DINER: First Look At The Highly Anticipated Minami In Yaletown’s Old Goldfish Location

by Andrew Morrison | I snuck a peek inside Minami yesterday (the old Goldfish location at 1118 Mainland Street in Yaletown). The anticipated Japanese restaurant – a relative of popular Miku (owned by Seigo Nakamura) – still has three weeks left before it’s scheduled to open, but already it’s looking pretty swell. The deep brown stain from the original wood floors has been sanded away to leave a nice raw glow, and many of the rear dining room walls and both private rooms are in the midst of a decorative once-over by Hideki Kimura, the acclaimed mural painter from Japan (he’s leading a team of artists from neighbouring Raw Canvas). The firm behind the look is Vancouver’s own OMB (the same folks responsible for the clean lines of Obakki, and Oru), so the end result will likely be modern looker worthy of a good gawk.

As far as the food is concerned, I’m told that we can expect more aburi sushi and plenty of dishes that Miku fans will recognize, as well as a noticeable shift towards more “hot” items. The bar program has been designed by former Bartender of the Year Shaun Layton of L’Abattoir, with the sake element being looked after by Miki Ellis of Hapa Izakaya fame (a certified sake expert). Service will be led by former Sandbar GM Mike Deas-Dawlish and Miku veteran Patrick Rider. Mark your calendars. D-day is May 30th.

ALL ANTICIPATED RESTAURANTS

DINER: Yaletown’s “Goldfish” To Close This Sunday (“Miku” To Take Over The Location)

The rumours have been swirling for a spell, but it’s official: Yaletown’s Goldfish will close for good this Sunday. The following note will be released shortly…

We would like to say a sincere thank you for your loyal patronage over the years. Goldfish will officially say farewell to Yaletown as of Sunday, February 5, 2012. We are making way for an exciting new concept at the 1118 Mainland St location in Summer with a new operator. We hope you’ll come down and join us in celebrating our restaurant during its last week before our famed bacon fried rice, short ribs, an seafood dishes are gone forever. We encourage guests with a valid gift certificates to visit Goldfish before February 5th. Thank you once again for making these a memorable five years!

Sincerely,

Thomas, Shon, and the entire Goldfish team.

Go well, everyone. We hope you all land on your feet running. The “new operator” is the same company that brought us the under-sung sushi joint, Miku.

Local Sushi House “Miku” Goes Sustainable With Ocean Wise

Miku GM Tai Hasumi listens as Ocean Wise's Mike McDermid speaks on sushi and sustainability at Miku

Michelle and I took the kids round to Miku en route to other obligations the other night. The still new Japanese restaurant (since November) does delicious aburi sushi - lightly seared or blowtorched to release the flavours. Read more

First Look At Miku

On the set of Urban Rush yesterday, hosts Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes asked me what was going in across the street and pointed out the window to the voluminous space that used to house The Spotted Prawn. I had to confess that I had no clue, so after the show wrapped I walked across the street and poked my head in. Holy transformation! Check it out at MikuRestaurant.com