The Goods from Miku and Minami

Vancouver, BC | ABURI Restaurants Canada’s contemporary Japanese destinations, Coal Harbour’s Miku and Yaletown’s Minami, are celebrating sakura season with new menu features, a limited-edition kaiseki menu, and special bentos for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. Inspired by the beauty of cherry blossoms, the seasonal creations highlight fresh and delicate flavours, while remaining true to the restaurants’ signature Aburi-style cuisine.

“Sakura season is truly still one of my most favourite times of the year, in both Japan and Vancouver,” says Seigo Nakamura, founder and CEO of ABURI Restaurants Canada. “We have such beautiful cherry blossom trees here all over the city. When my kids were little, we would share bentos under the trees. Both Miku and Minami have created elegant ways for our guests to enjoy hanami. At Miku, we have our kaiseki menu, while at Minami, we have beautiful bentos and more.”

At Miku, guests are invited to experience its annual Sakura Kaiseki ($180++ per person), available from March 27 to April 12, 2026. The multi-course tasting menu reflects the elegance and progression of the spring season, with fresh sashimi, sushi, and dishes such as: Hokkaido Scallop with apple & shiso purée, sakura furikake, and pickled shallots; King Salmon with confit with herbs, fregula with pea shoot pesto, and yuzu velouté; and to finish, a Strawberry Semifreddo by pastry chef Isabelle Valencia with ume tuile, vanilla lychee ganache, and rose umeshu gelée. In addition, there is an optional Amabuki Sake pairing ($75) to complement each course. Guests can make a reservation now online.

Meanwhile, Minami has created several ways for guests to experience sakura season. This includes dine-in features, such as pastry chef Nikki Tam’s Sakura Berry Mochi (tsubuan cream, matcha sponge, strawberry milk gelée, salted sakura crumble, sakura berry sorbet); and bar manager Morgane Lefort’s Okinawa Bloom cocktail (Okinawa Gin Recipe No.1, Mancino Sakura Vermouth, Yamagata Masamune 1898 Kimoto Sake, Sakura & Sansho bitters, saline). The popular Kozaemon Sakura Sake is also available by the bottle.

Available for take-out only, Minami’s Sakura Bento for Two offers a curated selection of sashimi, signature rolls, Aburi oshi sushi, and premium nigiri, such as o-toro with caviar, aburi botan ebi with garlic Miku sauce, and king salmon with ikura. Pre-orders for pickup are available via email at [email protected], phone (604) 685-8080, or on UberEats.

As part of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s The Big Picnic from March 28 to 29, 2026, Minami will also offer a special Hanami Bento, available exclusively through festival pre-orders. Designed for picnics underneath the cherry trees, the bento features bara chirashi don, assorted inari sushi, strawberry and roasted beet salad, Aburi salmon and ebi oshi sushi, and shibazuke maki.

“Our team has created wonderful experiences that allow our guests to celebrate sakura in their own way,” adds Nakamura.