In the hospitality industry, a friendly demeanour, along with both the desire and ability to put people at ease, aren’t unusual qualities — I’d even go so far as to say that they’re the baseline, the unspoken currency of the job. So, the fact that Chef Pete Ho’s disarming kindness and charm don’t just register but stand out says a lot.

From everything I’ve seen so far, Chef Ho’s attitude — combined with his relentless enthusiasm, non-stop hustle, and obvious talent —has earned him the universal respect of chefs, cooks, and front-of-house pros alike. These are the people who value action over talk, and they all want him to succeed. Mention his name, and the response is always the same: “Pete Ho? Love that guy. Anything for him.” So when, in 2023, word spread that he had finally signed the lease for 363 East Broadway, the reaction was unanimous: “Hell yeah, lets go!”

But reaching that moment didn’t happen overnight. The search for the space itself took seven years, and the story starts even longer before that, reaching back to the early days of Ho’s journey with charcoal grilling. Although his first restaurant job was at Joe Forte’s in 2001, the real turning point came years later, during an apprenticeship with Chef Seiji Yamamoto at Michelin-starred Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo. Working the restaurant’s grill station, he developed a deep respect for binchōtan charcoal and the precise control it demands. “My passion for charcoal grilling began then,” says Ho. But it wasn’t until 2017, after assisting yakitori master (and eventually, longtime mentor) Yoshiteru Ikegawa, of Michelin starred Torishiki, at an event in Bangkok, that yakitori fully took hold of him. “That’s when I fell in love. More importantly, I felt the passion and energy from his yakitori.”

That passion drove Ho’s vision for his own restaurant, but finding the right home for it was a completely unique challenge. “My original idea was to open a restaurant serving modern Japanese and Chinese food with a focus on charcoal grilling,” he says. “To do this, I’d need to fry, steam, and grill. And finding a space that could accommodate all three? Not easy.” While he kept looking for a spot that fit the bill, Ho also worked full-time, and ran private dinners.

After being temporarily side-lined by the pandemic, the search got back on track, with finding a proper charcoal grill as top priority. But Vancouver’s strict rules around open-fire cooking posed extra hurdles. Finally, after locking in the East Broadway location, Ho had a chat with Ikegawa that shifted everything. His mentor urged him to make the most of his hard-won and precious space by refining his focus, and going deeper into yakitori. Ho took that advice to heart, returning to Japan for intensive training at Ikegawa’s Tokyo restaurant, as well as at yakitori spots run by the restaurateur’s disciples — chefs whose restaurants in Kyoto and Kanazawa book out months in advance. “I knew they would have a lot to teach me,” says Ho.

The build-out wasn’t easy – it turns out that, even after you find a place able to accommodate proper ventilation, the installation process comes with its own set of challenges (hat tip to Cam, of Harmony Pacific). But once it was set, the vision never wavered, and after years of waiting, planning, and cooking his way through every roadblock he encountered, Ho is finally in his rightful place: behind the grill, binchōtan fan at the ready, and prepared to feed the people at Sumibiyaki Arashi.

THE SETTING

Sumibiyaki Arashi’s interior, designed by Studio Roslyn, is deliberately simple, leaning on wood accents and tones of blue, and enriched by graceful dried flower and branch arrangements and traditional Japanese textiles.

Guests entering from the street are greeted by a striking 14-seat Douglas fir bar, handcrafted by Mr. Takao Komaba, of F-Size Furniture. Each seat at the bar is set with a glass, two ceramic platters (one for the chef to deliver your skewer, another for the diner), a ceramic vessel designated for spent skewers, a blue napkin, and chopsticks.

Ceramics are a mixture of traditional Japanese patterns and custom pieces crafted exclusively by Mr. Koutoku Yano, of Shikikado Ceramic Studio in Japan (yet another introduction made through master Ikegawa). “Yano’s work is bold, expressive, and elegant,” Ho explains. “I just love it. For example, if you notice the little condiment vessels at the counter, when you pour the soy sauce, it doesn’t drip everywhere. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference.”

Overhead, paper lanterns suspended from the wood-panelled ceiling cast a warm glow, revealing the subtle indigo hue of the dyed wood above the bar and relief of the textured lime-washed walls. “I get a sense of serenity just staring at those walls,” says Ho. I get it: the soft, chalky finish has a calming effect; as does, unexpectedly, the cool, high-gloss sheen of the deep blue tiles behind the grill — a focal backdrop for diners as they eat.

This attention to how the room feels is threaded through every part of the experience – including the corridor leading to the washroom, which is painted in a deep Japanese carmine red to provide a subdued yet effective setting for framed personal photographs of Ho alongside his family, friends, and mentors; extending right down to the washroom itself, where Ho has installed a Japanese toilet. If you’ve been to Japan, you know that’s a ‘baller’ move worth mentioning.

Hot towels, lightly scented and presented in custom ceramic holders by Grace Lee of Eikcam, offer a small but meaningful moment of comfort. “In Japan, it’s customary to receive a warm towel at the start of a meal — sometimes even throughout — offering a moment of comfort before dining,” says Ho. “In summer, when the heat is intense, these towels are served cool instead, a small but thoughtful gesture of refreshment. That simple ritual is something I want to bring here. There’s just something about that moment of pause with a warm towel against your hands and face—that sets the tone. Small, familiar luxuries that instantly put you at ease. That’s the feeling we want to create for every guest who walks through our doors.”

If the level of detail hasn’t fully hit you yet, it will the moment you pick up your chopsticks. They’re slim and refined, with a surface that feels smooth against your fingertips — clearly no ordinary utensils. You can easily imagine they come with a hefty price tag, and I suspect a standard restaurant dishwasher would do them no favours. It’s a subtle but unmistakable sign that this meal is poised to be a cut above the expected.

THE FOOD

Sumibiyaki Arashi’s skewer-centric menu follows a structured omakase-style experience, with fish- and vegetable- forward offerings and non-skewered dishes woven throughout. Each skewer is brushed with a 60-year-old mother tare (glazing sauce) that has been passed down to Ho, and is housed in a custom-made ceramic pot auspiciously positioned beside the grill.

At a recent menu trial that I had the honour of attending, service moved effortlessly through a series of clean, elemental flavours: baby bluefin tuna, ‘kissed by charcoal’; chicken thigh, hearts, wings, and artery; skin-on chicken breast with fresh wasabi and a slice of lemon; and chicken oyster with Tokyo leek. Balance came through carefully placed interludes of hot egg custard with crab; a simple chicken broth; tofu; quail eggs; shitake; zucchini; a bowl of noodles; and, finally, fresh fruit to round things out. (All skewers came with pieces in triplicate.) Nothing flashy — just honest, dialled-in flavours meant to be experienced with all five senses.

The drink list is tight yet thoughtful, consisting of six wines, six sakes, whisky-driven highballs, and a focussed selection of spirits like shochu and umeshu. The glassware is intentionally thin, amplifying the crisp clink of Kodama Ice Co.’s perfectly clear, hand-cut ice cubes as they ricochet against the rim, and an Asahi beer machine is enroute from Japan.

Simply put, no one in Vancouver is cooking yakitori with the level of tradition and singular passion that Ho brings to the grill.

When I ask him if he can pinpoint a turning point in his yakitori journey — a dish or lesson that shifted things from casual interest to passion – Ho recalls: “I’ve been in love with charcoal grilling since my apprenticeship at Ryugin back in 2013 and 2014. As we open Sumibiyaki Arashi, a lot of the dishes will be the ones I was taught, or learned. I am still finding my way, my style. I think working at Ryugin opened my mind about Japanese cuisine. Chef Yamamoto created dishes that reflected his roots, yet the techniques and preparations he used were a blend of traditional and modern. That resonated for me. The trick is to only explore the modern takes after you know the traditional ways inside and out. I think that was probably the most valuable lesson I learned.” Ho has been deeply committed to learning those ways, and now he’s ready to apply that foundation to his own cooking, honouring tradition while carving out something distinctly his own.

To assist in the vision, Ho’s kitchen is stocked with a precise selection of skewers. Yakitori calls for bamboo skewers in three shapes: round for tofu and vegetables; square for most chicken cuts, including heart, liver, and gizzard; and flat for heavier proteins like beef and duck. When sourcing Gamei, Loong Kong, and Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA) birds, Ho relies on Wingtat Game Bird Packers. He also sources Loong Kong chickens and ducks from Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry. Stainless steel skewers, varying in length and diameter down to the millimetre, are designed to handle larger proteins like unagi, whole fish, and steaks; whereas a flat variation accommodates delicate, flaky fish, such as perch and sablefish.

The grills are just as specific. The primary, custom-made Teruhime yakitori grill features fire bricks encased in thick stainless steel, which works to intensify heat and make the grilling process more efficient. A second grill, designed for larger proteins, allows for adjustable fire bricks, giving Ho greater control. “They are both works of art,” he says, with a smile.

As for the charcoal itself, Ho sources Kishu Binchōtan directly from Wakayama. A wooden plaque marking Sumibiyaki Arashi as an official user provided by the charcoal maker signifies a great honour.

Sumibiyaki Arashi is built on patience, precision, and the kind of hospitality that speaks for itself. From the custom ceramics to the deeply seasoned mother tare to the quiet glow of paper lanterns, every detail is there for a reason. The goal? To create an experience that makes guests pause and think, “I didn’t know it could taste—or feel—like this.” And for Ho, that’s the whole point.

The Sumibiyaki Arashi Omakase experience will have two seatings per evening – at 5:30pm and 8pm, from Tuesday through Saturday, (closed Sunday and Monday) – and will be priced at $160 per person before tax and gratuity. Be prepared for some competition in the race to snag a coveted seat when reservations open today at 10am! Score yours HERE.

In the meantime, have a look at our pictures below…

炭火焼きアラシ Sumibiyaki Arashi

Neighbourhood: Mt. Pleasant

363 E Broadway

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