Minami - Vancouver, BC (Dine Out Lunch 2014)

Minami's dine out menu was really good. I enjoyed my brunch at Minami a lot, especially the sushi. We went on a Saturday. We made a reservation thinking that it was going to be packed but to our surprise, it wasn't. We got seated right away and I like that the decor is very clean and simple. 

We had a choice of the regular brunch menu or the Dine out Lunch menu. Because their Dine Out Lunch was so popular, they decided to extend it. Looking at the Dine out Lunch Menu, I decided to try that and Calvin decided to order the Hatcho Miso Pork Belly. The Dine Out Lunch Menu definitely is a great choice for those who want to try their dishes and I do think that it's well worth the price. Here's the $28 Menu:

Miso Soup 

Zen Sampler

aburi bincho

wasabi masatake sauce

chicken tofu salad

baby greens, sous-vide chicken breast, miso marinated tofu, umami soy vinaigrette

ebi fritter

asian slaw, sweet chili mayo, soy-balsamic reduction

sterling silver karubi pork rib

apple-ginger haccho miso sauce, spiced apple-raisin chutney

Sushi

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi

pressed BC wild salmon, jalapeño, miku sauce

Aburi Ebi Oshi

pressed shrimp, lime zest, ume sauce

Minami Roll

aburi short rib, spicy prawn, cucumber, wasabi masatake sauce

Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi

pressed house cured mackerel, miso sauce

Dessert

Miso-Salted-Caramel Ice Cream

Started off with the miso soup. Unlike other miso soups, this did not taste like soup made from powder. I believe the miso soup was made from miso paste.

Starting from the left, pork rib, ebi fritter, tofu salad, and aburi bincho. Minami definitely shines in their aburi compares to their cooked food.  

Tofu salad and aburi bonchi. The aburi is tuna with a very complimenting sauce. The salad wasn't that special but it was quite refreshing and they added a crunch into it which was a plus. 

Pork ribs and ebi fritter

The pork rib was quite ordinary. The ebi fritter on the hand is different than what I had before. The batter was quite thin and I believe they used jumbo prawn. The prawn tasted quite fresh.

These sushi were my favourite. Each sushi is very unique and all the flavours of each sushi go very well together. I would go back again just for the aburi sushi. No wonder they are famous for their aburi sushi because they are really good.

These two sushi weren't as spectacular as the ones below though they are still great tasting sushi. The fish was super fresh and they flamed them just right. 

From Left, minami roll, salmon aburi, ebi aburi

My favourite is the one in the middle, which is the salmon aburi. The fact that only part of the sushi was flamed creates a very complex texture and brings out the salmon flavour. The beef roll on the left was also very spectacular. The beef was also flamed partly but it didn't make the beef too meaty. The meat melted in your mouth and blends in with the flavours in the sushi. I really liked the sauce that went with the ebi aburi. The sourness of the sauce complimented the sweetness of the prawn. 

I was really looking forward to the miso-salted-caramel ice cream. I have heard good things about it. All their ice cream are made in-house. The flavours were good but they weren't as smooth as the ice cream at Ernest. The salted caramel I had at Ernest ice cream gets quite sweet as I had more but I think the miso flavour of this ice cream balances the sweetness and I was able to finish the whole thing without drinking water. 

Calvin had the Miso Pork Belly Bennys. You can see how big the pork belly was. His dish had a lot and he was so full from it. The eggs were cooked perfectly. The most interesting thing was the miso mayonnaise. The miso flavour wasn't very prominent but at the same time we found the mayonnaise was not sour enough, missing a bit of acidity. The pork belly was decent though we liked the one from Red Wagon more. 

Also came with potatoes and crispy brussels sprouts. The potatoes were lightly seasoned with salt and I didn't feel that they were very greasy. The brussels sprouts had slight burnt taste to it which gave it a different taste.

Our server was really friendly the whole time so we really enjoyed their as service as well. All the food came at a reasonable time.

Overall, I recommend everyone to try Minami's sushi. Their aburi sushi is very very good. I would not recommend their cooked food though because I believe there are better choices for that.

Raw Canvas - Vancouver, BC

It was one of my girlfriends' birthday dinner and she wanted to come to Raw Canvas in Yaletown. I wasn't too fond of the idea at the beginning because one, I am not an artistic person and two, I didn't want to have wine and cheese for dinner.

Let me first explain how Raw Canvas works. You start with the tasting plate which is $17. You can pick 3 types of cheese or meats and 3 types of accompaniments which doesn't sound like a lot. Then, after you are finished eating, you go over to the painting area with you wine if you like and start painting. The painting prices depends on the canvas sizes and you can use all the paintbrushes and paint there. 

I picked 2 cheese and a quail & pear terrine (bottom centre). For accompaniments, I picked fig (top centre),  apple thyme confiture( top left) and fire roasted tomatoes (top right). When I started eating it, I changed my mind about coming here. This pretty much got me hooked on wine and cheese. The accompaniments were so good. I especially liked the fig and the confiture. They all came with a basket of mini sliced baguette. You can ask for refills for the sliced baguettes. I first thought I wasn't going to be full from this but as we were eating and chatting, I realized I was getting quite full. 

After we were finished eating, we went to the painting area. Normally, everyone would get their own canvas, but we decided to get a big one to share because I am not artistic and because having your own canvas is quite pricey. I believe the size that we got was $55 and they were nice enough to split the price equally between all of us. 

Overall, I really do enjoy the experience and this will be even more enjoyable for those who enjoy painting. I really enjoy the food they provided and I wish I can go there only for the food. I am not sure if they allow you to but it seems like everyone who ate there did go painting afterwards.