Episode #219: Minami Restaurant (2nd Visit)

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$$ (Luxury)
www.minamirestaurant.com

As soon as the restaurant lineup for Dine Out Vancouver was released, I scoured the website to see if there were any new sushi restaurants I could try. Disappointingly, there were none. Since I have a tendency to dislike foods that are not typically consumed using chopsticks, I chose to stick with sushi. Lara was my dining companion that day, and having heard that she had never been to either Miku or Minami, we decided to head over to Minami for dinner (Miku was not participating in Dine Out).

Located on the tiny street of very posh and wallet-unfriendly restaurants in the middle of Yaletown, Minami is one of the five restaurants on the street that serve Japanese fusion (the others being Kibo, Kuma, Sushi Maro, and Bistro Sakana). Even though we went on a Tuesday, the restaurant was predictably busy. Nonetheless, the service remained efficient, and the timing of our food was on point.

Market Beets and Citrus - A-

First on our table was the Market Beets and Citrus, which came with grapefruit, Okanagan goat cheese mousse, wild baby arugula, basil pesto, yuzu marmalade, and soy balsamic reduction. We found the grapefruit soft and delectable, and it went well with the pesto sauce. The beets also had a pleasantly soft chew, with a texture akin to very juicy carrots.

Aburi Hamachi Nigiri - A-

Hamachi Nigiri - A-

Hokkaido Scallop Nigiri with Mentaiko - A+

Minami Roll - A-

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi - A

Aburi Ebi Oshi Sushi - A

Next up was a plate featuring some of Minami's signature sushi offerings, with two pieces of Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, arguably their most notorious item. Each piece of sushi was garnished with carefully chosen ingredients, and the texture of the sushi rice was essentially perfect. The highlight here was the Hokkaido Scallop Nigiri, where the creaminess and sweetness of the scallop was beyond that of any scallop nigiri I have ever had. The Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi and Aburi Ebi Oshi Sushi felt slightly drier than usual, but were otherwise carefully prepared.

Coconut Poached Half Lobster Tail - A-

Miso Sakekasu Baked Sablefish - A+

For my entrée, I had the Surf, which came with the Coconut Poached Half Lobster Tail and the Miso Sakekasu Baked Sablefish. The lobster tail came with tender meat and a sweet, buttery sauce that complemented the sweetness of the lobster meat. However, it was quite difficult to get the meat out of the shell. While I luckily managed to slide the meat out of my lobster tail in one piece, Lara had to laboriously scoop the meat out of the shell bit by bit. The Miso Sakekasu Baked Sablefish was executed to near perfection, with crispy skin and a melt-in-your-mouth burst of savoury flavours.

Sesame Soy Glazed Obie Braiser - A-

Lara had the Surf & Turf for her entrée, which came with an Obie Braiser (braised Alberta beef) and the same Coconut Poached Half Lobster Tail above. The wasabi sauce applied on the beef gave it a strong spicy kick. The beef was slightly tougher on the outside, but very soft and succulent on the inside.

Hojicha Mousse - A+

The dessert for the Dine Out dinner menu was the Hojicha Mousse. The mousse was very soft and had a prominent green tea flavour. The garnishes on the side included white chocolate shortbread, ginger crumble, raspberry coulis, two blackberries, two raspberries, two blueberries, and a black stripe of some mysterious sauce that tasted mysteriously bland. The highlight (and what persuaded me to give out an A+) was the half teaspoon of very rich and sweet green tea on top of the mousse that brought life and vigour to this dessert. It's too bad that there wasn't more of it, as I would have loved a thick, sweet and syrupy drink. Okay, on second thought, maybe that might not be such a good idea...

The service was professional throughout our stay, and the food was unsurprisingly well-executed. Despite the slight hiccup on the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, their signature dish, the mastery displayed in some of the other dishes made up for it. The innovation and the excellent attention to detail made this an enjoyable dinner for both of us. 

Episode #212: Kibo Restaurant and Lounge

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$$ (Luxury)
www.facebook.com/kibo.yaletown

Groupons are wonderful things, but unfortunately, they also have expiry dates. A while back, I managed to snag a Groupon for Kibo Restaurant and Lounge during one of Groupon's extra 20% off sales. While $26 for a dinner for two in the heart of Yaletown's wallet-destroying restaurant district sounds too good to be true, it was why I made every effort I could to get Tamsen to join me after our escape games to take advantage of this fabulous deal. It turns out that escape rooms get quite busy during winter break, and we couldn't make it to Kibo until 8:15 p.m. By then, Yaletown was dead quiet, and the only signs of life were the faint roaring sounds and lit skies coming from the Contact Winter Music Festival.

Kibo Restaurant and Lounge is an upscale izakaya with many fusion dishes and an extensive array of cocktails. Tamsen suggested that I try one of their saketinis, but since I wanted to get home alive, I politely declined. There are some traditional Japanese items on the menu too, and these tend to be on the higher end in terms of price, much in line with other Yaletown restaurants.

Miso Soup - B+

We were started with two bowls of Miso Soup garnished with green onion, tofu, and wakame. They used darker miso paste here for a richer flavour, though it was a bit high in the salt content.

Salmon Tartare - A

The most innovative dish of the night was the Salmon Tartare, an amalgamation of salmon, onion, cilantro, avocado, and oba tempura. The tempura oba leaf was very well executed with just the right amount of crispiness. The savoury marinated salmon was also an excellent contrast to the tart zing from the minuscule pieces of cilantro. The well-integrated contrasting flavours and textures made this dish my favourite of the dinner.

Japanese Short Ribs - A-

The marinated BBQ short ribs were tender and had a delicious, smoky flavour. There were five pieces in total, and the marinade was neither too salty nor too sweet.

Chicken Karaage - A-

The Chicken Karaage was served piping hot and was juicy and tender. There was a good mix of spices on the batter, and I enjoyed this karaage almost as much as the one from Mogu Japanese Street Eats.

Aburi Block Sushi - B+

The Aburi Block Sushi came with thin slices of salmon, boatloads of spicy mayonnaise, and jalapeño pepper on top. Although the spicy mayo gave the sushi a creamier texture, it was too much for Tamsen and got him desperately asking for water. It also made it hard to taste the salmon underneath. However, the rice was well-prepared and packed correctly.

Tarako Udon - A-

Our final dish, the Tarako Udon, consisted of pan-fried udon noodles with bacon, scallop, prawns, and cod roe. The udon noodles had a nice rebound, and the seafood-flavoured sauce went well with the toppings. I suppose this was supposed to be our filler, but it was only enough to make one of us full.

The service was friendly, and the food did not disappoint. By the time we were finishing up, we were the only diners left in the restaurant. However, Kibo isn't always so empty. On another occasion, I went back with a group of 10 for some drinks on a Friday evening, and they were so crowded that there was no way they could accommodate us even if we all split up.

Episode #149: Black Rice Izakaya

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.blackrice.ca 

The rain has come back once again, but nothing is a problem when there's sushi involved. I first found out about Black Rice Izakaya last summer in my search for Aburi sushi in Vancouver. However, being the forgetful person I have become (darn you, old age memory loss), I managed to forget about trying this place until now. Expecting high prices, fancy Aburi, and other creative items, I prepared myself to enjoy an expensive lunch with perhaps more dishes than I should order.

Black Rice Izakaya is Korean-operated and has a pleasing, semi-fancy appearance inside. I looked inside the menu and was ecstatic to find that there was a teishoku lunch combo that contained Aburi sushi and many other small dishes! I could now spend just $15.95 on what I had planned to spend $40 on, which meant that I could save the money to buy my sister heaps of potato chips. The only issue was that the lunch menu only contained four sushi rolls. Since the fanciest roll contained cream cheese (of which I am not a fan), I went for the second fanciest roll, which was the Volcano Dynamite Roll.

Volcano Dynamite Roll - A-

The Volcano Dynamite Roll consisted of crab meat, prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, spicy tuna, and brown rice. I enjoyed the savoury prawn tempura and could feel the snap of the juicy prawn. The crab meat inside was soft and mildly creamy, while the avocado added some sweetness to the roll. The spicy tuna wasn't very spicy, but it had a nice zing, and the sprinkles on top contributed some crunch to the roll.

Next, the Teishoku A arrived on a marvelous wooden table tray. Note that the teishoku sets are available during lunch hours on weekdays only. 

Aburi Sockeye Salmon Nigiri - B

Aburi Salmon Nigiri - B+

Aburi Ebi Nigiri - A-

Aburi Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - B+

Aburi Salmon Sashimi - A

Aburi Tuna Sashimi - A-

The Chef's Selection Aburi Sushi and Sashimi in the teishoku set came with three pieces of Aburi nigiri and three pieces of Aburi sashimi. The nigiri exhibited solid rice formation. The sockeye salmon was slightly smoky, but it didn't have much of a salmon flavour. The Atlantic salmon was better in this regard and had a nice smooth texture. The mayonnaise on top of the Aburi Ebi Nigiri enhanced the flavour of the prawn. 

I thought the pairing of guacamole with sashimi was a clever idea. After all, we often mix the fish with avocado and salt (from soy sauce) when we eat sushi rolls. The sockeye salmon once again lacked a distinctive salmon flavour, but the Aburi Salmon Sashimi was buttery, soft, and smooth. It was enhanced further by the creamy guacamole. The Aburi Tuna Sashimi was also fresh, though it tasted more like tataki, with a nice hardening around the edges.

Aburi Spicy Salmon Hako - A-

 Sockeye Salmon Roll - B

Avocado Roll - A-

The Aburi Spicy Salmon Hako was indeed quite spicy due to the use of spicy mayonnaise rather than regular mayonnaise. The rice was packed a bit tightly, but the salmon on top was savoury. After finishing the salmon hako, I had to drink all of my tea, half of my miso soup, and some gomaae sauce in order to clear the spice from my taste buds. Moving on, the Sockeye Salmon Roll contained copious amounts of sockeye salmon, which was predictably weak in flavour. The Avocado Roll, on the other hand, featured fresh, creamy avocado, which was enhanced by the savoury house-made sushi shoyu (soy sauce). 

Miso Soup - A-

Here is the piping hot Miso Soup that I used to wash the spice out of my mouth. It was more effective than the tea, and at the end, I could tell that it had a rich miso flavour and was not too salty. It came with only some green onion, but it had a good consistency.

Green Salad - A-

Oshinko - B-

The Green Salad came with mixed greens, which were dressed with a combination of tangy Japanese salad dressing and gomaae sesame sauce. I liked how the sauce was evenly spread throughout the salad, and the gomaae sauce provided a unique sweet flavour to the salad. The gomaae sauce also helped me clear some of the spiciness from earlier. The oshinko (pickled goods) consisted of one piece each of takuan (daikon), kyurizuke (cucumber), and shibazuke (description too long to put here). Each piece had a nice crunch, but the oshinko was a bit dry and tasted average.

Agedashi Tofu - A-

Beef Karaage - B-

The Agedashi Tofu had a nice crispy exterior and some smooth, soft tofu inside. I liked how it was enhanced by small bits of dried porked, those these were a bit chewy. My least favourite item was the Beef Karaage, which tasted like lightly fried meatballs. It was hard around the edges and weak in flavour. 

The service here was just average. They never noticed that my tea ran out, but they seemed very intent on taking my menu away while I was trying to discreetly copy the item descriptions down into my notebook. I tried to tuck the menu away on the far side of my table, but it slid through the crack between the table and the staircase and ended up crashing to the floor. The troubles I go through as a food blogger... Despite the average service, the food was above average and relatively affordable with the help of the teishoku sets. My bill only came to about $25, making this one of my cheaper sushi adventures!

Episode #129: Sushi Maro

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.sushimaro.com

Choosing a restaurant to try out in the second week of Taste of Yaletown 2015 wasn't a difficult task, as sushi was the only sensible choice. After all, if I chose anything else, I would neither be able to blog about it nor satisfy my sushi needs. Having tried Bistro Sakana last time, I decided to try the Chinese-operated Sushi Maro, which was just a few doors over to the left.

Sushi Maro is slightly less fancy than Bistro Sakana, but the prices are lower as well. When I entered the restaurant, I was surrounded by the fragrance of a freshly cleaned washroom. Was someone using bleach to clean up a booboo on the kitchen floor? Fortunately, the washrooms themselves smelled better, and it did not take too long for the scent of bleach to dissipate. I began to think about the enticing Aburi sushi that was featured in my Taste of Yaletown dinner instead. Being a voracious eater, I also incessantly browsed the menu to see if there was an interesting dish I could order to spice up my dinner.

Miso Soup - B-

The first item to arrive was a complimentary Miso Soup (it wasn't listed as part of the Taste of Yaletown dinner), and it was a surprising miss. It was very hot and contained green onion and tofu. There was an obvious lack of miso paste, so the soup tasted quite watery. 

Rainbow Roll - A-

Aburi Salmon Sushi - A-

Aburi Tuna Sushi - B+

Aburi Scallop Sushi - A

Aburi Toro Sushi - B

Aburi Beef Sushi - A-

Next came the Rainbow Roll and the Chef's Selection Aburi Sushi, both of which were many leagues better than the Miso Soup. The Rainbow Roll, with its zesty bits of onion and chili spice, provided a refreshing harmony of flavours. The real crab meat inside provided a soft texture and a richer flavour, and the fish on top were fresh, albeit sliced a bit thin. 

The Chef's Selection Aburi Sushi was generally well-dressed, and the sushi rice was not packed too tightly. The salmon was soft and had a nice, savoury flavour. The tuna and toro were a bit overdone and lacked juiciness. The scallop was sufficiently soft, and the sprinkles of black pepper on top complemented the sweetness of the scallop perfectly. The beef was a touch chewy in places, but it was juicy and came in a generous portion.

Sashimi Salad - A-

Grill Chicken - A

Chili Mayo Ebi - A

The Sashimi Salad came with sockeye salmon (A-), tako (A), and tuna (A). I especially enjoyed the tuna for its very soft, melty texture, and the seafood fared well when paired with the yuzu sauce. However, there was a bit too much sauce at the bottom, which overwhelmed parts of the salad. To the right, the cooked food did not disappoint, as expected of a Chinese-operated restaurant. The Grill Chicken had a smooth texture and a thin crispy layer of skin, and was very tender and juicy. The Chili Ebi Mayo came with large meaty prawns, and the drizzle of spicy mayonnaise was accented by the delicious herbs and spices in the batter. 

Unagi Age Dashi Tofu - A

The dish I ended up ordering separately was the Unagi Age Dashi Tofu. I love unagi tempura and kind of expected the unagi to be fused with the Agedashi Tofu, but it just came a separate part of the dish. Nonetheless, both parts of the dish were executed brilliantly. The Agedashi Tofu was cut into a thinner, flatter shape, which allowed it to absorb more of the savoury flavour of the sauce. The unagi came in three large, soft pieces and paired well with the sesame sprinkles and the small helping of wakame (seaweed) underneath.

Deep Fried Matcha Ice Cream - C+

Towards the end of my dinner, the three waitresses and one waiter were overwhelmed by a full house of customers, leading to an awkward 30-minute gap between the Unagi Age Dashi Tofu and the dessert. Things would have been much better if there was Shaw Open. The matcha ice cream had a sweet green tea flavour, but the cake-like deep-fried breading was a little hard to break down. I accidentally launched a substantial amount of ice cream onto my nose while trying to eat it. Also, the warm breading accelerated the melting of the ice cream and quickly cancelled out its matcha flavour.

The service was good at the beginning, but deteriorated substantially when the restaurant became packed. Nonetheless, they took the effort to make sure that my tea was always refilled in a timely manner. Food-wise, I found many of the dishes to be quite sauce-heavy (sometimes a little too much so), but my opinion on sauces is "better too much than too little." Overall, I thought that the quality of the food was fair for the price, and I wouldn't mind returning to try more of their special rolls in the future.

Episode #128: Bistro Sakana

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$$ (Luxury)
www.bistrosakana.com

I have been wanting to try Bistro Sakana ever since I discovered their menu in late January, which featured Aburi (seared) sushi. With good ratings and a focus on modern Japanese cuisine, the prospects of a delicious Aburi sushi dish seemed good. I also discovered that Bistro Sakana is consistently featured in both Dine Out Vancouver and Taste of Yaletown, so not wanting to spend over $50 to get a good sample of dishes, I decided to wait an agonizing 9 months to try the restaurant out during Taste of Yaletown 2015. At least I had other sushi restaurants to go to in order to pass the time...

Located in the heart of Yaletown's street of expensive restaurants, Bistro Sakana is marked by its sleek black awning and subtle signage. Almost everything about the restaurant's appearance says "higher priced," from its covered patio to its lack of neon lights that say "SUSHI" in loud capital letters. Bistro Sakana is Japanese-operated, but just by looking at the names of the dishes on the menu, you can tell that some of the dishes have a French influence.

Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder - A

Having walked to Bistro Sakana from Pacific Centre (I was too lazy to go down the stairs to the Canada Line, if that makes any sense), I decided to start with something warm by selecting the Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder. They nailed this one, as the chowder was deliciously hearty and creamy. The soft grilled bits of sockeye blended perfectly with the rich broth. There was a substantial number of soft, juicy pieces of various vegetables buried at the bottom of the chowder, which made the small chowder slightly more filling. 

Next came the entrée, an exquisitely plated platter with the Wild Sockeye Jalapeño Aburi Hakozushi, the Toro Red Chili Aburi Hakozushi, the Hamachi Shio-koji Yaki, the Crunchy Filo Scallop & Prawn, and the Prosciutto Roll.

Prosciutto Roll - B+

Starting from the top left, this roll was wrapped with parma numero uno prosciutto and contained fresh ataulfo mango and goat cheese. It was dressed with a drizzle of sweet unagi sauce and a few dabs of basil-shiso pesto. As much as I despise cream cheese in my sushi rolls, the soft, fluffy goat cheese worked for me, and the mango provided a nice fruity flavour inside the roll. The prosciutto was sliced very thin and didn't do much in terms of flavour. Although neatly constructed and well-executed for what it is, this isn't the roll for everyone. 

Crunchy Filo Scallop & Prawn - A-

Served on a small bed of mashed potatoes, the Crunchy Filo Scallop & Prawn reminded me of tempura, but instead of tempura batter, they used lightly fried fine filo dough instead. I thought the layer of filo was just a hair too thick, but the meaty prawn went well with the miso hollandaise dipping sauce, which had a slight balsamic-like flavour. I enjoyed the scallop for its ample juiciness and its savoury seafood flavour. 

Hamachi Shio-koji Yaki - A-

The Hamachi Shio-koji Yaki was a grilled fresh yellowtail fillet marinated in shio-koji seasoning and dressed with butter soy reduction. Two edamame beans and a two shimeji mushrooms graced the top of the fillet. With help from the seasoning, the mouthwatering fillet was very savoury, but it was very slightly overdone.

Wild Sockeye Jalapeño Aburi Hakozushi - A-
Toro Red Chili Aburi Hakozushi - A-

The Wild Sockeye Jalapeño Aburi Hakozushi (seared box-shaped sushi) was decent. It had a nice spicy, smoky flavour. Under each piece of jalapeño was a small piece of ponzu jelly, which added a tangy flavour. It doesn't really match up to Minami's version, but it is cheaper ($14 for 7 pieces). The Toro Red Chili Aburi Hakozushi was slightly better, with a pleasantly soft layer of albacore tuna belly on top. I enjoyed the sushi rice, which was adequately soft with ample moisture.

Duck à L'Orange Sakana -  A-

After seeing the Duck à L'Orange Sakana under the Tapas section, I was dying of curiosity, so I decided to order it separately. Can duck really be paired with orange? The duck fulfilled its description on the menu and was succulent with a savoury roasted flavour. The orange was some of the sweetest and juiciest I have ever had, and the potato frite crown on top added an additional edge of crunchiness. The thin slices of orange were successful in providing juiciness to the duck, but despite the fact that they tried really hard to make this dish work, I felt that the flavours of the orange and duck began to compete with each other.

Macha Tiramisu - A

Finally, it was time for me to get drunk with the Macha Tiramisu, which came with a richly layered green tea tiramisu infused with Japanese apricot liqueur. The custard part of the tiramisu harmonized perfectly with the sprinkles of matcha powder on top, while the cakey part at the bottom had a strong green tea flavour, which was further accented by the apricot liqueur. 

The service was very friendly and attentive, and one of the servers even came to converse with me in order to keep me entertained during the 20-minute wait for the Duck à L'Orange Sakana. While there were no mind-blowing dishes, everything that I was served consistently showed innovation and a high level of care in preparation. Despite me trying not to, I still managed to spend over $50 on dinner. Make that over $60 if we include tips. Darn my inability to hold back at fancy sushi restaurants!

Episode #64: Yamato Sushi

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$ (Moderately Priced)

During my walk from Juno Vancouver to Burrard Station after Episode #63, I passed by a small but very busy Chinese-run sushi place by the name of Yamato Sushi. I Googled it to see mostly good reviews and also discovered that they had Prawn Tempura Nigiri. How could I resist? Despite the fact that the decor was simple and slightly worn out, it was interesting to see candles on the tables.

Wild Salmon Sashimi - B+

Tai Nigiri - B+

Toro Nigiri - A

Prawn Tempura Nigiri - B

The Wild Salmon Sashimi was very fresh and flavourful and I would have given it an A if I had not found a rather large bone in it. The Tai Nigiri packed sufficient flavour and was correctly sliced thinner to avoid being too chewy. The Toro Nigiri was also very fresh and melted perfectly in my mouth. The Prawn Tempura Nigiri didn't really work out as well as I thought it would as it was lacking in flavour.

Dragon Roll - A-

The Dragon Roll consisted of unagi, avocado, masago and prawn tempura. The flavours worked nicely together and the tempura batter provided some crispiness to the roll. The sesame seeds helped accentuate the flavour of the unagi and although the mayonnaise was a bit thick in places, I liked how the roll wasn't drenched in sauce.

Chicken Teriyaki with Rice - B

The Chicken Teriyaki with Rice ($5.50) came in a larger portion than I had expected considering the price. They were generous with the chicken, which was generally well-prepared and tender. I liked how the carrot was full of moisture and not hard. The rice was a bit disappointing as it was hardly dressed and mushed together in places.

Overall, the food was fresh and exceeded my expectations considering the location and price range. The service wasn't terrible but it wasn't very good either as it felt a little rushed. I felt like I had to put up with a lot of things, such as cramped seating, a wobbly stool, and the fact that one of the servers had a difficult time controlling her allergies. I would recommend ordering take out instead of eating in during their busy hours.

Episode #63: Juno Vancouver Sushi Bistro

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.junobistro.ca

Last week, I was shopping at Daiso and came across a guide to Vancouver for Japanese tourists right by the checkout counters. I decided to pick one up because the front cover had the word "coupon" on it and the phrase "Effective until June 2015" in Japanese, and you can never go wrong with coupons that are still effective. You have no idea how joyous I was to find dozens of pages of coupons to various Japanese restaurants around the city nestled near the back of the booklet.   

Strangely enough, only two of the restaurants seemed to make sushi (most of the other places being izakayas) so I decided to make the journey to Juno Vancouver Sushi Bistro, which is run by a small group of Japanese chefs. I walked into the bistro to find that it was quite small, but the aroma of seared sushi effectively sealed the exit for me. Furthermore, one of the parties sitting near the door couldn't stop complimenting the sushi. How could I resist?

Aburi Toro Nigiri - B+

Shima-Aji Nigiri - B

Unagi Nigiri - B+

After 20 minutes of having to endure watching my neighbouring diners savour and compliment their sushi, my first dish finally arrived. The Aburi Toro Nigiri was dressed with green onions and masatake sauce and was very soft and juicy while lacking a seared flavour. The Shima-Aji Nigiri was missing that uniquely creamy and delicately sweet flavour so it ended up tasting much like a regular Salmon Nigiri. I really liked the savoury flavour of the unagi, but to my surprise, it wasn't enough to cover the vinegar in the sushi rice.

Ebi Mayo - A-

The Ebi Mayo consisted of 6 beer battered shrimp with grapefruit, pistachios, organic greens and sweet mayonnaise sauce as toppings. The plump juicy shrimps were a delight against the sweet, nutty sauce. The use of pistachios gave the dish a unique zing. I also liked how the shrimps were fully peeled so that I could eat the whole dish without having to worry about getting my notebook soiled.

Aburi Salmon Roll - B+

The Aburi Salmon Roll consisted of seared sockeye salmon, red onion, caper, lemon, cream cheese and yogurt sauce. The miniature slices of lemon on top did a good job of moderating the impact of the rather large helping of cream cheese, but the sockeye salmon was successfully seared and its smoky flavour shone better with the slices of lemon removed. I couldn't decide which way I liked it better, as both were good but not quite excellent.

Mini Parfait - A-

Having spent $30, my coupon awarded me this beautifully presented Mini Parfait, which was made with black sesame ice cream, a mint leaf, grapefruit and blueberries. It was quite frozen, so it barely melted in the time it took me to take half a dozen photos of it using different angles and camera modes.

The service was quite friendly and above average. I enjoyed most of the food and the time they spent into adding unique touches to the food, but I felt that they could experiment more carefully to find the optimal pairings of ingredients for some of their dishes. There were several items that almost hit the jackpot.