Summer Garden Long Table Omakase Wine Pairing Highlights: 2015 La Stella Maestoso

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We’re rounding off our Omakase Wine Pairing Highlights, curated by Head Sommelier Tracy Marchischuk, with part three of three: The 2015 La Stella Maestoso.

This wine builds structure through 18 months in French oak, one-third of which is new.

Black plum, cassis, tobacco, and anise are threaded with peppery spice and warming smoke, and housed with grippy tannins. Dark, medicinal cherry warms the finish.

The 2015 La Stella maestoso is paired with our decadent Aburi Japanese A5 Wagyu Steak course.

 

Learn more about our Summer Garden Long Table Omakase here.

Summer Garden Long Table Omakase Wine Pairing Highlights: 2017 Kutatás Pinot Noir Rosé

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Our Summer Garden Long Table Omakase is right around the corner, and we are excited to share more interesting features on this exciting and exclusive menu.

 

Part two of our Omakase Wine Pairing Highlights, curated by Head Sommelier Tracy Marchischuk, graces us in the form of the 2017 Kutatás Pinot Noir Rosé.

Kutatás is a Hungarian term for research, inquisition, exploration, and quest.  Winemakers Mira Tusz and Damiel Dragert found this term inspiring, as it relates to their wine-making venture and shared Hungarian heritage.

The Kutatás’ fruit is sourced from North Saanich on Vancouver Island and the wine is made in Salt Spring Island. What makes this Rosé so interesting is that it spends 10 months in French Oak, Sur Lie.  This wine making technique results in a textured and layered tasting experience, offering hints of stewed rhubarb and strawberry, as well as a buttery pie crust.  Fuller bodied with balanced acidity results in a serious rosé that can hold up to pair with many dishes, including our signature flame seared Aburi Sushi.

Learn more about our Summer Garden Long Table Omakase here.

Summer Garden Long Table Omakase Wine Pairing Highlights: MacIntyre Heritage Reserve Astra 2016

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At Minami’s ‘Summer Garden’ long table Omakase dinner, immerse in a special dining experience enveloped by lush foliage and a zen garden atmosphere. Feast on the freshest catches from land, sea, as well as local, in-season garden harvests, all prepared with our signature Aburi flair. Courses are paired with the season’s finest wines.

We are officially kicking off our Omakase Wine Pairing Highlights, curated by Head Sommelier Tracy Marchischuk!

Today, we will be featuring our sixth-course pairing, the beautiful MacIntyre Heritage Reserve Astra 2016:

“The MacIntyre wines are created by Lake Breeze Winery, and focus on the most premium selection and production. The MacIntyre brand was created as a tribute to family, both to the MacIntyre’s own family as well as the family of staff that operates the Lake Breeze winery. “Per ardua ad astra” is the motto around which the brand is built, meaning “through effort to the stars”. The first two MacIntyre wines to be released have been duly named, Astra and Ardua. Very limited production results in low distribution, less than 300 cases, this wine is already difficult to find outside of the winery, let alone across all of BC.
 The premiere release of Astra Chardonnay is 75% barrel-fermented and 25% stainless steel fermented.  This ensures a pristine freshness of the Chardonnay’s citrus aromas and flavours, balanced with the warm toast that the barrel provides.
Bright green apple fruit and citrus, with spicy hazelnut rounds out this elegant wine and pairs perfectly with the richness of our Omakase’s Haida Gwaii halibut course.” -Tracy Marchischuk
Learn more about our Summer Garden Long Table Omakase here.

Mother’s Day at Minami

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Celebrate Mother’s Day this year with these decadent features from Minami.

Indulge in our limited time Surf and Turf entrée, the Free Range Fraser Valley Chicken Ballotine and Pan Seared Scallops, delightful Manjari Chocolate Paris Brest for dessert, chrysanthemum Kiku Cocktail, and more.

View our photo preview below, and our full menu here.

Available Mother’s Day weekend, May 10-12 during dinner only.

Book now for best availability.

 

Free Range Fraser Valley Chicken Ballotine and Pan Seared Scallops

This delicious Surf and Turf entrée is served with crispy smashed baby potatoes, togarashi chicken chicharrón, sweet soy red wine reduction, and yuzu miso sauce

We use local Fraser Valley chicken for our Brome Lake foie gras stuffed Chicken Ballotine

Manjari Chocolate Paris Brest

Warm blueberry yuzu sauce is poured on top of the Manjari Chocolate Paris Brest before serving

Created by Taylor Jones, this decadent treat features Manjari chocolate ganache, yuzu tuile, blueberry crumble, and fresh seasonal fruit

MOTHER’S DAY BEVERAGE FEATURES

Kiku Cocktail

This refreshing cocktail is created by Leon Hong

Crafted with Père Magloire, Yu Nigori, and house-made chrysanthemum honey, the Kiku cocktail features a lavender jasmine salt rim and is adorned with beautiful edible flowers

Dames Rosé

100% of the profits from the sales of this fantastic rosé goes directly to the Les Dames d’Escoffier Scholarship fund, awarded to women in the hospitality industry

Easter Brunch at Minami

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Our Easter Brunch is back by popular demand. This celebratory long weekend, feast on our exclusive Easter Brunch Zen, featuring our Crispy Pork Belly Benny served on brioche, savoury Tocino Hash, sweet and umami Fraser Valley Chicken Nanban and Buckwheat Waffle drizzled with our house made miso infused Canadian maple syrup, and more.

Available April 19 – April 22nd, for lunch only.

View the full menu here, and book early for best seating and availability.

Our Easter Brunch zen is served with miso soup, featuring five deluxe Japanese brunch kobachi items

 

From top to bottom, left to right: Aburi Saba, Fraser Valley Chicken Nanban and Buckwheat Waffle, Tofu Salad, Tocino Hash, Crispy Pork Belly Benny, Tsukemono, Zen Sushi Selection

Indulge in our Brunch Zen Sushi Selection, specially curated to complement our brunch kobachi items.

Five pieces of our signature Aburi Oshi, roll, nigiri, and gunkan sushi

 

Our special feature for this menu is our Ikura with Quail Egg, served gunkan style

 

Finally, conclude your afternoon with our feature dessert, the Milk Chocolate Passion Fruit Bavarois. Created by Taylor Jones and Isabelle Valencia, this tropical dessert features the intricate flavours of Valrhona chocolate mousse, passion fruit caramel sauce, dulce de leche honeycomb, and is served with our white chocolate ice cream and passion fruit sorbet swirl.

Our Milk Chocolate Passion Fruit Bavarois is also available on our regular Spring/Summer dessert menu.

 

Cut into layers of tart passion fruit, creamy milk chocolate bavarois, and decadent dark chocolate brownie.

Wine of the Week: 2017 Orofino Gamay

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We are excited to kick off our Wine of the Week series with a Canadian feature. Introducing the 2017 Orofino Gamay.

Tasting Notes and Pairings

“Light, fresh and vibrant, this Gamay is a crowd and critic favourite. Featuring bright raspberry and red currant, notes of violet, and a wet stone minerality that shows off the unique terroir of this Similkameen vineyard, this wine is just plain pretty — and pairs perfectly with our Aburi Cuisine.

This Gamay is a small lot production with a hot popularity, making it hard to find… but we have it, and we pour it by the glass. Join us and enjoy this limited quantity beauty today.”

-Tracy Marchischuk, Head Sommelier

More on the Winery

Orofino Winery is located in the heart of The Similkameen Valley: A pristine stretch of vineyards, set amongst the dramatic backdrop of rugged and awe-inspiring mountains. Considered the “organic capital of Canada”, the area is known for small farms and producers dedicated to creating quality produce, delectable foods, and award-winning wines.

Hailing from Southern Saskatchewan, John and Virginia Weber fell in love with the area and established Orofino as the first “strawbale’ winery in the valley.  Strawbales insulate to keep the cellar at constant temperatures year-round, making this structure energy-efficient, and working alongside their solar panels contribute to their overall Green Certification.

The Webers are proud to produce wines with minimal intervention that showcases the beautiful and unique Similkameen appellation.  Everything they do is fantastic, and we highly recommend trying an Orofino wine with your next evening dining.

Celebrate the Cherry Blossom Season at Minami

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Celebrate the onset of spring with our limited-time Sakura Features menu. Our sushi and pastry chef teams have created two breathtaking and creative dishes to pay homage to the beauty of sakura, and bartender Barnaby has also created an exclusive cocktail for the season.

This menu is available April 8 – April 21, during dinner only. View our Sakura Features photo preview below.

View the full menu here, and book now for best availability.

SUSHI

Sakura Lobster Roll

In the culinary world, cherry blossom season is known for its spring-themed sweets and cocktails. Our chefs wanted think outside the box and explore the savoury side of sakura.

Our chefs were inspired by the beauty of spring, and strived to recreate this vibrant imagery through mixing pink sakura denbu into our shari (sushi rice), and layering the roll with shiso leaf and edible flowers pressed between a thin, transparent layer of dashi gelée.

DESSERT

Sakura Mont Blanc

The mastermind behind this sweet confection, Makiko, wanted to bring the essence of Japanese springtime into Minami’s Sakura features this year. Strawberries are popular during sakura season in Japan, so Makiko wanted to incorporate its flavour into her creation.

A popular dessert in Japan, the Mont Blanc is also one of Makiko’s favourite confections.

COCKTAIL

Saku Cocktail

Featuring Japanese Tantakatan shochu and a sakura-salt rim; bartender Barnaby wanted to pay homage to the Japanese cultural history behind the significance of sakura today.

The story behind this spring cocktail: “My aim was to create a beverage that embodies the spirit of freshness, and that’s exactly what this cocktail offers: From the aroma of the garnish to the balanced and bright acidity of the cocktail’s palate, Saku radiates that fresh change in seasons.” – Barnaby Malong

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Minami

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Spend a romantic dinner out with your valentine at Minami and enjoy our evening features. Indulge in our Maguro Sashimi Trio, Surf and Turf entrée, and a decadent black forest-inspired Manjari Chocolate Cherry Tart for dessert.

Our Valentine’s Day features are available exclusively on February 14th, during dinner only.

View our photo preview below, and our full menu here.

Don’t forget to book early for best availability.

 

Sashimi

Maguro Sashimi Trio

Supporting our sustainability initiatives, our maguro (red tuna) is sourced from Mexico and is sustainable

 

Entrée

Surf and Turf 

The Minami Surf & Turf entrée remains a fan favourite for special occasions. For Valentine’s Day, we are featuring our Herb Infused Norwegian Halibut and Ash Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Our Norwegian Halibut is certified OceanWise by the Vancouver Aquarium for its sustainable fishing methods

 

Dessert

Manjari Chocolate Cherry Tart

Created by Pastry Chef Isabelle, this sweet confection uses manjari chocolate for its chocolate ganache and chocolate pound cake. Isabelle’s favourite ice cream flavour is pistachio — which pairs beautifully with the decadent chocolate

Isabelle was inspired by the flavours of black forest for this dessert, adding her unique take on the classic ingredients of chocolate and cherry

 

 

Dine Out Vancouver at Minami

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Dine Out 2019 Minami Zen

Dine Out Vancouver returns for 2019. We are excited to offer our exclusive Dine Out lunch menu from January 18th to February 3rd.

This year, guests can enjoy our feature Dine Out Minami Zen, featuring four seasonal items from our kitchen, our signature flame seared Aburi Sushi, and an exclusive Genmaicha Mousse dessert crafted by Lead Pastry Chef Nikki Tam.

Click here to view the full menu.

View our special photo preview below, and book now for best availability.

 

Minami Zen

From left to right: Aburi Bincho Sashimi, Beet Salad, Miso Sakekasu Marinated King Salmon, Ginger Braised Fraser Valley Pork Belly

Our Miso Sakekasu Marinated King Salmon uses YK3 sakekasu for its deep umami flavour. YK3 is a local sake brewery based in Richmond, BC.

Minami Signature Sushi Selection

From left to right: Our signature flame seared Aburi nigiri, specialty roll, pressed Aburi Oshi Sushi

Our Aburi sushi is flame seared with binchotan, oak charcoal, for its distinctive smoky flavour.

Genmaicha Mousse

Our Genmaicha Mousse with genmaicha sponge, candied yuzu, mango yuzu coulis, matcha sauce, yuzu arare crisp, and seasonal fruits

Genmaicha, also known as brown rice tea, is a Japanese tea that features green tea combined with roasted and popped brown rice, resulting in its roasted aroma and subtle nutty flavour.

Ring in the New Year at Minami

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It’s hard to believe how fast time flies; we’re already in December! Ring in the new year with us and enjoy our special New Year’s Eve Set Menu.

Our New Year’s Eve Set Menu features five decadent courses of signature Aburi cuisine, including our chef’s creative Amuse Bouche starter, seasonal fresh Sashimi course, famous Aburi Sushi Selection, mouthwatering Miyazaki Wagyu entrée, and our New Year’s Eve-exclusive Espresso Caramel Mousse for dessert.

We will also be hosting live entertainment, with our jazz band playing in our dining room throughout the evening

This set menu is available exclusively on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, during dinner only.

View the full menu here. The early bird gets the worm – book early for best availability.

 

AMUSE BOUCHE

Our chef’s feature Terrine

SASHIMI

Fresh cuts of our Hamachi, Hirame, Botan Ebi, and Hokkaido Scallop

SUSHI

Our signature New Year’s Eve Aburi Sushi Selection

ENTRÉE

Decadent Miyazaki Wagyu, sourced from the southern region of Miyazaki in Japan.

DESSERT

Lead Pastry Chef Nikki Tam’s exclusive creation, the Espresso Caramel Mousse