Okini in Kerrisdale is one of my favourite special occasion restaurants in Vancouver. Okini is a great intimate space for birthday dinners, romantic date nights and girl’s night out. They are committed to using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients whenever possible. Their menu leans Japanese West Coast and they are always coming up with unique and delicious dishes with a Japanese flair. To celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year they have curated a special “Dragon Dinner” for two. This menu features some of their most popular dishes. Check out my full review of the Okini Dragon Dinner below!
Okini Dragon Dinner – Starters and Appetizers
The menu is $168 for two and includes a wine pairing option for an additional $30. To start there is their famous Shiso Wrap and Salmon Soba.
The Shiso Wrap features aburi A5 Miyazaki wagyu with Hokkaido uni, ikura, and shiso. It’s the perfect decadent bite to start the meal and really sets the tone for a fabulous menu up ahead.
The Salmon Soba is one my favourite dishes of all time and it features flame finished Big Glory Bay salmon on chilled green tea soba with creamy sesame ponzu dressing, yuzu tobiko, and ikura. The salmon is so fatty and unctuous and the green tea soba has a lovely sesame flavour that works so well with the fattiness of the salmon.
Next you get your choice of appetizer:
- Endive Caesar – grilled belgian endive with baby shrimp, miso caesar dressing, parmigiano reggiano, and black tobiko
- Wagyu Beef Carpaccio – Brant Lake wagyu, black garlic miso aioli, 63 degree egg, pickled wasabi, crispy shallots, and parmigiano reggiano
For our appetizer we went with the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio. The carpaccio is served with their grilled house made bread and the char of the bread pairs really well with the beef. The egg was done perfectly with the yolkiest egg yolk to ever yolk. Overall a solid dish, and my pick of the two options.
Okini Dragon Dinner – Main Affair and Dessert
The main course on the menu is a Wagyu Cheek. It features red wine braised wagyu cheek with hayashi demi on confit baby potatoes, and seasonal squash. You get your choice of pasta with the dish:
- Wagyu Bolognese – Brant Lake wagyu beef ragu and blistered cherry tomatoes with spaghetti alla chitarra and parmigiano reggiano
- Truffle Yaki Udon – truffle buttered wild mushrooms and edamame with sanuki udon, crispy shallots, arugula, and 63 degree egg
The Wagyu Cheek was so tender and just melts in your mouth. I love hayashi rice so this sauce works for me. It’s slightly sweet and it pairs really well with the beef.
For our carb we went with the Truffle Yaki Udon because I can never resist truffle. There was plenty of mushrooms in the dish and the truffle flavour really shines without overwhelming the dish. A really great pairing for the Wagyu Cheek.
As a special treat yourself moment for my birthday, we also got the A5 Miyazaki Wagyu donburi style. It is served with shiso, oroshi and sansho tare. The wagyu was incredible – fatty, rich and melt in your mouth.
No meal is ever complete without dessert and on this menu there are two options:
- Strawberry Lemon Panna Cotta – white chocolate namelaka, strawberry shiso compote, salted lemon crumble
- Black Sesame Chocolate Brownie – kinako gelato, raspberry coulis, shiratama mochi
We went with the Black Sesame Chocolate Brownie and it was so good! It’s served warm, and the brownie has the slightest chew but a gooey center. The nuttiness of the sesame works so well with the kinako gelato, and the mochi was just perfect. Overall a great way to end a fantastic dinner.
Worth a Try?
Yes! This menu is a great way to try Okini at a good price point. The portion sizes are good and you’ll definitely leave full. The menu is specially curated with a lot of their most popular dishes and it really takes the guess work of picking what to have for dinner. The Okini Dragon Dinner is only available for the month of February so make your reservations soon!
Okini Restaurant & Bar
Address: 1864 W 57th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6P 1T7
Website: http://www.okiniyvr.com/