I used to think that the only way to have really good Japanese food in Vancouver was in an omakase experience. However, a combination of restaurants diluting omakase with an a-la-carte menu, and some way-too-expensive omakase experiences have lowered my expectations from how omakase is defined in Vancouver. Enter Sushi Hil (with one 'l'), which doesn't have an omakase experience on the menu, but they do have a high-end menu that deserves your dollars if a creative and umami-ful experience is what you were after like I was in January 2024.

Food:

Team Domah came here for a Thursday evening dinner and I had a great taste of the following:

You know you're in for a fine time when an amuse bouche is served. Tonight's amuse bouche was a chilled daikon. It was completely neutral with a hint of shiso (Japanese mint) to spice up the palate.

First up were the dozen sun seeker oysters. These hail from Fanny Bay, BC and had a terrific meatiness and low brininess. To elevate them a little more, these oysters came pre-dressed and with a spicy sauce to amp them up even more. They slurped easily on the tongue and had no surprise grains of sand, indicating a good shuck and preparation from the kitchen.

Next came the side salad for the chirashi royale. There was still some time to wait for the royale but I guess the salad is quick to prepare and is meant to be munched on early. It also came with some miso soup but I didn't think that was worth photographing.

A couple other small dishes we ordered were the tako sunomono and the chawan madai. If you've ever felt disappointed by the small chunks of octopus in other sunomono, this one is a statement with hearty thick slices of octopus in a smooth clear broth with good acidity. The chawan madai was served piping hot and made a little more interesting than traditional recipes with the red seabream at the bottom of the jar. By the way, all the dishware at Sushi Hil was beautiful.

Moving on to some sushi, our first was the mirugai nigiri, partly because it was the seasonal fish of the night, and because none of us had ever had it before. Mirugai (aka geoduck, aka giant clams) has an interesting flavour. I define it as a child of chicken and squid. It's not quite as slimy as squid but it is quite chewy and has a cartilage-like crunchiness to it. I don't think I'll ever want a mirugai nigiri again but it was cool to have the opportunity to order one at Sushi Hil.

One of the signature items at Sushi Hil has to be the sashimi moriwase. Featuring the chef's selection of daily catch sashimi, this is an end-to-end omakase in and of itself. In our massive plate for 3, we had seabream, scallop, saba, hamachi, ebi, king salmon, and more. The presentation here was impeccable and on par with the winter kaiseki from Miku I had in December. General guidance here is to enjoy the whiter fish before making your way into the deeper oranges and pinks, similar to how you'd progress from white into red wines.

The king salmon nigiri was so good that we ended up ordering a standalone king salmon roll as well. This was served oshi style with a serrano pepper for spice and a tare (soy, sake, sugar, mirin) for glazing. Besides the king salmon being a 10 out of 10 on umami, this roll was my first taste of Sushi Hil's rice which is among the best in Vancouver. Each individual grain has a distinct bounciness to it and I could see myself eating a bowl of it for a meal.

The highlight of the night was undoubtedly the chirashi royale. If you've ever wondered what combining the highest marbling of tuna, salmon, and steak would produce, the chirashi royale is the answer. Not only is the A5 wagyu steak the butteriest beef known to man, it's served in generous chunks within this bowl. I've spent a ton of money on simply buying wagyu and the way it's executed here with accompanying pieces of king salmon and otoro (the fattiest cut of bluefin tuna) and dashed with even more buttery caviar on top is the exquisite donburi I never knew I needed.

Life is made much better with the rice from Sushi Hil, yet made even better with the protein choices for this chirashi. Mix well and enjoy, but don't feel pressured like I did with eating the dandelion.

It would be honest to say that we were completely stuffed after the chirashi royale, but Sushi Hil makes it easy to subscribe to dessert because they're all tiny. The panna cotta was one of tonight's desserts and it was a cute little serving of smooth cream topped with fresh fruit and a yuzu slush. Equal parts tart and sweet made this a balanced morsel and quite humorous at $7 compared to the price of virtually everything else on the menu.

Vibes:

Taking up residence in a former dental office means that Sushi Hil has an interesting set of bones to work with. The dining area is basically the waiting area of a dental office, and the rest of the space is dedicated to operations, prep, and fish. There is seating for about 30 guests in a mix of dining tables and a tiny sushi bar in this configuration.

The space looks sleek and minimal, with only a giant inked wall to add a big statement to the dining room. I liked the lucky cat drapes and how every teacup had a unique design on it. This was Miku levels of lighting in a much tinier space.

Service:

The servers at Sushi Hil have the dining journey down to a science. They know when to come refill tea – often seconds after you dip below 30% in your cup, they know how to send a plate out seconds after you finish another one, and they're also really good at ensuring you finish on time. Our dining reservation had a 90-minute limit and I guess there was an unwritten code where it wouldn't be their fault that you took a long time. I like this kind of snappiness and it means that even though you might not have an omakase option, if you want to try everything, then it will be delivered to you in short order.

For a table of 3, I made the reservation 4 weeks in advance. The existence of a reservation was the first thing I was asked too so I believe if you don't want to take a chance at the 4-seat bar, you will want to make a reservation for any size of party. This place was packed by 5:30pm and people were funnelled in and out of tables mechanically.

Final Thoughts:

One-liner: Mount Pleasant's best sushi that stands toe-to-toe with Vancouver's best sushi that doesn't offer omakase
Highlight: Chirashi Royale
Price per person: $80-$120
Would I go back? Yes.