For Dine Out Vancouver we selected Minami because we really enjoyed dining at Miku last year and the menu looked promising.
We were seated promptly, though in the less beautiful banquet area near the garden in the back. I assume this is to accommodate the Dine Out weekend lunch traffic. The front of the restaurant has a beautiful bar and high top tables, and the main area of the restaurant has inviting tables and chairs. Our area was much more casual with less pomp with the decor. I almost requested a table near the chefs for better photos, but sometimes, like today, I just wanted to enjoy the lunch with my guest without there being too much emphasis on "getting the food porn". I'm lucky that my kind friends have accepted and tolerate waiting until the photos have been taken to dig in.
We ordered the Dine Out meal blind and discovered the Dine Out Zen Box was nothing like the menu posted for the Dine Out website, though it was still delicious. We were served miso soup with little chunks of seaweed and fresh tofu. The entree was a Zen box that included tender beef, a prawn cake on slaw, beet salad, seared yellow fin tuna and pieces of their signature Oshi Sushi. All of it was solid and tasty but hardly memorable. I hope I'm not getting jaded!
Dessert was some passion fruit sorbet made in house in lieu of the advertised Sweet Tofu Creme Bruelle with Maple sugar, berry compote and maple crumble.
It was a very similar experience to Miku, but I would say it is much more casual, and the execution not as painstakingly meticulous. What I will give this venue over Miku is that their hosting and wait staff is VERY attentive and comparatively, downright friendly. We must have had our water refilled over 20 times!
It was nice to see it at the Dine Out price point, though I'm not sure I'd come back any other time unless it was along the lines of "entertaining in-laws" with exotic but safe Japanese food.
