2017 Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants – A No-Menu Sushi Bar in Vancouver!

Text and photos by /Papa Seahorse

Ranked 51st on the 2017 list of Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants, the only Japanese eatery in British Columbia is a small restaurant located in an unassuming neighborhood, with just 25 seats including the counter.

This is Iya,Masayoshi Sushi Bar.

Canadians are huge fans of Japanese cuisine. Statistics show that there are as many as 600 Japanese restaurants in the Greater Vancouver area alone, earning Vancouver the nickname “Sushi Capital of North America.” So what makes Masayoshi stand out in this city teeming with sushi chefs to claim the top spot as the best sushi restaurant on the West Coast of Canada? It all starts with Chef Masayoshi Baba.

The chef and owner, affectionately called Masa San by his staff and customers, is a food enthusiast from Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan. His passion for cooking was ignited at a young age, and he had already been immersed in the culinary scene in his hometown for years. After moving to Vancouver, he honed his skills at the renowned Tojo’s Japanese Restaurant. Ten years of hard work made him a standout chef there. When he decided to open his own place, several venture capital firms were impressed by his craft and offered generous funding to help him start a business, but he turned them all down. In the end, he chose a quiet spot on Fraser Street, away from the hustle and bustle, and quietly opened a modest 15-tsubo (about 50 square meters) shop in 2015.

“I don’t want a restaurant with dozens of chefs and hundreds of seats,” Masa San says. A small, refined place where he can maintain control over food quality and interact closely with customers has always been his lifelong dream.

That autumn evening, my friend and I arrived at Masayoshi. By six o’clock, the street was already dark, and the warm glow of light spilled out from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows as the chefs prepared for the evening service. We were seated, exchanged a few pleasantries with Masa San, confirmed our meal, and were then served a warming glass of sake by a bilingual waiter fluent in both Chinese and Japanese.

Baby Sardin

Masayoshi is an omakase-style sushi bar. There is no fixed menu; instead, the chef crafts dishes based on the season and the freshest available ingredients. Such restaurants emphasize the overall harmony of the meal, the skill in sushi preparation, and the creativity of the chef. While Vancouver has no shortage of sushi bars, Masayoshi stands apart with its relaxed atmosphere—guests chat, drink, and laugh freely, almost like a cozy izakaya… Perhaps Masa San’s slightly shy smile during interactions also adds to the charm.

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Dungeness Crab Salad

Gobo and Duck

As we finished a pot of sake, our ordered dishes began to arrive one by one. Though it’s a sushi bar, Masayoshi offers more than just nigiri. Whether it’s a 14-course or 16-course set, Masa San carefully curates the meal: starting with seasonal vegetable-based appetizers, followed by a mix of hot and cold small bites, nigiri as the highlight, and finishing with a sweet dessert. This elaborate sequence, rivaling even French cuisine in complexity, unfolds at a leisurely pace. Each dish is savored amid conversation, leaving a lingering flavor in the mouth.

Unagi Nikogori

Cod Milt

Sitting at the counter, I couldn’t help but marvel at the exquisite presentation of the dishes more than once. The Unagi Nikogori features eel that’s been simmered, with the broth further reduced and set into a jelly, topped with sea urchin. The warm, silky broth carries the rich umami of both seafood, leaving a lasting aftertaste. The Cod Milt is made with tender steamed cod milt (the male fish’s reproductive gland), paired with two slices of autumn matsutake mushrooms, all soaked in a delicate fish broth that captures the essence of the harvest season.

Sanma Yaki

The grilled Pacific saury (Sanma Yaki) showcases Masa San’s creativity and knife skills. The fish is filleted whole, grilled, and rolled in sea salt; the bones are deep-fried until crispy. A freshly picked maple leaf and seasonal vegetables turn this two-in-one dish into a three-dimensional artwork. When I popped a decorative persimmon slice into my mouth and was surprised by its unexpectedly salty taste—my brain struggling to catch up—Masa San caught my eye with a knowing smile. Seeing his creative touches delight customers and observing their reactions is the most joyful part of running his restaurant. Yes, Masa San pickled egg yolk and crafted tiny faux persimmons from kelp stems to perfectly mimic real fruit as plate garnishes.

Clear Soup

Thanks to my friend’s familiarity with Masa San, our meal included an extra soup course: Clear Soup. A precious piece of dried bonito was shaved thinly right before us and cooked together with kelp slices in a siphon coffee maker, putting on quite a show. The broth was heated in the lower glass bowl, the vapor mixed with the bonito and kelp, then cycled back down—resulting in a crystal-clear yet aromatic fish soup.

As the main event, the nigiri sushi was equally impressive. Each grain of rice was firm yet held together perfectly, a testament to the chef’s seasoning and shaping skills. Aside from the ultra-fresh imported sashimi, locally sourced Canadian geoduck also made an appearance, its sweetness surpassing anything I’d tasted in Chinese restaurants. By the time the persimmon sorbet dessert arrived, the 16-course meal had already taken us two hours to enjoy.

Persimmon Sorbet

Tamago
Stepping out of Masayoshi, it’s easy to see why such a small sushi bar earned its spot at 51st on Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants. It’s said to be a favorite post-shift haunt for chefs from many of Vancouver’s well-known restaurants. A great restaurant, with a humble yet dedicated owner—both customers and fellow restaurateurs can’t help but fall in love.

Categorized as fine dining, the meal isn’t cheap, but compared to other omakase sushi bars of its kind, I personally find Masayoshi offers excellent value for money. When you’re looking for a place to treat yourself, host an important gathering, or surprise a loved one, Masayoshi is definitely worth considering among your top three choices. Friendly reminder: the meal comes in three set options ($80, $110, $120), with service only available at 6:00 and 8:00 PM, closed on Sundays and holidays—so advance reservations are highly recommended.

MASAYOSHI SUSHI BAR

Address: 4376 Fraser St, Vancouver, BC V5V 4G3
Website: http://masayoshi.ca/

Papa Seahorse
A Gemini man born under the air sign, he worked as a senior marketing and PR executive for multinational corporations before turning 45; after 45, he moved to Canada. Now, alongside his teenage sons, he plays the role of a father amidst the foreign land’s spring cherry blossoms, summer sun, autumn foliage, and winter snow and rain, while documenting his experiences in Vancouver.

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