Located on Fraser Street, Masayoshi offers only three choices of omakase on their menu. You must also make reservations ahead of time and seating is only available at 6pm or 8pm. The restaurant had won the 2018 VanMag’s Best Japanese cuisine award, so of course I had to come check it out.

We arrived at the 6pm seating on a weekday and it wasn’t too busy. The restaurant is quite small with only three tables of for larger groups, and the remaining seats are at the bar.

We requested to sit at the bar when we made our reservation to ensure we could watch the chef prepare the sushi. This is the best way to truly experience your omakase.

The plate and chopstick holder were very pretty and on the side (which is not pictured) is a holder which has a damp cloth. This is used to wipe and clean your fingers because the chef highly recommends you to eat the sushi with your hands. This traditional way of eating sushi was actually very enjoyable!

Echigo Koshihikari Rice Beer

For drinks, we shared the Echigo Koshihikari Rice Beer. I have never seen this beer at the BC liquor store, but it was light and refreshing. Perfect to pair with your sushi if you don’t want sake.

Miso Soup

There are three omakase sets available: a 14 piece nigiri set ($80), a 16 piece nigiri set ($110), or a 7 course meal which includes both cold and hot dishes ($120). I noticed many people getting the 7 course meal as you get a variety of dishes, but we really just wanted nigiri so we chose the 16 piece set. Included in the set is Miso Soup which was a great way to start our meal.

Spinach Gomae with Enoki with Peanut Sauce and Snapper’s Roe with Ikura

The set also includes an appetizer and that day, we had Spinach Gomae with Enoki in a peanut sauce. A light refreshing start for the meal. On the right was Snapper’s Roe topped with Ikura. The texture of the snapper’s roe was quite interesting and had a bit of salty flavour.

Tai

I won’t go into too much detail of all the nigiris as I can’t remember exactly some of the names of the fish I ate. However, the fish tasted fresh and the amount of rice for each nigiri was just right. The nigiris were well made and didn’t fall apart. I liked how the chef brushed a light soy sauce on top before serving so it was just the right amount.

Hamachi (Yellowtail)

Ika (Squid)

Maguro Blue Fin Tuna

The Maguro was one of my favourite! Included in the omakase was also Toro Blue Fin Tuna but I forgot to get a picture of it. The toro melted in my mouth! So fatty!

Japanese Sea Bream

Missed the name of this one!

Saba (Mackerel)

Tiger Prawn

We watched as the chef skewered a fresh prawn from Japan and took it to the back to cook. The prawn was large and had a bouncy texture!

Hamachi (Mackerel) with Kelp on Top

Red Snapper with Yuzu Zest

Scallop

My favourite scallop did not disappoint! Extremely fresh.

Uni from Hokkaido

The uni was extremely fresh and even my friends who don’t usually eat uni because of bad experiences in the past really enjoyed it. The uni were tiny pieces but very sweet!

Geoduck

The Geoduck was cooked to tender and not chewy at all. Loved the texture!

Sea Eel (Anago)

The Sea Eel was not my favourite at Masayoshi. I usually really enjoy it but I thought this one didn’t have enough of a grilled flavour. I prefer the one at Sushi Bar Maumi.

Tamago

The last piece was Tamago but it was a very different style. It was a bit more spongey than the typical tamago where there are layers. Still, this was a sweet way to end the meal.

Tofu Cheesecake

The set also includes a dessert to finish and today’s dessert was the Tofu Cheesecake topped with some fresh berries. It was sort of like a mousse and I liked how it wasn’t too sweet.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the omakase at Masayoshi. I found the service to be much more enjoyable than many other omakase sushi shops. I find they are usually too strict and it feels really unfriendly. However, the chef although quite quiet unless we chatted with him, would often smile at us and the dining experience felt quite relaxed. I do find that the price of the omakase to be on the steeper side though, but you do get much more pieces of nigiri than many other shops which offer the set at a lower price. Overall, this would be a good meal to celebrate special occasions.

Pros:
– Fish is very fresh
– Service is friendly and ambiance is nice

Cons:
– Price is on the steep side

Price Range: $110 per person for 16 pc omakase set

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4.5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 3.5 Parking: Street parking Overall: 4