will add: I'm a strong believer in people being able to do whatever they want, as long as they are not hurting anyone or compelling me to do something. However, the chef wearing a mask did hinder part of the experience for me. I loved interacting with him, but the mask made it harder to understand him and see his expressions. Just my .02.

Great sushi is simple -- it just has to be perfect. Sushi Jin was perfect.

A few standouts. Lobster sashimi with ossetra caviar and adorable little yuzu blossoms at the beginning; one of the best pieces of uni nigiri I've ever put in my mouth; plump and delicately flavoured ikura; a shockingly tender and rich piece of marinated tako; and the appropriately named "luxury gunkan," where prima-donna ingredients like toro, uni, and ikura harmonized beautifully rather than shouting over one another.

Everything was precisely seasoned, including some thoughtful and unusual choices like adding yuzu zest instead of the traditional glaze to the anago near the end. Chef Jin does not exactly season with restraint -- muscular dabs of wasabi accompany pieces like the showstopper negitoro temaki -- which makes the delicate flavour balance he arrives at even more impressive.

The vibe was peaceful and masterful, which is one of the things that differentiates Sushi Jin from Masayoshi or Okeya Kyujiro, its top competitors in Vancouver's "you paid how much for 15 bites of fish?!" category. There were no showy supplements or ceremonies. The service was meticulous; my tea was never empty and errant flecks of shoyu disappeared from my place setting within minutes.

Yes, it's expensive. It's also uncommon to find sushi this good anywhere, let alone this side of the Pacific. Pick an excuse and go.

Chef Jin serves the best omakase experience I've had anywhere. I came here in 2022 and made sure to secure a seat at the table for my 2023 trip back to Vancouver. They had a notebook and checked what I had in 2022 to compare it to the experience for 2023.

Premium omakase and meals are by reservation only. No walk-ins. They also ask for your card information when you make reservations.

The quality of the food is top-notch. Chef Jin explains how he prepares everything. The wasabi and pickled ginger are all made in-house.

My favorite bite is the lobster with caviar and shisho flowers. All of the sauces and toppings that Chef Jin creates are very delicious and complement the fresh pieces of fish. Luxury Gunkan is a very close second. It has otoro, hokkaido uni, shiro, ebi, and ikura. The way Chef Jin prepared the ikura here has turned me away from all the store-bought/other sushi restaurant ikura out there because it is so much fresher here and not salty.

Chef Jin's wife is super kind too. She explained the shape of the sushi piece to me and why it got it's name. I learned that the 'Gunkan' sushi is shaped like a warship. It is a ball of rice with seaweed around the outside. The ingredients are put on top rather than on the inside.

Some other pieces we had were octopus leg, grilled black cod (SOOO GOOD!), flounder, bluefin chutoro, live spotted prawn, kanpachi (yellowtail), shima aji (striped jack), king salmon aburi, anago (salt water eel), and nizadai (surgeonfish).

The dessert I had was monaka matcha gelato. There's a red bean paste on matcha gelato between a shell-shaped wafer. These 2 meals I've had are some of the best food I've ever had. I hope to have the honor of coming back a third time.

Chef Jin was great at explaining the different pieces and how each item was prepared. I really enjoyed learning about the prep work that goes into the marination of the fish/seafood. Small group with 7-9 seats. Our whole party booked up the rsvp so it was nice to have the place to ourselves. Quality of fish was fresh and flavor was good! On the Michelin guide.

My second time dining at sushi Jin and it's my favourite omakase experience all the time (even over Toronto omakase)!

I came with a group of 5 and we had the entire counter omakase area (and restaurant) to ourselves! It was an intimate experience with the chef and friends. You have to pre-book in advance and pay upfront the entire price. It's quite expensive, at $300 a head but completely worth it for an experience and special occasion.

Menu changes all the time based on what fresh ingredients the chef gets. We had some special uni that night that was absolutely amazing and so fresh! Think, mouthfuls of uni! YUM! The chef does a great job at explaining all the food items and ingredients used and is always super interactive with the guests. Pair your meal with some sake and it's the perfect touch!

There's only two seating times at 6:00PM and 8:00PM. I was seated at 6:00PM and by the time we finished our meal, the 8:00PM crowd had already arrived getting ready for their time slot.

It's a unique experience in itself and completely worth the price tag! Give it a visit!

My wife and I came in from Seattle to spend some time exploring Vancouver. We are huge sushi fans, and even bigger Omakase fans, when we give ourselves permission to indulge.

We came in on a weekday at the 8pm seating and had the whole counter to ourselves. To sum it up: the food, the service, and the experience were all top notch. Oftentimes, I judge a place based on the quality of the fish. At Sushi Jin, not only do they have great quality fish, but it's the finer touches that made the difference. Marinating ikura in 3 different ways across 4 days, check. Taking the time to dehydrate uni just so it's used to zest a spot prawn, you got it. Curating and creating soy sauces in house so it matches the flavor of the fish, they do that! Needless to say, we enjoyed our experience and learned so much about sushi in the process.

We left our experience even more impressed than when we arrived. There was an evident passion and craftsmanship; it was a special experience!

My husband and I came for the okamase set. The food was delicious and the service was great. We enjoyed each of the set and added an additional uni sampler to our dinner. We would want to come back again for the wonderful dinning experience.

Sushi Jin's omakase was the first omakase I've tried. We came upon it one night when wanting to have Japanese food and it was in the area, and found out that they only serve omakase. I didn't know what omakase was but since that time, I've became an omakase addict, and sad to say that no other place's omakase has surpassed Sushi Jin's so far.
Their soy sauce content with the fresh nigiri is the just perfect amount of soy sauce. And their nigiri and appetizers in the omakase is very meticulously crafted - each bite makes you go omg.
Though it is pricey, I've went back a few times already. And when my wallet is not thin, I'd love to go back again.

This was as close to the omakase experience I had in Tokyo. I would say this was my favorite omakase experience in Vancouver. At our seating, we had a couple that didn't want to eat too much bluefin tuna, so he gave us extra. The freshness of the seafood will leave a memory burn for a long time!

B surprised me for my birthday and took me out to Sushi Jin, one of the higher end Korean run, sushi spots downtown. They specialize in edomae sushi. They're next door to Waverly Barber & Hair Salon and Babylon Cafe.

We dropped in on a Thursday evening (7:30 reservation) but had to wait 15 minutes for our table. The inside is small with 6 tables (only room for 16 people). Service is friendly and our green tea pot was refilled several times. Oddly, they gave us bottles of Costco water.

They no longer offer a regular menu (like when we visited). Now, only a premium omakase ($250.00/person) is offered with pre-payment required upfront.

- Miso soup - slightly better than your standard miso soup.
- Sushi moriawase ($36.95 for 8) - suzuki, kanpachi, shima aji, king salmon (from NZ), saba, hokkigai and unagi. Favourite pieces were the king salmon and shima aji. The hokkigai gunkan, which was shredded, was unique.
- Assorted aburi zushi ($29.00 for 5) - unagi, otoro, beef tenderloin, king salmon and hotate. All the pieces were good quality. The unagi seemed out of place as it wasn't seared and tasted the same as the piece we were given in our assorted nigiri platter.
- Tekka don ($49.95) - the bluefin tuna was buttery, melt in your mouth goodness. Excellent touch with the freshly grated wasabi and green onions. This brought us back to the otoro don's we ate in Japan except at a much heftier price point.
- Tamago ($2.50) - always save the tamago for last. Mixed feelings about it. Didn't love or hate it but wouldn't order a second piece.
- Brownie - small complimentary dessert to end our meal. Brownie had an interesting texture with a dollop of sour cream on top.

If you've got the money, then you'll enjoy Sushi Jin. Good quality but pricey sushi. 3.5 stars.