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Miku
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
1055 W Hastings StSte 2
Vancouver, BC V6E 2E9
Neighbourhoods: Coal Harbour, Downtown
(604) 568-3900
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
81 reviews for Miku
Review Highlights
"Their best dish is the salmon aburi, it's amazing."
(in 27 reviews)
"Red Wave Roll-real snow crab & fresh avocado wrapped in..."
(in 5 reviews)
"2 mid-level "omakase" and 4 Sapporo draft beers."
(in 12 reviews)
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81 reviews in English
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Review from Jennifer L.
Vancouver, BC
1/29/2012
Hands down best dine-out experience ever!!
The food was too good and for the price, well worth it. I wasn't starving afterwards and I was completely satisfied with everything from the service, ambiance, and of course unique menu items!! Loved how each sushi had it's own flavour and unique sauce. The appies were fantastic and the dessert was a green tea tiramisu thing with some sorbet on the side - presentation was great and taste was better!!
The sake was decent too. In fact, the dine-out menu was so good that I'm making a reservation to go again next week!!! -
Review from Kelly C.
Vancouver, BC
2/1/2012
Food rating alone, I would have given Miku five stars, but our dining experience left much to be desired.
We'd called earlier in the evening to check on their wait time for dinner and were told it would be at least an hour and a half before a table would be ready for 5. We were absolutely famished, but figured we could kill the hour and a half at a lounge before our table was ready.
We arrived at Miku a couple minutes after our reservation time and was greeted with "Oh, so you did decide to come." Yes, I thought we made it clear that we did want the reservation. The hostess then told us it would be a bit of a wait, but did not specify how long a wait. After about 15 minutes, we were handed a menu and told we could put in our order before being seated. Unfortunately, the omakase option was no longer available for the night, and we were not informed until we tried to order it.
It took about 50 minutes before we were able to get a table. The food we had ordered was absolutely delicious. The aburi salmon oshi sushi in particular was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The Granville Island sake we ordered to pair with our food was also very delightful. Unfortunately, when we tried to order a second round of the oshi sushi, we were told that we'd already missed the last call for food. This was shocking to us as we'd never even been told there was a last call. Crushed, we settled for two desserts instead, which were also incredibly delicious.
When we received the bill, I'd decided to leave a note on the receipt as well as a business card in the hopes that management would follow-up with me on our lack-luster service that night, but to my dismay, I never received a follow-up. I'm sufficiently unimpressed by this lack of courtesy and have since not been back.
As amazing as the salmon oshi sushi is, I've found a fantastic replacement from Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen. The food at Miku may be good, but considering the price and the poor service, I don't see a reason to go back. -
Review from Tamara H.
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Much like Bacchus, Miku has been on my "to dine" list for a while...but with all the cheap sushi options in this city, I can't justify spending a ton of money at a high end sushi place. An old customer of mine used to be a waiter there and told me what a great deal their dine out's are so I scrounged up a couple of friends and tried it out. The staff and service is fantastic. They were able to squeeze in my dine out reservation (on a saturday no less) when I called just a couple days before, since we arrived a couple minutes early they invited us to drink by the bar so we didn't have to stand in the colder lobby area, and our waiter explained everything that was on our plates and seemed to really care about our opinions.
The food was so phenomenal - their dine out option was great because it just gives you a nice sampling of a bunch of their different items allowing for everyone to get to choose their individual favourite. The restaurant is sadly out of my price range to dine at more than once or twice a year but being full from such exquisite sushi was a fantastic feelingListed in: Dine Out
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Review from Vivian H.
Bf had the miku zen (kitchen and sushi items) and I had the premium select (12 pieces of sushi). Everything was mouthwatering..
I wanted only sushi, so I chose the premium select, which came with aburi sushi along with traditional and roll sushi. I had not really tried aburi sushi before, and I was pleasantly surprised. However, the sauce can be a little too creamy for me. I prefer more acidic flavors with fish, rather than creamy. However, the fish was very fresh and very nicely presented. I loved it. At $26 for 12 pieces, it's a steal.
The bf really enjoyed his sushi and kitchen items. His favorite was the salmon croquette which I also sampled and really enjoyed.
Vancouver has a lot to offer in terms of Japanese food, so it might be awhile until I come back. If there weren't so many tempting choices, I would definitely make this place my regular stop for sushi in Vancouver.
There is no free parking, but there is a lot beneath the restaurant. -
Review from Sarah O.
Vancouver, BC
1/5/2012
Although there are already an abundance of reviews on Miku, every time I go, I learn a new fact that makes me love miku even more!
did you know there are 8 other locations in japan and vancouver is the only international location?
did you know the pastry chef buys his ingredients fresh every morning! the raspberries paired with passion fruit gelato are the perfect blend to cleanse the palette after lunch (i think the gelato here is more that comparable to globally recognized bella just down the road). if you only come here for the aburi, wait until you try the desserts!
miku sets a new standard of craft based on its Ningenmi philosophy- sincere, thoughtful, passionate. this place gets it right.
bittersweet, but i'm glad i no longer work next to this place or my pay check would instantly be seared into aburi salmon oshi sushi! -
Review from Yunn A.
12/22/2011
What a fun place! Great energy and vibe and responsive staff. It's too bad though that all the surfaces are solid and hard, so sound bounces like there's no tomorrow, so if you want to be able to hear everyone at your table, you better be able to really project your voices!
I didn't think I was going to be a fan of the aburi style sushi/sashimi, but it was paired perfectly with sauces, and was cooked to perfection. So delicious that I'm thinking about the food right now and beginning to salivate.
I'd have to say though, it's not inexpensive, so be prepared for a rather hefty bill. My companions and I shared an order of gyoza, and then each had the Premium Select (box) - a selection of aburi, roll and sushi (12 pieces), and miso soup which came with it. Fresh fish of all different tastes (saba, salmon, tuna, etc), and just great pairings with sauces.
One of my companions raved about their dessert, so instead of sharing one, we ordered three:
We had the Banana Coconut Cream, which was surprisingly light (which was a welcome property since we were very full by the time dessert came), Cassis Apple Dome, which was my least favorite of the three, and the Opera Cake - which is seriously amazing:
green tea sponge infused with espresso syrup, brandy and frangelico liqueurs, azuki bean cream, dark chocolate ganache, hazelnut wafer, green tea butter cream, glaze & ice cream. The flavors were amazing, and you could really taste each of them, and they complimented each other so well. This was probably one of the best desserts I've had.
I am looking forward to returning. -
Review from Erin J.
North Vancouver, BC
Updated - 12/31/2011 1 photo
Came here again today for lunch with a girlfriend. Everything we ate was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. For sushi we had:
1. Aburi salmon oshi sushi (best thing you will ever taste)
2. Red wave roll -crab and avocado wrapped with maguro
3. King roll - ebi tempura with crab and avocado
We also had the ebi fritters (yummy) and hamachi carpaccio (so fresh!) The service was very attentive as we never had to wait long to get drinks, food, or the bill. This is a must try!1 Previous Review:
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12/27/2011
MUST.TRY.ABURI.SALMON.OSH I.SUSHI.
SOOOO GOOD. nuff said. :)
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Review from Jean S.
Vancouver, BC
2/5/2012
Love this place. Eat there twice a week. Best in town by far,,,,,
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Review from Dan C.
Toronto, ON
Went the for lunch today with a friend and spent $70. Service was very slow, but the place is bright and very trendy. Food was good but not really worth the money. Apparent Miku is one of the best sushi places in town but for me, I got way better value from ultra- cheap Sushi Zero. If money is no object, I'd give Miku 4.5 stars.
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Review from Elise J.
New Westminster, BC
12/17/2011
Ohh, this was good. My girl friend and I are both pregnant, and had a craving for some good sushi to celebrate the end of our first trimester. Seeing as sushi carries some risk of food poisoning which is frowned upon during pregnancy, we sought out a restaurant that we trusted would have very fresh and very well-handled fish. We found it!
This place had a very sleek, sexy interior. It reminded me quite a bit of a "super hip" restaurant we visited in Miami last year. The presentation of each dish was fantastic, as was the taste.
The prices were high and portions were fairly small (as they tend to be in a high-end restaurant), but for a special occasion this place is a worthy splurge.
I was especially enamored with the friendly and down-to-earth servers and chefs, who were not at all pretentious or put off by my many questions about the menu! -
Review from M k.
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2012
I love the food here - it's super delicious! I have to agree the price is on the higher end, but honestly, there's no other place that serves sushi like this. Service is always great and and food has never disappointed me. Atmosphere is fantastic + it's a very chill / relaxing place to eat the best sushi in Vancouver! OH! and the desserts - must try all of them!!
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Review from Sarah A.
1/2/2012
Amazing sushi and dessert. We had the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi and Red Wave Roll - both were simply amazing! We heard a lot about the sushi in Vancouver and were not disappointed. The flavors, textures, quality of ingredients were far above any sushi we have eaten in the U.S. - east or west coast. Apart from amazing sushi, Miku offers an outstanding panna cotta dessert - it melted in our mouths (only problem is we were left wanting more!). Highly recommend Miku if you are after excellent sushi.
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Review from Chad T.
10/20/2011 Seated via OpenTable
I came here twice and tried both the Shokai and the Omakase. I would recommend them both, and in that order, as the Shokai will give you a taste of all the house specialities and what can be done with this wonder Aburi-style of sushi making.
The Omakase now requires 48-hours notice because they will go to the market and prepare a whole new menu from scratch just for that day. None of the items will be from their regular menu, so this is really quite a treat. I can't wait to come back and try it again. -
Review from Fiopo F.
West Vancouver, BC
1/27/2012 Seated via OpenTable
3.75 Stars. Well thought out, professionally executed sushi and izakaya-type dishes that make a lot of the so-called sushi restaurants and izakayas around town look like downright amateurs. It's by no means blow-your-mind, out-of-this-world amazing but my wife were so impressed that we visited it twice in the same week. The fish-to-rice ratio on the sushi was just right. The temperature of the sushi rice was also just right. Deep fried items were crispy, not greasy, and retained their flavors. Fusion items such as the soba pepperoncini have ingredients that feel like there were meant to be on the same plate and not forced. Unlike other Japanese restos, they have their own dessert chef that make everything from scratch. Servers were also extra friendly and sincere.
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Review from Denise H.
12/7/2011
So good! You have to get the calamari; no question. The aburi sockeye salmon, excellent. The kaiso salad and the crunchy scallop roll, also good. The dessert, the green tea opera, along is worth the visit. My grip, the price. It's not every night I'm willing to spend $75 on dinner for 1!
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Review from John P.
7/14/2011
I was in Vancouver on business and was charged with finding a good sushi restaurant for a large group I was with. I saw that Miku had a 4 star Yelp rating and was encouraged. It looked large enough to hold our group easily, and most of the reviews were positive. I read two recent negative reviews though and became less sure, though I decided to bring the group anyway and try it out. Let me be clear now: this was some of, if not the, very best sushi I have ever eaten. I love sushi. I could eat it every night. I've had plenty of sushi in Japan, and locally, in Seattle and Tacoma, we have a handful of good sushi options. That said, this was phenomenal.
I had the Red Wave Roll, amongst several others, and it was fresh, flavorful, and unique. My salmon sashimi was well portioned, fresh, and flavorful as well. And the abari sushi, which I had never had before, offered a light smokey flavor to what would have otherwise been an already delicious nigiri.
Complimented by 2 servings of the unfiltered plum wine (I should've bought a bottle, it was that good), and several other rolls and nigiri selections, I walked out satisfied and eager to go back when I am in Vancouver.
Additionally, the wait staff was top of the line. Our waitress was knowledgeable, courteous, and helpful in her recommendations. She was the best waitress I think I've ever had.
Beyond my experience, those I was with enjoyed it as well. We had, of our 10 guests, 6 sushi lovers (who know their sushi). They were all impressed. Even the 4 who were not sushi goers found plates to their liking with Miku's chicken dish and tempura plates.
I created this Yelp account specifically to review Miku's because I loved it. I can't speak to those who negatively reviewed it, other than to say I wholly disagree with their assessment. -
Review from Jim S.
10/2/2011
Absolutely the best sushi restaurant I have been in. Fantastic presentation, fantastic flavour and swanky setting. Every cut of fish was like butter with lots of nice little touches.
We were only there for lunch and it was crowed with downtown workers which is always a good sign.
I hope to make it here for dinner next time I am in Vancouver! -
Review from Cindy W.
Vancouver, BC
9/26/2011
This is a high end Japanese restaurant in the coal harbor location of Vancouver downtown. Miku targets business people, therefore the prices are fairly expensive. Their floor staff were all able to speak English clearly and the kitchen people were all Japanese. The environment of the restaurant is fairly loud.
The food has excellent quality. I ordered the sashimi platter and it was fresh and delicious. -
Review from Ben S.
Toronto, ON
11/5/2011 Seated via OpenTable
Great quality fish. Stick with sashimi or nigiri, as the rolls aren't that great.
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Review from Fattie S.
Richmond, BC
9/30/2011
Awesome dessert, their desserts was worth every penny spend. Savories and sushis are slightly over priced and okay only. Service was excellent.
Blog post for photos and details at http://www.fattieswan.... -
Review from Chris C.
7/31/2011
Great place for lunch. I've come here both with friends and for business lunches and always left satisfied. Highly recommend the Miku Zen box lunch, the Aburi/Premium Select or Kaisen Chirashi Don which are my usual fares for lunch.
One warning if you're coming for a true business lunch: some days it can get quite loud in the restaurant when they yell as guest arrive and depart so that may be slightly disruptive to your meeting. -
Review from Sergio R.
4/28/2011
This restaurant was the lowest point in a Vancouver visit full of ho-hum.
We paid for the $80 (mid level) "omakase" and what we got was a sad sad thing.
I won't go into what a true omakase experience is supposed to be about, but what we got here were about three 4 to 5 piece sushi courses -- which were definitely preplanned one-size-fits-all -- not taking into account our likes and reactions to the previous selection. Um, that's not how it works..
We specifically asked for seating at the sushi bar to see our itamae make each selection the way omakase traditionally is done but instead we got plates coming from who knows where while the guy in front of us industrially prepared sushi for dinner time...
At one point we waited for about 20mins not knowing whether we were done or not. Then came a seared beef which was definitely tasty, but uh... overcooked...DAMN IT!
Service was nice and all but service doesn't satisfy my stomach.
According to their website they're scheduled to open a location in LA. They better step their game WAY THE HELL UP if they expect to break even here because if there's one thing we have in CA is sushi choices.
2 mid-level "omakase" and 4 Sapporo draft beers
TOTAL: $210 Canadian and a whole lot of regret (sans tip)
I've had phenomenal REAL omakse experiences for 3/5's that price. I was really disappointed that a city surrounded by water and seafood, charging what it does, would dish this kind of experience out
BTW, take a look at the overly dramatic video on their site. Upon seeing that I shoulda known they were overcompensating for something. -
Review from Joe R.
8/11/2011
From Boston in Vancouver for business, huge sushi fan as you can see from my other sushi-centric reviews
Seated quickly on the freezing patio (August...really) waitress was top notch. Ordered the sockeye sashimi, red wave roll, and some aburi style hamachi. Roll was good but far from "unique" as posted by others, it's a Cali roll with tuna on top. The aburi hamachi was really nice and flavorful, although the particular cuts of hamachi I got were not as tender as I expected from searing. By far the star was the simple sockeye sashimi, just outstanding.
I'll go again tonight and update my post. Definitely worth a visit, with the potential for being one of the best places I've been (that covers Boston, LA, San Fran, Hawaii, and Tokyo). Hope tonight's meal meets that potential, looking forward to the sashimi appetizer already. -
Review from Leena B.
5/22/2011
I saw this restaurant in our hotel guide when we arrived in Vancouver. I went on the website and the video for the website was absolutely fantastic. It looked like the restaurant was going to be an amaaaaazing experience. Unfortunately, the video was quite anti-climatic.
The omakase was decent, but I question how fresh the items were...judging by the fact that I felt quite girgly about 30 minutes after my meal...
The lamb was quite good as well...but it seemed random that the lamb was a part of the omakase menu.
The dessert was decent. I don't remember what the dessert was called, but it was a pretty good mish mash of what they had in their kitchen.
I think I was put off but the fact that I saw the chef making all the sushi rolls for the evening in bulk right in front of us...I always thought sushi was cut and make fresh...
Beware LAers...they are planning to open one in LA...however, I think they should stick to Vancouver because I don't think they know any better... -
Review from Truth b.
Vancouver, BC
11/15/2011
VIBRANT and ENTHUSIASTIC...
Miku is a great experience! Lots of fresh and fabulous choices.
Service is enthusiastic and willing to please.
It's a bit pricey...but Love it!!! -
Review from Dylan S.
12/19/2011
Absolutely amazing sushi offerings. Service is a little bit slow and seating not ideal if you are by yourself (you get stuck at a bar counter facing away from the center where wait staff are, impacting your ability to get their attention). I'd go back, but they need to add more tables.
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Review from Delilah B.
4/25/2011
Salmon Roll, that's all I remember about this place. It literally, is to die for! My mouth waters just thinking about it. We ordered a few other dishes as well, but for the life of me I can only remember the Salmon roll. HA!
I know this is sick but we loved it so much that instead of ordering one of their famous desserts, we ordered another Salmon Roll. Even sicker... after we had dinner the following night at a different restaurant, we went back to Miku for the Salmon Roll. yikes!
One other thing I did remember is the constant suprise from all the yelling as new patrons walked in. -
Review from Russ P.
5/24/2011
We put ourselves in the nimble and skilled hands of Kazuki the sushi chef and he served us the best sushi I have ever had.
Everything was delicious. I can;t wait to get back again. -
Review from JRJ J.
Vancouver, BC
1/7/2011
Invited here last night at a table for 4.
Service was very good.
Our meal consisted of miso soup, sablefish - melts in your mouth, unagi, uni, sockeye salmon sashimi, crunchy scallops, Bincho toro, chicken kanban.
Green tea and Saki flow was good.
Finished off with green tea ice cream, raspberry and lemon sorbet.
A tad pricey but you will come back.
We certainly will. -
Review from Brittany G.
Vancouver, BC
2/1/2011
Delicious. I've tried different menu items every time, and have never been anything short of impressed. Artful, delicious, and top-quality... everything sushi should be. The atmosphere is stylish, modern and elegant.
Great for a business lunch, date, or get together with quality sushi lovers. -
Review from Melissa K.
Vancouver, BC
11/5/2011
I'd give Miku 5 stars if the food didn't come so slow for dinner. Though I feel it's a bit overpriced,they put a lot of effort into the dishes and always have specials; a giant list of specials. The waiter will scream them out all in one breath so don't even try to remember the first time around, you're going to have to ask again. Their best dish is the salmon aburi, it's amazing. Get enough for at least 2 per person. Their tempura is out of this world, and they give you flavored powered to dip it in, you don't need that soy sauce stuff it normally comes with. They use a different batter that makes it yummy. They also have a unique assortment of vegetables with the tempura. The plum wine on the rocks is also a must have, get a bottle between two people, it's really small. They have a noodle dish that resembles a carbonara, it's good but also heavy, definitely a sharing dish. I had my birthday dinner here and every dish was 20 mins apart, so we were not impressed, the dinner lasted forever. But they were apologetic; it was weird because they weren't that busy. Miku has an impressive dessert list for a Japanese place. They also have good lunches. Don't forget your wallet.
Listed in: Japanese Food Fix
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Review from Kerstin G.
Vancouver, BC
4/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
After hearing rave reviews from colleagues my husband I finally made it to Miku for dinner. We expected to stop by for a light sushi dinner before heading to the Wine Festival - we already heard about the outstanding food so we did expect that but had no idea the overall experience we were in for.
The service was amazing through and through, from arrival to departure. We felt like we had not just one person but a whole team working together to make sure that our dinner was out of this world.
The food, from the ebi fritters to the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi (their signature dish) to the blood orange sorbet were beyond words delicious. Each dish had it's own uniqueness and each one was a delight.
All I can say is that you have to experience it - be prepared to be entertained!
The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 was the fact that there was only a single stall washroom. Not in the mood for waiting in line. -
Review from PICKY E.
Coquitlam, BC
12/6/2011
I'm sure we have all had a taste of large varieties of sushi restaurants in Vancouver. And when I say variety, i'm referring to the fake sushi thats served at korean-owned, chinese-owned, vietnamese-owned, and last but not least white-owned sushi restaurants that serve pieces of crap in which they refer to as "japanese food". We've all been there, walking in excitedly then running for our lives after the first bite. The cold stale rice from last night,the half melted seaweed, the oh so "fresh" sashimi that you could litterally smell it from miles away whilst hoping that the odour isn't coming from the person sitting across from you.
So after the long awaited search. After sacrificing my tastebuds to eat nasty rice balls from all corners of this city. I think i've finally found the holygrail of all sushi restaurants. The infamous Tojo's and highly complimented Miko's can lick my imaginary balls. Ladies and gentlemen I introduce you to Miku Aburi Sushi Gourmet Cuisine.
Miku Aburi Sushi is the first restaurant of its kind to enter B.C. They are an authentic Japanese owned and operated restaurant with it's roots tracing back to 1955 Miyazaki, Japan. Where Miku differs from the other cookie cutter restaurants that you would often see infiltrating the streets of Vancouver is that they specialize in Aburi sushi, whichconsists of nigiri sushi with a fish topping that is partly grilled and partly raw. Another speciality that the restaurant boasts about is their Oshi style sushi, otherwise known as pressed sushi. The chef's at Miku have studied the art of proper sushi rice cooking for 15 years; the art has been so perfected that your sushi rolls will unravel if left on your chopsticks for more than 10 seconds. This ensures an unequaled taste.And a huge plus for this restaurant is that it actually looks nice for once! It's very upscale and sleek and offersheated patio seating for the brave. And whats even better is that the newFairmontHotel is just across the street *wink**wink*.This restaurant definitely deserves 5/5 tits!!
So a few must orders are the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi, Unagi Aburi, Red Wave Roll, and the Gyu Tataki are just some to name. Trust me this one is a real winner, whoever you bring here, regardless if shes been raised from the high mountains or from the east side ghetto she will be impressed. To double ensure yourself some spooning, don't forget to order two dishes from their vast selection decadent desserts. -
Review from Katrina S.
Burnaby, BC
8/8/2011
Unlike any other sushi joint in Vancouver, as far as I've been. This place has delicious Salmon Aburri (flame seared, special sauce topped) sushi and a very cool restaurant. If noise (staff welcome you loudly - ALL STAFF - when you enter) is not your thing, perhaps ask to sit on the patio on a nice day. There are heaters, but beware.. the umbrella -ish tops do not accurately provide rain coverage.
The staff seem to love their jobs (why wouldn't they), and although there are a few cons for me, I overall think Miku is fun, friendly, and delicious!
For lunch, the Miku Zen box is a good way to try a little bit of everything.
Frankly, I can't tell re: freshness of fish, so having something flown in from Japan for me is more of a novel idea than a serious taste thing - call me unsophisticated! So, the sashimi has been a little less climatic as it could be.
Bf swears by the green tea opera for dessert.
For a special occasion, and if money were no object, I would highly recommend returning (and would do so myself!). The #1 for me is the Salmon Oshi Aburri, there's nothing else like it, and keeps me returning at least a few times a year. -
Review from Judah D.
9/17/2011
Outstanding experience! I ate some of the best sushi I have ever encountered here, period. Our server was most helpful with suggestions. I have been craving their food ever since having dinner at Miku while at a convention in Vancouver several months ago. It was a bit noisy and the staff often yell out to the patrons coming and going, which I first found odd...then i began eating and none of that mattered one whit! I am planning my next meal there....just go!
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Review from Chantelle J.
Vancouver, BC
7/20/2011
Coming here knowing full well that I am not going to get any traditional stuff, so I kept my mind open about their creation since I've been thinking about trying this place out for the longest time. What made me wait this long was their video on the web site, the way they prepare the food threw me off big time. However, tonight's experience was bitter sweet...
When my friend and I got there it wasn't busy, our waitress introduced some of the specials, but nothing caught my attention, so I asked if the chef could make a dish (not on the menu) for me, and I got a "no". I wonder if I had omakase tonight, I would still get a no from the chef. Anyway, I wouldn't try their omakase after what I had tonight.
Ordered sunomono, the sauce was way too sweet and portion is super tiny for $11 (or $14, can't remember). Now, I am at my first dish, and if they can't make good sunomono, the rest can either surprise me, or go downhill.
Sockeye sashimi came, passed the mark, however, cut was so so, and it wasn't the best piece we got. Got couple rolls, both ok. Generally food was fresh, however, the sauce overpowered the ingredients used for the rolls.
I switched from unfiltered ume shu to one of the wines on the menu for the pairing, the waitress brought over my wine glass, but then left me hanging for about 10-15 minutes with an empty glass when she got busy serving another table. I had to call someone else to bring my wine out. That was a big disappointment.
Dessert was nice.
Overall it was a ok/good experience, but I don't think I will go back, and have no desire to try their omakase at all. -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
7/28/2010 3 photos
It was my fault really. I wanted to go to Tojo's for my birthday, but due to household budgetary pressures of the hopefully temporary kind, blowing $300 on fish for two seemed a tad impractical.
So, we decided to go with the silver medallist (in the current Vancouver magazine restaurant awards) for Formal Japanese, Miku.
Miku has everything going for it: modern space, attentive service, beautifully presented food, and distinctive dishes such as aburi sushi. I really enjoyed it all, but I can't say I'm in a huge rush to go back to this restaurant. It took a little while to get used to the entire staff yelling greetings and farewells. Having lived in Japan, I know this is part of the culture of restaurants, but at Miku it seemed really annoying at first. Perhaps the sound was amplified because you had staff yelling from all along the open bar running the length of the dining room and the sound bounced off the high-ceilings, too.
However, the food was lovely and came in well-timed sequence. For appetizers, calamari and ebi fritters, each with a tasty sauce, and edamame in a big bamboo basket. For sushi, we chose an assortment of aburi sushi, some spot prawn and sockeye salmon nigiri sushi (spot prawns were spot-on), and ume kappa maki (for my good friend who loves her umeboshi), crunchy scallop roll, and seabreeze roll with maguro and avocado. It sounds like a lot of food, but portions were rather small.
So for dessert, the birthday girl had an elaborate confection of green tea tiramisu. Ice cream, wafers, liqueur - it's all good.
Miku makes a highly decent plate of sushi, but for this kind of money, I want mind-blowing, tastebud exploding food. The lesson is: never settle, especially when it comes to sushiListed in: Participation Ribbons: The…
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Review from Tracy P.
Vancouver, BC
6/13/2010
DINE-OUT 2010 Review:
Out of all our dine out reservations, this was our favourite. They had great tasting menu; sushi tasting platter, and appy tasting platter. All the food was very innovative, modern and most importantly, delicious! It even got my boyfriend to try foods he's normally nervous about! (like raw seafoods!)
The servers were all very chatty and friendly, the open sushi bar meant lots to watch. The decor kind of came off like expensive Ikea, though. The space felt a little too open and cold. Devon and I felt a little disoriented by the individual teapots of green tea, as opposed to just a cup of tea or 1 giant pot for the two of us. We're used to cheap (but equally yummy) sushi places!
Certainly a wonderful place to impress guests, but if you're just looking for good sushi, there's a variety of less "pomp and circumstance-y" restaurants to go to, like Alpha! -
Review from Amber T.
Whistler, BC
5/16/2011
I attended the grand opening of Miku's patio in May. The taster menu included a variety of rolls, noodles and other appetizers. The service is friendly and the location is classy. I'd definitely go there again for a lunch or dinner. This location is great for parties as well.
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Review from Vincci L.
5/10/2010 6 photos
Milestones are meant to be memorable. And so, for my 200th review, I am going to write about a memorable restaurant.
Oh Miku, sushi will never be the same to me again. Here, they specialize in Aburi style sushi, which is a lightly seared sushi. They also have the traditional pressed and rolled sushi.
Taking in the contemporary decor, I immediately liked this place upon stepping in. Deep purple and olive green chairs, a high ceiling, ceiling to floor windows, revealing the surrounding office builidngs, a turquoise marble waterfall, and hanging pieces of 'cloud' like pieces, with different colored lighting come from each one.There's a open sushi bar, in which where all the action takes place.
We were seated by the windows, overlooking the cauldron and the street outside. We got the dine out menu which consisted of an assortment of their items from their regular menu.
Starting off with the Zensai Plate (appetizer plate); this consisted of 4 small dishes:
Aburi Bincho-aburi style Albacore tuna on a bed of crisp vegetables, flavoured with Masatake Sauce. Fresh and appetizing. The sauce was like a sweet vinagarette.
Seasonal Carpaccio-a seasonal fish accented by our sushi chef's. The fish of the day was a mackarel.
Ebi Fritter-lightly japanese beer battered tiger prawn with hand made chili cream sauce. This reminded of a ebi mayo, but even better. The prawn was big, and the chili cream sauce was just a bit spicy, a good complement to the prawn.
Chicken Nanban-white meat chicken, lightly fried and mariniated, sauced with chef's Japanese tartar sauce. This was my favourite of the 4. It was definitely something new to me. The chicken was juicy, and lightly fried,and it was very flavourful with a sweet marinade, on a bed of sliced cabbage. The fresh tartar sauce brought out the chicken flavour even more.
I was satisfied after these first 4 dishes. A small bite of everything, but that was all it took. Everything was beautifully presented, and each bite was very savoury.
After a while of waiting (30 minutes or so), we finally received our 'main course', the Aburi Sushi Platter-this was a combination of aburi nigiri as well as sushi rolls. The breakdown:
Aburi Nigiri:
Hamachi(yellowtail) with avocado sauce. The Hamahi sashimi was firm and buttery (probably one of my favourite fish) and again, with the avocado sauce, it was truly quite the nigiri.
Bincho(albacore tuna): this was good, nothing too special or memorable. Again, fish was fresh.
Ebi(cooked prawn) topped with basil cream sauce. The basil cream sauce almost made this not Japanese, yet it was truly fusion. A large prawn, with this creamy sauce on top was pretty awesome. It was slightly seared so it brought out even more of the flavour. Delicious!
Hotate (scallop) with mentaiko sauce. This was pretty amazing. A bit tangy, but also rich in texture. The scallop was perfectly smooth.
Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi-sockeye salmon pressed and dressed with Chef's own soy & MIKU sauce, flame seared, topped with jalapeño and fresh cracked black pepper. This is seriously the most delicious thing I've ever had!! No soy sauce or wasabi required, but this was so flavourful. Excellent proportion of salmon to rice, in that each bite had a bit of both. Fresh cracked black pepper added that extra kick to the lightly seared salmon. MIKU sauce was this white layer that was on top, and was also seared with the salmon. It's almost like Japanese mayo but with a sweeter flavour. I am drooling as I am writing this.
Red Wave Roll-real snow crab & fresh avocado wrapped in maguro(red tuna) & topped with chef's masatake sauce. The real crab makes all the difference. Texture, flavour, just made this roll different than your regular crab and avocade roll.
Pacific Roll :chopped albacore tuna, jalapeño and miso, rolled with fresh cucumber, tamago(dashi egg), wrapped with shiso leaf & hamachi, sauced with our chef's avocado sauce and dusted with fresh cracked pepper. The fish here again, was fresh, and the shiso leaf was a nice touch to the roll. Avocado sauce has never been better, and everything went really well altogether.
Dessert was a vanilla bean panna cotta with raspberry sorbet, and various fruit coulis. Everything is made in house; they have pastry chefs on hand too. The vanilla bean flavour was strong, in a good way, and the raspberry sorbet was refreshing. Creamy panna cotta...with the fresh fruit coulis...mmmm..soo good.
Service was excellent, as the servers were also pouring the tea for us at various times.Lots of other dishes I still want to try out from this place (they have an Omakase menu too!), and this experience was surely a memorable one!!
