Located in Downtown Vancouver, Sushi Masuda is a Michelin one-star restaurant celebrated for its authentic omakase experience. Sushi Masuda has only been open since March 2024 and it received the only new Michelin star in Vancouver for 2024. Known for meticulous craftsmanship and the freshest seasonal ingredients, Sushi Masuda offers a refined, intimate setting where guests enjoy a masterfully curated tasting menu. Sushi Masuda is a reservation only restaurant and it $260 per person. At the time of my visit, the price per person was still $230. Due to high interest, the reservations do book up fast. All reservations are full for November, but the reservations for December will open on November 1. Check out my full review of Sushi Masuda below.
Sushi Masuda – Starters
To start off the meal, we had a selection of small dishes. I believe they rotate upon seasonability and availability. The dishes we had are:
- Female snow crab from Hokkadio, Japan with seaweed salt
- Ikura from Hokkaido cured with housemade dashi broth and finished with yuzu zest
- Japanese amberjack from Hokkaido
- Silver belt fish with konbu and soy
- Mozuku seaweed from Okinawa
- Horse Mackerel seaweed roll
Starting off very strong, the Seko Gani (Female Snow Crab) was one of the highlights of the meal for me. The tomalley was so briney and creamy. The rich crab pairs perfectly with the “red diamonds” of the uchiko unfertilized eggs and the delightful pop of the sotoko fertilized eggs.
Next up was Ikura. Each roe just pops with delicious ocean flavour. The yuzu zest adds a lovely aroma.
The Japanese Amberjack is simply marinated in soy and the texture is unlike anything I have ever had. It’s marbled like wagyu and it has a slightly firm texture. Really unique and a new favourite for me.
The Tachiuo (Silver beltfish) with konbu and soy was steamed perfectly. It was light tasting fish that pairs well with natural umami of konbu and soy. The Mozuku seaweed from Okinawa has a slightly slimy texture but the seaweed has a bit of a bite. Very unique!
The Aji (Japanese Horse Mackerel) seaweed roll was another beautiful dish that resembles stained glass. The fish has a gorgeous blue sheen to it and the addition of pickles keeps this light and refreshing.
Sushi Masuda – Sushi Course
Moving on from the starters we had the following nigiri with a brief intermission from a silky smooth Chawanmushi made with local BC Dungeness crab and female snow crab egg sauce.
The Amaebi was sweet with a slight stickiness. It was a delightful first piece to start with. The sudachi juice adds a hint of zestiness that I don’t normally find.
The Mirugai (Geoduck) is cut with small cross hatches to improve the texture. This nigiri was not my favourite unfortunately as it was a little bit too fishy for me.
Next up was Akami. The red colour was stunning and as it is the lean part of the bluefin tuna, it has a nice firm texture.
Chutoro is medium fatty part of the bluefin tuna and this piece was just melt in my mouth. It was so flavourful and rich – truly one of the best parts of tuna.
Chef Masuda’s presentation of Saba (Mackerel) was very unique. He starts preparing the roll quite early on. Rice is wrapped with ginger, green onion, roasted seseame seeds and pickled myoga (Japanese ginger). Myoga is very aromatic and the crunchy pickled texture balances out the fishiness of mackerel really well. This was really delicious.
Next we had Isaki (Chicken Grunt Fish/Threeline Grunt). It was my first time having this particular fish and the white colour with red band reminds me slightly of hamachi. The fish itself was delicate and lean with some sweetness.
The preparation of Kuromutsu (Gnomefish/Bluefish) from Chiba was interesting. Chef sears the sides with hot metal skewers which gives the fish a smoky flavour. It has a mild flavour but the searing really enhances the richness of this fish.
For our second to last piece of nigiri Chef prepared Kuruma Ebi (Japanese Tiger Prawn) from Kumamoto. The prawn was skewered and boiled before being chilled. The firmness of the ebi pairs well with the rice.
Ending on a strong note (and my personal favourite) – Bafun Uni. The uni was perfect – sweet, briny, and creamy.
Sushi Masuda – Dessert
We finished off with a small piece of Tamago (Japanese omelette) made with wild snapper broth and Canadian maple syrup. You can really taste the maple in this. I like the combination of Japanese and Canadian flavours. A small bowl of miso soup made with Kuromutsu bones (Gnomefish, Bluefish) to round off the savoury courses soon followed.
Dessert was short and sweet, featuring Raiden melon from Hokkaido and Mango from Teshikaga, Hokkaido.
How To Get Here
Sushi Masuda is hidden along West Hastings street and it can be a bit tricky to find. When you arrive at Oceanic Plaza walk towards the Colour Time Printing & Digital Imaging on 1066 West Hastings Street. Enter through the glass doors and Sushi Masuda will be on your left. There is a discreet sign next to the “Kamei Royale” sign. When I came for my reservation there was someone waiting to escort us into the restaurant.
Worth a Try?
If you have never had a Michelin Star omakase I recommend you check out Sushi Masuda. I had a lovely experience and I had the opportunity to try so many fresh and (new to me) dishes. The price point is steep so I would definitely say this is a treat yourself type of meal. Chef Masuda works quickly and dinner was over before I knew it. Overall, I would recommend Sushi Masuda for an elevated fine dining Michelin omakase.
Additional Photos of the Omakase Dinner at Sushi Masuda in Downtown Vancouver
Sushi Masuda
Address: 1066 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3X2
Website: https://www.sushimasuda.com/
