Yuwa Japanese Cuisine is an elegant restaurant on Vancouver’s Westside. The food and atmosphere are at once approachable and exquisite. The menu follows traditional kaiseki style, including a set tasting menu similar to omakase, although guests who haven’t booked a set menu can still order a la carte as they wish. The Michelin recommended Japanese fare is creative and the sake and fine wine selection is one of the city’s best: a reflection of the joint efforts at Yuwa of consummate Vancouver restauranteur and sake sommelier Iori Kataoka and Executive Chef Masahiro Omori.
Seven Years of Sushi
Yuwa first opened in 2017 and they are just about to celebrate their 7th anniversary in September. Tucked away on West 16th Avenue, the dining room and sushi bar are sleek, elegant, and modern. A summertime visit to Yuwa offers the chance to dine al fresco amongst the flowers, under the shade of their red umbrellas. The patio is a lovely spot for dining with friends or celebrating a special summer occasion.
As Yuwa boasts an impressive sake selection, accepting suggested sake pairings is wise. Kataoka has curated a renowned collection, and I am ever grateful to well-educated, kind-hearted, and patient staff who explain to me the nuance of what I get to try. If you’re unsure or uneducated, defer to experts. Let them guide you.
Sampling Yuwa’s Sake
As I’m still building my knowledge of sake, my server was particularly helpful in explaining the rice polishing technique used in sake-making, and how it impacts mouthfeel, body, as well as flavour. My fun table-side lesson even included an example card showing just how much of the rice is refined away in the polishing process.
Rice polishing takes place before brewing and can vastly change the finished sake. The polishing removes the outer layers of the rice, changing the shape of the grain; grains become more long and skinny or more round. Subsequently, impurities are polished away and different flavour components can be either developed or diminished. The first sake I tried was Fukucho Hattanso 50 Junmai Daiginjo, which is 50% polished. It paired excellently with the bright and fresh first courses.
Savouring Summer
To start, the celebration of a quintessential late summer vegetable in the form of the Heirloom Tomato salad. Superb summer tomatoes come in a refreshing, sunumono-style dressing. Each bite tastes like a burst of summer. Another light starter, the Nasu Nibitashi, is a cold eggplant dish that is deeply rich and unctuous with a soft, meaty texture.
After some light plates to start, fish is showcased. Yuwa sources the most exquisite and fresh seafood. On my visit, the carpaccio of the day was beautiful hamachi with a mild mustard sauce. This dish was delightfully fresh, and tasted even better when paired with Kazenomori Alpha Type 3, a fruitier sake with a fuzziness of carbonation which was perfect for offsetting the spice of the mustard.
Seasonality and Yuwa’s Namesake
While Chef Omori is classically trained, his first culinary teacher was his grandmother. She owned and operated a fish market in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, and it is in her honour that the restaurant is named Yuwa. One of the important themes of keiseki-style sushi is seasonality. Therefore, the sourcing of produce and proteins becomes even more important than in an average restaurant.
Highlighting local fish, a signature dish at Yuwa is their Sockeye Salmon Sanshozu. Like a tartare, this chopped salmon dish is served with taro chips. It comes in a beautiful piece of bamboo that speaks to the thoughtfulness of every element of service at Yuwa. One of my favourite bites of the night was the Ebi Shinjo Bits. These shrimp puffs are like edible, savoury clouds. Unlike quenelles, the French dish made of fluffy fish mousse, their filling isn’t fully smooth. The ebi bits contain satisfying chunks of prawn. Deep frying gives the outside an almost donut-like crisp crust. They come with a prawn salt for dipping which adds a fantastic punch of concentrated flavour.
As I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth, I opted for a final sushi roll for dessert: the Bluefin Tuna Negitoro. Speaking of dessert, Yuwa is conveniently located right beside one of Vancouver’s best ice cream shops, La Glace. That said, I would encourage you to try some of Yuwa’s Wagashi, a traditional Japanese confection made of mochi, bean paste, and fruit. They are stunning works of edible art typically served with green tea.
At Yuwa, you can feel confident that you are in competent hands. Sit back and enjoy the carefully sourced sake, sushi, and Japanese delicacies.
