[Vancouver] Miku

For this years Mother's Day, we decided to celebrate at Miku, a more high-end Japanese restaurant in downtown Vancouver beside Canada Place. Rather than the traditional Japanese cuisine, their food incorporates a modern twist to form food as a fusion of Eastern meets Western.

It has been quite awhile since I learned about this place, and have been dying to try it out. And this lovely occasion gave me the opportunity to dine here.

Decor

The whole restaurant boasts an open space concept, with an open kitchen and floor to ceiling windows, gives the place a bright and welcoming atmosphere.

Since it is located by the waterfront area beside Canada Place, there is a gorgeous view of the harbour right in front of our eyes. Such a wonderful scenic background to be enjoying great seafood dishes.

This is the view from our window, isn't it breathtaking?

Sadly I was too overwhelmed by the food, I forgot to take other pictures of the interior lol. /fail

If you want to see more pictures please visit their website here!

Food

Miku's price is pretty high, a friend of ours once had a $200 per person dinner and was still not full... We didn't know how much we would eat, so to prevent the above situation from happening, we opted for the lunch, and if we were still hungry, we could go somewhere else after.

For Mother's Day, apart from the normal menu, they had a special 3 course set menu.

We didnt' all want to have the same thing, so we ordered one of the set menus and a selection to share from the normal menu.

Appetizer

The Mother's Day Zen includes 4 appetizers and a bowl of miso soup. It is served in a Japanese wood box, four squares, each for a bowl of the selection.

Aburi Salmon Sushi Salad

- ponzu oroshi, ikura, mixed greens, umami caesar dressing.

Fresh Oysters

- chimichurri, mango salsa.

Chicken Nanban

- sweet & sour soy, house made tartar sauce.

Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish

- kale gomae, yuzu miso reduction, wasabi pickles.

A bit of everything: salad, oyster, chicken, and fish. Out of all four, the sablefish was definitely the best. The meat was tender, the skin crispy, and the yuzu miso was refreshing to the taste buds, making the overall dish not too oily, & just right. :)

Main

Aburi Sushi

- lightly flame seared Aburi styled sushi, each paired with our house made garnishes.

I didn't take a picture of this dish since we ordered a separate one off the normal menu. Aburi style means flame seared sushi, my favourite! The sashimi is half cooked, so the meat isn't too tough, it is chewy and juicy from the fish oils. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water hahaha.

Dessert

Raspberry Almond Gâteau

- coconut almond sponge, vanilla cream, raspberry sauce, balsamic strawberries, pistachio moss, lychee sorbet.

This was only available on the Mother's Day lunch menu, the cake was soft and spongy decorated with strawberries on top. I really liked the pistachio moss garnish, it seriously does represent moss, but tastes amazing too. The lychee sorbet was light and a nice contrast to the cake.

& here's the full picture~ omnomnom

Now from the real menu hahahah, looks like so much food already.

Aburi Chiraishi Tart

- a layered tower of spicy tuna, avocado, Aburi salmon, prawn, scallop, tobiko, ikura, Miku sauce.

This has been on our to eat list since I first heard of Miku, it is probably one of their most popular dishes, at least for first time visitors. Different from the normal chiraishi, it is molded into a tart, kind of represents a mini sushi cake, oh so cute!

There are many layers of ingredients, the top is lightly seared and drizzeled with their special Miku sauce. In my opinion, its just a fancy version of the oshi sushi (battera), the portion is also pretty small, probably not too filling if eaten as a main course. Nevertheless, it looks pretty amazing, so why not try it out?

Premium Sushi Lunch

- a selection of traditional and Aburi nigiri, oshi and sushi rolls, 12 pieces

The premium sushi lunch includes two kinds of Aburi oshi sushi, two rolls, and six nigiris. The fish was fresh and well, it's Aburi, so not much left to say but delish!

Miku Roll

- salmon, crab, uni, cucumber, rolled in tobiko, Miku sauce.

I'm not a big fan of uni, but this roll is just the ultimate sushi roll. Tobiko, uni, salmon, and crab, a piece of cucumber, screams FRESH and the ocean vibe haha. To top it off, the top of the roll is also lightly flame seared, what more do you need?

Soba Peperoncino

- shrimp, squid, chili-garlic soy, baby bok choy, sweet pepper, shiitake mushroom, jalapeno, crunchy tempura bits.

We ordered these two mains for the men at our table, fearing they won't be full from a few pieces of sushi. For this dish, you could choose to have it prepared spicy or non-spicy. I don't fancy spicy foods so I ordered the mild version. The taste would probably be brought out more if there was a little spice but, that just isn't for me.

I don't find this plate anything special, just the typical soba, with a wide selection of seafood and a bit of crunch.

Soy Braised Beef

- beef shank, yukon potato purée, seasonal vegetables, au jus, wasabi pickles.

This was pretty interesting as the name suggest. Soy braised beef, very soft and tender, made with soy sauce, thus has a more asian flavour. (duh) I really like the vegetable pairings, goes really well with the rest of the dish. It is also gluten free, as stated on the menu, so if you're not that big of a fan of sushi, definitely try this out.

Chestnut Pear Mont BLanc

- chestnut mousse, pear cream, orange gâteau, yuzu-orange salsa, puff pastry, fig ice cream.

Last but not least, the long awaited chestnut pear Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is one of my favourite dessert and this caught my eye immediately. The cake itself is just wonderful, I don't have much to say lol, so smooth, so good...

The side of fig ice cream was a very interesting choice, I don't usually see that on the menu. Personally, I thought the taste was kind of bland, not too sweet, not too much of a fig flavour, but it was okay eating it along with the Mont Blanc. Though I'm probably not that much of a judge since I like sweeter foods. :l

Verdict

Definitely worth a try. Authentic Japanese with a fusion modern twist, perfect for a date night, celebration, or just a casual lunch. The service was great, our server patiently explained each of our orders to us and the food wait was not too long. Only downside is the higher cost of the meal, but hey, you're paying for the service and experience too right?

*Make sure to book a reservation beforehand, Miku gets pretty busy, especially during weekend nights.

Lastly Happy Mother's Day and Birthday to my dear mommy ♥ xoxo