It's disappointing to see Masayoshi, once renowned for its attention to detail and commitment to authenticity, shift its focus. The restaurant now seems to cater more to tourists, influenced by its Michelin star recognition—a standard it appears to struggle to uphold. Particularly, the beverage offerings fall short of what one would expect from a premium omakase restaurant. The unconventional choice of serving sake in shot glasses deviates from tradition, diminishing the meal's elegance.Moreover, upselling practices, like suggesting an $80 caviar addition, strike me as somewhat tacky. Incorporating such extras overshadow the delicate flavor of the sushi, a move that feels out of place in an authentic Japanese establishment. A genuine chef would likely focus on allowing the natural flavors to shine, emphasizing the integrity and simplicity of traditional Japanese cuisine.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Alfonso Chen
This spot offers such great food with a good variety of flavors and textures. Chef Masayoshi and his team members are experts in their craft. Over approximately two hours, we got spoiled with dozens of perfect combinations of the freshest ingredients. Some of the dishes are mindblowingly delicious. The service from everyone was also friendly. If you have a special occasion, then this fine dining place is a great choice to celebrate it at. Each group that dined with us was a couple. The friendly and talkative vibe made for a nice environment to enjoy the food and experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Jimmy Hu
My Fiancé and I came to celebrate a late Valentine's Day.Booking the restaurant is easy, as long as you plan ahead, as the quantity and quality of dishes they make need to also be carefully managed, since they import some ingredients from Japan. One to two weeks ahead seems to always permit seating unless there are special occasions, which leads to my next point.The restaurant itself is small and intimate, with beautifully arranged wooden furniture and sushi counter where Chef Masayoshi arranges each dish. The only flaw that I would consider the restaurant having is also the space, which I understand is completely out of their control. To elaborate, there is no lobby or seperate waiting area, the entrance goes straight into the seating, which means the coat rack is right there, and during the meal time, if anyone tries to drop in thinking they can get a quick seating or bite, they will affect the experience of the other customers in the middle of their course. Understandably, arriving a few minutes early is preferable (as they have 2 seatings a night), but you may have to watch the previous seating finish their meals, me waiting on the side.Chef Masayoshi has a diligent, but fun loving personality that shines through in both his meticulous plating and the flavors of his food. It was great seeing him always scan the room to see how his customers are reacting to the dishes to gauge his menu. It was also stressful watching the servers navigate past warAll of the dishes we were served were amazing at worst, and mind-blowing at best(like we didn't even know that this was a flavour profile that we needed in our lives ?). The dishware was all so beautiful and authentic, we wanted to visit Japan to buy some. It would be really great if there was a simple "tonight's menu" that we could follow along and record to commemorate what we ate.The restaurant also does drink pairings, and offers caviar at a cost to have with the nigiri. Watching Chef Masayoshi make his sushi rice was such a fun experience too.Overall, we thought the restaurant definitely deserves their Michelin Star, and we will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Artemis C
this is truly best sushi in vancouver give it a try and chew slowly so you can understand the food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
John Kim
Took my wife here for our anniversary. It was such a wonderful evening. Chef masayoshi and team elegantly created a eventful date night for us. Service was attentive and the staff ensured our glasses and tea cups were always full. It was a quiet ambience and i really enjoyed watching chef create each dish one by one. Truly enjoyed the sake pairing and I recommend it to all. Cant wait to come back again. Please do try to get a seat at the sushi bar, its quite worth the full experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
E Chan
Food was delicious and fresh, great services!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Lin
Masayoshi had a selection of fresh seafood which had a refreshing sweet aftertaste. The Hokkaido uni was especially good because it melted in your mouth, leaving a sweet aftertaste. The dessert was unexpectedly delicious because the mushroom flavored ice cream had a woody aroma while being lightly sweet paired with the crunchiness of thinly sliced apple. The chef was super nice and the service was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Miguel Lopez
Went here the other night and felt that it was an okay experience overall.The service was prompt, attentive and overall positive. The interior decor and ambience was simple in a good way. The presentation of the omakase meal was great. Pacing of the whole meal was good too.However, what fell flat was the taste. Aside from the tuna nigiri pieces, mackerel and uni pieces, most of the sushi and appetizers were lacking in flavour, subtle at best. The rice for the nigiri was a bit more obvious than the fish.This review will sound nitpicky, but given the price (the meal was $250 a head), there’s a baseline of expectations. Overall I felt that this whole experience was mediocre and overpriced, which is unfortunate as the staff and chef were quite pleasant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Patrick Coleman
Delightful - expertly prepared, highly precise, and inventive dishes with sake pairings that flow nicely with each note of the omakase.Chef Masayoshi moves with speed and elegance - truly a live art performance as he prepares each dish for the lucky few guests at his bar each seating. Delightful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gholson Lyon
Omekase is an experience that is NOT for everyone. For this restaurant, you pretty much have to love the art of watching someone make sushi, and then eat it in a fairly spartan setting, with no windows for people watching or anything else. It takes 2+ hours for this dinner, with lots of down time between each course (as there is just one chef preparing food for the bar and other tables). For us, each dish was ok, but there was never a "wow" moment. We will likely never do omekase again anywhere, as we just did not enjoy the experience at all, and the high cost was simply not worth it to us. Once again, I am emphasizing here that I am absolutely NOT an omekase expert, so perhaps someone trained in the discipline might love this place and presentation, but for the average person, this is simply not worth it.In terms of atmosphere, as mentioned, it is fairly spartan, and there is just one single occupancy bathroom with a flimsy lock.I wish I could be more positive, but the experience was overall average for us.
Life changing experience! Not the most expensive dinner we’ve had but everything was good! Sake pairing is a must! My wife cried at the end because of Masayoshi’s Birthday surprise for her! I won’t be surprised if they get another Michelin Star soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Warner K.
Was a fabulous meal. The food was delicious and service wonderful.. weLoved it. I will definitely be back.
Daniel C
We sat at the bar, had the omakase with sake pairing and extra sturgeon caviar. We loved the place, vibe and experience. Great place to come enjoy the food with great company.
Hk Shin
Every time visit Masayoshi san, I can tell he put lots of though and passion on the plates. Never disappointed. I strongly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ying Gu
Very overpriced for what you get. Appetizers are not great. Chef and servers were friendly and welcoming…Our reservation was for 8:15. We were on time, the chef was not. We were ushered to a waiting table to get drinks started, which was nice, but I was surprised that we had to wait.I was really disappointed by the appetizers as they lacked creativity and flavour. Sashimi were not treated much (not kombu cured, aged, or marinated, torched, for example) nor were the garnishes (just aromatics sliced and served as is, or veg just boiled in water). Things that came with broth were bland. I understand natural flavours and am a fan of it, but the broths that we had tasted super watered down. They didn’t just lack salt, they lacked flavour and depth overall. There was a distinct lack of sauce too. The whelk course was the most disappointing. I love whelk for its distinct flavours, but this one lost it all when it was blanched in water. I kept wondering why it wasn’t blanched in stock instead.The sushi was good, but not the best I’ve had in the city. Though, the hand cone was quite good. I do wish that the fish slices were slightly more substantial, and the cone bigger. It would have been nice to receive a full size hand roll instead.My husband got the sake pairing for $95. That was really good.Kudos to the chef for the dessert course though. The hochija ice cream was incredible! The flavour came through beautifully and the texture of the ice cream was icy and light, like a sorbet. Underneath were deliciously caramelized pineapples that paired beautifully with the ice cream. I wish the same bold flavours and creativity was present in the main meal though.For the two of us, our meal was over $700. I feel it is much too steep for what we got. We didn’t leave full and felt like the ingredients weren’t treated enough. This is the 4th omakase I have tried in the city, and I place it at the bottom of my list and won’t be returning. Though the dessert was honestly fantastic, truly.
It's disappointing to see Masayoshi, once renowned for its attention to detail and commitment to authenticity, shift its focus. The restaurant now seems to cater more to tourists, influenced by its Michelin star recognition—a standard it appears to struggle to uphold. Particularly, the beverage offerings fall short of what one would expect from a premium omakase restaurant. The unconventional choice of serving sake in shot glasses deviates from tradition, diminishing the meal's elegance.Moreover, upselling practices, like suggesting an $80 caviar addition, strike me as somewhat tacky. Incorporating such extras overshadow the delicate flavor of the sushi, a move that feels out of place in an authentic Japanese establishment. A genuine chef would likely focus on allowing the natural flavors to shine, emphasizing the integrity and simplicity of traditional Japanese cuisine.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
This spot offers such great food with a good variety of flavors and textures. Chef Masayoshi and his team members are experts in their craft. Over approximately two hours, we got spoiled with dozens of perfect combinations of the freshest ingredients. Some of the dishes are mindblowingly delicious. The service from everyone was also friendly. If you have a special occasion, then this fine dining place is a great choice to celebrate it at. Each group that dined with us was a couple. The friendly and talkative vibe made for a nice environment to enjoy the food and experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
My Fiancé and I came to celebrate a late Valentine's Day.Booking the restaurant is easy, as long as you plan ahead, as the quantity and quality of dishes they make need to also be carefully managed, since they import some ingredients from Japan. One to two weeks ahead seems to always permit seating unless there are special occasions, which leads to my next point.The restaurant itself is small and intimate, with beautifully arranged wooden furniture and sushi counter where Chef Masayoshi arranges each dish. The only flaw that I would consider the restaurant having is also the space, which I understand is completely out of their control. To elaborate, there is no lobby or seperate waiting area, the entrance goes straight into the seating, which means the coat rack is right there, and during the meal time, if anyone tries to drop in thinking they can get a quick seating or bite, they will affect the experience of the other customers in the middle of their course. Understandably, arriving a few minutes early is preferable (as they have 2 seatings a night), but you may have to watch the previous seating finish their meals, me waiting on the side.Chef Masayoshi has a diligent, but fun loving personality that shines through in both his meticulous plating and the flavors of his food. It was great seeing him always scan the room to see how his customers are reacting to the dishes to gauge his menu. It was also stressful watching the servers navigate past warAll of the dishes we were served were amazing at worst, and mind-blowing at best(like we didn't even know that this was a flavour profile that we needed in our lives ?). The dishware was all so beautiful and authentic, we wanted to visit Japan to buy some. It would be really great if there was a simple "tonight's menu" that we could follow along and record to commemorate what we ate.The restaurant also does drink pairings, and offers caviar at a cost to have with the nigiri. Watching Chef Masayoshi make his sushi rice was such a fun experience too.Overall, we thought the restaurant definitely deserves their Michelin Star, and we will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
this is truly best sushi in vancouver give it a try and chew slowly so you can understand the food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Took my wife here for our anniversary. It was such a wonderful evening. Chef masayoshi and team elegantly created a eventful date night for us. Service was attentive and the staff ensured our glasses and tea cups were always full. It was a quiet ambience and i really enjoyed watching chef create each dish one by one. Truly enjoyed the sake pairing and I recommend it to all. Cant wait to come back again. Please do try to get a seat at the sushi bar, its quite worth the full experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Food was delicious and fresh, great services!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Masayoshi had a selection of fresh seafood which had a refreshing sweet aftertaste. The Hokkaido uni was especially good because it melted in your mouth, leaving a sweet aftertaste. The dessert was unexpectedly delicious because the mushroom flavored ice cream had a woody aroma while being lightly sweet paired with the crunchiness of thinly sliced apple. The chef was super nice and the service was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went here the other night and felt that it was an okay experience overall.The service was prompt, attentive and overall positive. The interior decor and ambience was simple in a good way. The presentation of the omakase meal was great. Pacing of the whole meal was good too.However, what fell flat was the taste. Aside from the tuna nigiri pieces, mackerel and uni pieces, most of the sushi and appetizers were lacking in flavour, subtle at best. The rice for the nigiri was a bit more obvious than the fish.This review will sound nitpicky, but given the price (the meal was $250 a head), there’s a baseline of expectations. Overall I felt that this whole experience was mediocre and overpriced, which is unfortunate as the staff and chef were quite pleasant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Delightful - expertly prepared, highly precise, and inventive dishes with sake pairings that flow nicely with each note of the omakase.Chef Masayoshi moves with speed and elegance - truly a live art performance as he prepares each dish for the lucky few guests at his bar each seating. Delightful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Omekase is an experience that is NOT for everyone. For this restaurant, you pretty much have to love the art of watching someone make sushi, and then eat it in a fairly spartan setting, with no windows for people watching or anything else. It takes 2+ hours for this dinner, with lots of down time between each course (as there is just one chef preparing food for the bar and other tables). For us, each dish was ok, but there was never a "wow" moment. We will likely never do omekase again anywhere, as we just did not enjoy the experience at all, and the high cost was simply not worth it to us. Once again, I am emphasizing here that I am absolutely NOT an omekase expert, so perhaps someone trained in the discipline might love this place and presentation, but for the average person, this is simply not worth it.In terms of atmosphere, as mentioned, it is fairly spartan, and there is just one single occupancy bathroom with a flimsy lock.I wish I could be more positive, but the experience was overall average for us.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Life changing experience! Not the most expensive dinner we’ve had but everything was good! Sake pairing is a must! My wife cried at the end because of Masayoshi’s Birthday surprise for her! I won’t be surprised if they get another Michelin Star soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Omakase
Was a fabulous meal. The food was delicious and service wonderful.. weLoved it. I will definitely be back.
We sat at the bar, had the omakase with sake pairing and extra sturgeon caviar. We loved the place, vibe and experience. Great place to come enjoy the food with great company.
Every time visit Masayoshi san, I can tell he put lots of though and passion on the plates. Never disappointed. I strongly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very overpriced for what you get. Appetizers are not great. Chef and servers were friendly and welcoming…Our reservation was for 8:15. We were on time, the chef was not. We were ushered to a waiting table to get drinks started, which was nice, but I was surprised that we had to wait.I was really disappointed by the appetizers as they lacked creativity and flavour. Sashimi were not treated much (not kombu cured, aged, or marinated, torched, for example) nor were the garnishes (just aromatics sliced and served as is, or veg just boiled in water). Things that came with broth were bland. I understand natural flavours and am a fan of it, but the broths that we had tasted super watered down. They didn’t just lack salt, they lacked flavour and depth overall. There was a distinct lack of sauce too. The whelk course was the most disappointing. I love whelk for its distinct flavours, but this one lost it all when it was blanched in water. I kept wondering why it wasn’t blanched in stock instead.The sushi was good, but not the best I’ve had in the city. Though, the hand cone was quite good. I do wish that the fish slices were slightly more substantial, and the cone bigger. It would have been nice to receive a full size hand roll instead.My husband got the sake pairing for $95. That was really good.Kudos to the chef for the dessert course though. The hochija ice cream was incredible! The flavour came through beautifully and the texture of the ice cream was icy and light, like a sorbet. Underneath were deliciously caramelized pineapples that paired beautifully with the ice cream. I wish the same bold flavours and creativity was present in the main meal though.For the two of us, our meal was over $700. I feel it is much too steep for what we got. We didn’t leave full and felt like the ingredients weren’t treated enough. This is the 4th omakase I have tried in the city, and I place it at the bottom of my list and won’t be returning. Though the dessert was honestly fantastic, truly.