Omakase at Stem Restaurant

Vancouver and the Lower Mainland is filled with Japanese restaurants. It runs from cheap take out sushi to high end sushi with fresh seafood flown in from Japan. I love Japanese food. I remember the first time I had a california roll and how it changed my life. It was unlike anything I had up to that point. The first time I went to an all you can eat sushi place and discovered chopped scallop cone, I ended up eating 4 of those while eating a bunch of other foods. That was years and years ago but life changing food memories never leave you.

I am always on the hunt for good Japanese food. Stem is one of the most interesting and authentic Japanese restaurants I’ve been to in awhile. They have a combination of using traditional preparation for local ingredients and preparing Japanese ingredients with new flavour pairings and techniques. My favourite part of the restaurant is the seasonal changes to the menu. Omakase basically means chef’s choice. It’s suppose to be a tasting menu of the freshest ingredients at the time. I went to Stem’s first anniversary omakase during winter and it was filled with warm dishes and ingredients available during winter. Recently, I Stem’s omakase for Father’s Day and the selection of dishes were completely different. I’ve been to other restaurants where the omakase menu remains the same, regardless of the time of year. I would go back years later and have the exact same dish. Not exactly inspiring.

The Stem omakase menu will set you back $88.00/pp without dessert. Dessert will cost you an extra $5.00/pp. I would highly recommend getting the dessert. My dessert was a trio of mango panacotta, cheese cake and raspberry mousse and salty yuzu ice cream. It was unlike anything I’ve ever had. I know the menu seem expensive but it’s actually middle of the road for omakase and worth experiencing for those special occasions. If omakase is not for you, I would highly recommend trying dishes from their seasonal menu and get their Staub Gohan (steamed rice cooked with seasonal ingredients) and the Chawan-Mushi (savory steamed egg custard) from their regular menu.