The omakase scene has evolved in Vancouver. Vancouver has always had an abundance of middle of the road sushi places that were ok for your typical tuna and salmon rolls, but they were not places that focused on giving you a high end omakase experience. They usually served the entire spectrum of Japanese food like tempura and teriyaki, not to mention “funny” rolls like California, Dragon, Volcano and an unlimited number of other similarly named creations that you would never find in Japan.
Then came places like Bar Maumi and Testsu, and the Vancouver scene evolved from there. There is still a need to for the mom and pop neighborhood sushi joint when you just need a quick fix or lunch, but now there are more options across the entire spectrum.
That brings us to the topic of today’s post – Okeya Kyujiro. This restaurant started in Montreal and has recently opened a location in Vancouver’s Yaletown. On the website, the restaurant proudly mentions that it uses fish from all over the world, and that they want to give diners an authentic Japanese experience down to the tableware. Here was my meal at the Vancouver location. The dining room is a u-shaped sushi bar that seats about 12 diners. This way, you can watch the staff as they prepare each dish.
Between courses, the chefs will proudly come around and display the raw ingrdients.
Everything ends with a Japanese tea ceremony.
Overall, service was near impeccable and the food was exquisite. On top of this, you get a show out of watching the food being prepared. Its an experience and would highly recommend you try it. I will be back too! I have done many omakase experiences around the world, and this is right up there with the best.
congratulations on getting another haute couture japanese cuisine restaurant in Vancouver!
questions
1. Pic 3 – what is the stick thing?
2. Pic 4 – is that a mummified fish jawbone in the background?
3. Pic 10 – what is that, looks like pastry crumbling?
4. Pic 12 – what is this dish, with that black topping?
5. Pic 13 – is that a cooked food item? rice flour?
6. Pic 14 – what is the red stuff in the middle?
7. Pic 16 – what is this delectable looking fish with some char on it? is that a scallop? it is not round
8. Pic 17 – that does not look like fish, it looks like a charred tempura, but you tell me what it is
thanks in advance!