Undoubtedly the go-to aburi sushi restaurant in Vancouver is Miku, but when they are too busy during lunch hour the next best would be their sister restaurant – Minami.
Last week I had a craving for aburi, but didn’t have the foresight to make a reservation, so we ended up making our way to Yaletown to dine at Minami. This was actually my first time having a meal at Minami (usually I drop by for a drink or two).
The service was excellent, we had a great seat by the window and our food came out in an efficient manner.
What we ate: Ebi Fritters – tiger prawns, herb-beer batter, sweet soy balsamic reduction, sweet chili harissa mayo, quinoa kale salad, yuzu vinigrette ($15.00)
This was delicious! I’m usually not a huge fan of beer batters, but this batter was light enough without overwhelming the prawns. The kale salad didn’t really add much to the dish, it was more of a garnish than a salad.
What we ate: Aburi Flat Iron Steak and Heirloom Tomato Salad – AAA sterling silver, wasabi chimichurri, bocconcini, honey balsamic vinaigrette, basil, wild baby arugula ($26.00)
My friend decided to order this dish and I’m so glad that he did! I didn’t really get the ‘aburi’ aspect of this dish, but as a steak dish it was delicious. All the components of the dish worked well together, and I loved the arugula on top! The arugula and tomato salad added a nice refreshing component to this dish.
What we ate: Salmon Oshi Sushi – pressed BC wild sockeye salmon, jalapeño, Miku Sauce ($17.00)
When the cravings are so real and one order isn’t enough. We got two orders of their famous Salmon Oshi Sushi, and it was worth every bite. It’s as good as I remember, and if I were to have one small complaint, the dish was served cold and as a result the sushi rice was a bit gummy and it was missing the luxurious creamy texture from a just torched sauce.
Overall I really enjoyed my experience at Minami. Although it doesn’t offer the spectaular views that Miku has, the restaurant has a much more calm atmosphere which I prefer.
Would I come back? Absolutely. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here and I can’t wait to be back!