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Shokai vs. Omakase Minami Restaurant
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onight I’ve chosen to sit at “chef’s table.” It’s where all the action is and I had already decided on omakase, which is best experienced in front of the chef, in this case Sushi Chef Hideto Moriki at Minami Restaurant in Vancouver’s Yaletown.
Omakase is a Japanese term that means “I’ll leave it up to you.” It’s the equivalent of a chef’s tasting menu. The dishes start off light and progress to heavier courses, ending with sushi and followed by dessert. It is an open platform for the chef to show creativity, skills and technique. Omakase is generally a pricier way to dine just like any tasting menu, but if you are looking for an authentic, unique and memorable Japanese experience, then I would highly recommend it. The omakase menu at Minami is not well advertised, but it is available upon request. Minami is the sister restaurant of Miku, one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in the city. While the menus at both restaurants have similarities, the concepts are different. Miku offers traditional Japanese cuisine specializing in aburi sushi or flame-seared sushi, and Minami offers Euro-Asian Japanese cuisine with Pacific Northwest Chef’s table at Minami Restaurant in Yaletown. style and flavours. Personally I prefer the traditional Miku, but popular dishes overlap at both restaurants, so you can’t really go wrong at either location. I have tried omakase at Octopus Garden, Kimura, Hapa Izakaya and Dan. The point of omakase is to showcase natural creativity using whatever ingredients are in the kitchen. It’s an open stage for the chef
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