Miku

I was really excited to dine at Miku after hearing how great it was from other reviews. My classmates and I had night classes and we decided to try out Miku for lunch. As I walked in, I was amazed from the start. As soon a staff member walks you to your table, the entire staff greets you, it's almost like your walking into a family's house or a party. I also appreciate that the staff describe each dish as they bring it to the table. It just shows how knowledgeable they are and it does add to the experience. Miku also focuses on sustainability (with their own water filtering system and Ocean Wise) as well as supporting non-profit organizations like Growing Chefs! which teaches elementary students how to cook and eat healthy food.

The design of the restaurant is very modern and zen-like. It's definitely an upscale restaurant. If you reserve, try to request a seat at the sushi bar where you can watch the sushi chefs work their magic. Keep in mind that the dishes here are meant for sharing, which is great because you get to try more things. The sushi and gyoza come in 6 pieces per portion (which was perfect because there were six of us dining).

The sushi and hot food stations were open kitchens so you could watch everything being made.

Calamari (squid, bell peppers, tosazu sauce) $12

The first dish we got was the Calamari which was cooked perfectly. The pieces of squid were so tender with a nice light, crispy exterior. I really liked the tosazu sauce, which is a blend of soy and vinegar. Definitely a must try!

Soba Pepperoncino (pan-fried buckwheat noodles, jalapeno, squid, mushrooms, bell peppers, tempura bits) $15

The Soba Pepperoncino was good, but it's not a dish I would come back for. The heat from the jalapeno wasn't too strong but gave the dish a nice kick. The squid rings were tender and the soba noodles were al dente. 

Spicy Pork Gyoza (pork, cabbage, shiitake, welsh onion, garlic, ginger, shrimp, ponzu with shichimi) $10

Whenever I eat at Japanese restaurants, the one thing I never order is gyoza (probably because I would rather try other foods), but Miku's version of gyoza was fresh with the addition of basil.

Aburi Chicken (savoy cabbage, roasted onion, garlic soy sauce) $15

The Aburi Chicken was served on a hot, sizzling plate. It was executed well but it wasn't anything too special. The cabbage cooked nicely and the chicken was juicy. 

We got to meet the head sushi chef, Kazuhiro Hayashi, who's working the sushi bar in front!

Miku is known for it's Aburi sushi, which is sear-flamed sushi. Owner, Seigo Nakamura innovated the concept by making sauces instead of using soy and wasabi. Lightly searing the sushi releases the oils of the food which also releases the flavours of the ingredients.  It's truly outstanding. They use a piece of charcoal imported from Japan and it gives the Aburi sushi a slight smoky flavour. 

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi (local salmon pressed and dressed with our Chef's own soy and MIKU sauce, topped with japapeno) $14

A close up!

If there is one thing you have to order, it's this! The Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi (that's a mouthful)! This box pressed sushi had two layers of buttery salmon and the Miku sauce was rich and buttery as well. I love spicy foods and this sushi had a really nice kick to hit with the freshly cracked black pepper and jalapeno. This was my favourite dish from everything we ordered. The rice for all the sushi was cooked well and very flavourful. No soy or wasabi is required or even given for that matter. The combination of all the creamy ingredients made a melt in your mouth piece of sushi.

Aburi Ebi Oshi Sushi (ebi pressed and dressed with house made ume sauce, lime zest) $14

The Aburi Ebi Oshi Sushi was my second favourite dish. The lime zest really popped and gave the sushi a nice tang to it. Another must order!

Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi (house cured mackerel, pressed & dressed with MIKU miso sauce) $12

I've never tired Saba before and it was really good. Not as good as the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi and Aburi Ebi Oshi Sushi, but I really liked the miso sauce on top.

Red Wave Roll (crab, avocado, wrapped in red tuna, masatake sauce) $14

The Red Wave Roll was pretty much a California roll that got dressed in red tuna and a delicious masatake sauce. Masatake sauce is a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil and onions. It gave this sushi roll it's main flavour and texture.

Pacific Roll (albacore tuna, jalapeno, cucumber, wrapped in shiso and yellowtail, 
cracked pepper, avocado sauce) $12

The Pacific Roll was good. I really liked the avocado sauce they put on top. 

Saba Bo Sushi (house cured mackerel, chopped ginger, shiso leaf) $16

I really liked the sushi to fish ratio for this roll. The ginger and shiso went well with the mackerel and this roll was a winner in my books.

Sashimi Platter $60

Some of my classmates are sushi chefs and they wanted to see how Miku slices and plates their sashimi. Miku's sashimi platter is plated in a large bowl full of ice. The slices of sashimi were expertly cut and they were very fresh. We were given light and dark soy sauce which were also imported from Japan.

Coconut Blueberry Cream (coconut cream, blueberry & blackberry compote, mint glaze, blueberry sauce, sour cream chantilly sauce, whipped cream, coconut cookie, blueberry/lavender sorbet) $10

The Coconut Blueberry Cream was very delicious. I've never had coconut and blueberry together before and the combination was almost heavenly. The blueberry/lavender sorbet had a good balance of flavour and the lavender wasn't overpowering.

Green Tea Opera (green tea sponge infused with espresso and frangelico liquor, green tea butter cream, dark chocolate ganache, azuki bean cream, green tea sauce, green tea ice cream) $10

The Green Tea Opera cake was also very good. The pastry chef, Chris Janik, makes every dessert from scratch and I could see that this cake took lots of time to make with all of the layers it had. The green tea ice cream was very good and went well with the cake. Overall, both desserts are amazing in taste and appearance. You almost don't want to eat them. If you're too full from your meal, you can get just the ice cream/sorbet which I do recommend trying.

You know if you love a restaurant if there are over five dishes that you almost die for. Although it's on the pricey side, dining at Miku is an amazing experience. Definitely try the Aburi sushi. Miku understands the importance in fine details and it shows in their food and service and it's now one of my favourites.