A Message From the Miku Team…

Three years ago, owner Seigo Nakamura brought his family restaurant business of nearly six decades across the globe from Miyazaki, Japan to Vancouver.  In 2008, Miku restaurant opened the doors to the public specializing in Aburi or flame-seared sushi.  Now, just a few short years later, we are very grateful to have earned a reputation amongst Vancouverites as ‘the place to go for Aburi sushi.’  We have grown and developed from a small organization to a company with over 50 employees, including a small corporate team to handle our back-end operations.  Our success since opening has been a dream come true and we have all of you to thank for it.

Expansion was never an ‘if’ but only a matter of when and where.  When the opportunity of a spot in Yaletown arose, we knew it was the right place and time.  We are honored to take over the lease at Goldfish Seafood and Chops, a place that was well loved by many Vancouverites.  Bud Kanke has been nothing but supportive and his guidance and advice has proved invaluable to the team.

Miku’s new sister restaurant, Minami, is scheduled to open early this Summer.  Minami is the name of Seigo’s youngest daughter and when written in Japanese; Minami  symbolically means ‘a beautiful wave.’ This is to follow the footsteps of his first venture in North America, Miku which is the name of his eldest daughter, meaning ‘a beautiful sky.’  Minami will be the younger, more relaxed sister of Miku while still focusing on our Aburi brand.

Our corporate philosophy, ningenmi, is a term to describe the belief that success can only be achieved when it is built upon the passion and pride from each individual embracing it at heart.  What we keep in mind on a daily basis is the philosophy that ‘to bring joy into someone’s life, joy will follow in our life.’  Our goal is to offer a great dining experience to each of our guests and we do this with our whole heart everyday.

We are honored to be a part of such a vibrant neighborhood and are excited to showcase our love for Aburi style cuisine and most importantly, our passion for great service and people to the Yaletown community.  Seigo believes when surrounded by the right people and environment the world will present itself with limitless opportunities.  Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to open Minami Restaurant, we look forward to celebrating with you on opening day.

For any updates on the progress of Minami, keep checking back on our blog!

Growing Chefs! & Miku Restaurant Partnership

We are proud to announce our partnership with Growing Chefs!, a local non-profit organization that sends chef volunteers into elementary schools—where they grow vegetables, cook with kids, and get kids excited about eating healthy food. Beginning December 1st, some of the proceeds from our Vivreau still or sparkling water sales will go towards this organization that strives to create a forum for chefs to share their knowledge with the greater community and aims to inspire children with the idea they can grow food anywhere, even in the city.

Miku Restaurant loves what Growing Chef! does for the kids in our community, and most importantly, we wanted to support an initiative that is making an impact both environmentally and socially. To celebrate this partnership, we have decorated our Christmas tree to represent this collaboration. So next time you come and dine at Miku, please consider ordering Vivreau , because every bottle goes towards educating children about making healthier and more sustainable lifestyle choices.

$65 Holiday Menu

December is a month to dress up in your fanciest, indulge in holiday meals and most importantly, spend time with your family and friends.  As a way to celebrate the spirit of the season, Executive Chef Takuya Motohashi and his skilled team have created a special 4 course holiday menu showcasing the elegant and warm flavours of this holiday season.  The Miku team invites you and your loved ones to join us this month, to try our exclusive holiday menu available December 1st – 23rd.

Miso Chowder
ebi, seasonal vegetables, shaved truffles

Sushi Plate
kanpachi, maguro and hirame sashimi (6 pieces)
ebi, salmon and saba oshi sushi (3 pieces)
seasonal selection of nigiri sushi (3 pieces)
fresh oyster (1 piece)

Aburi Beef New York Strip
shiitake, brandy butter cream sauce, potato purée, seasonal vegetables

Pistachio Cranberry Mousse
hazelnut financier, pistachio-rose Crème brûlée, red fruit juniper sauce, pistachio cranberry ice cream

From all of us at Miku, wishing you every happiness this festive and joyous season!

Electronic Gift Cards Now Available at Miku

Miku Restaurant is excited to announce, electronic gift cards are now available online!

Just in time for the holiday season, we’ve partnered with Vancouver-based company, buyatab.com, to offer a convenient way for our guests to purchase gift cards, of any denomination, instantly.  These gift cards may be printed and given away, or it can be sent to the recipient directly via email. If you would like a complimentary Miku-logoed envelope for your printed gift cards, please visit the guest services desk during restaurant hours beginning November 23, 2011.

HOW TO BUY A MIKU GIFT CARD ONLINE

Visit our Gift Cards page on this website and follow the simple instructions – all you need is your credit card, and the email address of the recipient if you would like to send via email. Click here to purchase your gift card now.

WILL YOU STILL HAVE PAPER GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE AT THE RESTAURANT?

Paper gift cards will be available at Miku Restaurant until December 15, 2011. However, purchasing an electronic gift card is highly recommended, because paper gift cards must be treated like cash; if the recipient loses their card, the offer is no longer valid. If the recipient is gifted an electronic card, their credits will always be available online.

Miku Restaurant encourages all guests to purchase online gift cards this season. If you would like a complimentary Miku-logoed envelope for your printed gift card, they will be available at the guest services desk during restaurant hours beginning November 23, 2011

Take Your Kid to Work Day!

Yesterday, the sushi chefs had some very special guests join them behind the sushi bar to learn about the secrets of making Aburi sushi.  It’s not very often people are let into the sushi bar, but yesterday was an exception — it was the 17th year for Take Your Kid to Work Day.  Over 200,000 grade 9 students across the nation participated and tagged along with family, friends or complete strangers to learn about their trade of work.  The range of Take your Kids to Work Day is vast, students have the opportunity to go anywhere they like.  For instance, kids can go to a corporate office, work with fire fighters, go into a bank vault — the possibilities are endless.  In Francesca and Kelsey’s case they joined us to work behind the sushi bar, just for the simple fact that they LOVE eating sushi. Sushi Chef Kazuhiro took them under his wing for the day and taught them how to make our signature dish — Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi.  They surely impressed the team with their skills and even had a hand at using the blow torch.  Who knows, maybe in 15 you will see Francesca and Kelsey behind the sushi bar!

Welcoming Changes in the Miku Team

On September 30th, executive chef Takuya Motohashi, general manager Tony Albertson, manager Patrick Rider and Gary Hutton organized a staff event to celebrate the ending of a remarkable summer season and to welcome new members to the management team.  With champagne glasses in hand, Miku team members honoured the following members in their new leadership role:

Sushi Chef Kazuhiro Hayashi

Kitchen Chef Shinya Ogahara

Shift Leader Siobhan Lauzon

Shift Leader Hideaki Saito

Shift Leader Anni Kamikawa

These long time dedicated staff members have embraced a deep understanding of Miku philosophy and shown qualities of a great leader.  There is no doubt, they will play a major role in inspiring others on the team and in the industry.  Next time when you dine at Miku, please don’t be afraid to say ‘hello’ and congratulate them on their new roles!

Squirrel POS Software and Apple iPad

It’s official!!!

We have successfully integrated the Squirrel POS software on Apple Ipad in our restaurant, and we couldn’t be more excited!  With it’s easy navigation and intuitive manner, the Miku staff have had a smooth and easy transition from our previous POS terminals.  Eventually, we will take this system and implement it in all of our North American locations – watch out for it!

Please click HERE for the official press release.