Recently I had the unique opportunity to dine at Kishimoto on Commercial Drive. This was a spectacular display of the culinary expertise of Chef Kishimoto fresh on the heels of his Silver Metal won at Canada’s Great Kitchen Party.
The dishes were served with a variety of Artisan sakes, specifically chosen to pair with each course and each individual dish.
The restaurant is quaint and cozy with more chefs than you could imagine occupying a very small kitchen and prep space, all under the curious eyes of the restaurant patrons. It was a sight to be hold as dish after dish was so painstakingly prepared.
This is more than dining, this is an experience.
Chef’s notes about the menu:
On our menu, almost all the produce comes from local farms or foragers except for a few ingredients such as the ginkgo nuts, yuzu, etc. We try to use locally grown and produced as much as possible. Some specialty seasonal seafood and delicacies we cannot find here are imported from Japan.
Our kaiseki (tasting menu) is normally 7 – 8 courses including dessert. It features seasonal dishes made by traditional Japanese methods combined with Chef Kishimoto’s creative twists.
1, Appetizers:
- Deep fried reindeer lichen with pickled local sunchoke, Tofino smoked kelp powder, kelp sea salt (Vancouver Island sea salt)
- Local Gobo(burdock root) with sea buckthorn miso, local red kuri squash purée, smoked kelp, pickled sunchoke, deep fried sunchoke, pickled local red beet.
- Okanagan sungold tomato, local red beets and daikon radish with sea buckthorn miso sauce, sky hearts microgreen.
- Matsutake (BC pine mushroom) binchotan charcoal grilled and soaked in dashi.
- Sage tuile with kinomé miso cauliflower, pickled carrot, saké-kasu, apple, microgreens, flowers, carrot “butterfly”
- Kobujimé (kelp cured Yarrow Meadows duck breast, duck fat roasted leek purée, and
- takikomi rice with gobo, matsutake, velvet mushroom & fried tofu
The above were part of our dish for Canada’s Great Kitchen Party which won the silver medal. Chef added a few extra bites below for our guests on November 1st. 
- Dashimaki (Japanese omlete) with yuzu zest.
- Hisui nasu (deep fried local eggplant soaked in dashi with sunchoke sauce)
- Ginkgo nuts (pan fried with salt) (deep fried soba noodle “sticks”)
- BC Gala apple daikon pickles with orange miso.
2, Sashimi:
- Hirame kobujime (kelp cured), sake marinated & baked matsutake, jalapeño soy sauce.
3, Oshinogi:
- Chef Akira’s handmade soba noodles with hay smoked duck with duck fat slow cooked leek purée.
4, Yakimono:
- BC Gindara cheek shio-kama (baked in salt & egg white), dehydrated spruce tips
5, Yakimono:
- BC Gindara Sablefish marinated with Artisan Sake Maker’s sake-kasu , Sugi-ita style (wrapped in cedar wood).
6, Agemono:
- Kensaki ika (sword tip squid) tentacles, charcoal tempura style, with black truffle salt (served in the Turban shell)
- Gobo with sunchoke sauce tempura
- Local eggplant dengaku – yuzu miso sauce with yuzu zest.
- Matsutake and purple carrot tempura
- Ebi imo (Japanese shrimp & potato) arare-age style (coated in mini rice crackers)
- Brandied chestnuts tempura with kelp sea salt
- Local red kuri squash tofu domyoji-age style (made with ground mochi rice)
7, Sushi:
- Red snow crab with yuzu butter soy sauce & yuzu zest, local Gindara tataki with garlic chips, green onion, ponzu
- Kensaki ika (Swordtip squid) with shiso ume sauce
8, Soup:
- Local sunchoke soup surinagashi style made from seabream bone dashi with oat milk foam, sunchoke chips, flowers.
9, Dessert 1:
- Rosemary ice cream with local cranberry sauce
- Local roasted hazelnuts, hazelnuts oil, candied reindeer lichen & kelp sea salt.
- Soba karinto (buckwheat flour crackers with brown sugar syrup)
10, Dessert 2:
- Caramelized fig ice cream in monaka (Japanese mochi wafer), fig sakekasu compote, satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato “chestnut husk”), hazelnut.
- Genmai tea.
About Kishimoto Restaurant
Since 2011, Kishimoto has been serving up some of the best Japanese cuisine in the city. Our small 30 seat restaurant is located in the heart of Commercial Drive. A casual and inviting space, run by a close-knit team and a tiny-but-mighty kitchen. We are known for our artful plating, delicious fresh sushi, and creative twists on Japanese classics. The real magic can be found in Chef Kishimoto’s unique seasonal specials and kaiseki tasting menu – not to be missed when available.
We use quality produce from local farms, seasonal & wild foraged ingredients, free range eggs, natural non-gmo poultry & meat, local and wild seafood, BC wine & craft sake, imported Japanese sake, fresh selected seafood flown to us from Japan’s fish markets, and premium Japanese rice. When available, our menu will feature local grown Japanese rice from the Fraser Valley.
We offer a signature tasting menu or kaiseki on and off throughout the year. It is available by advanced reservation only, no customizations or substitutions. Price and dishes offered vary by season and ingredient availability.
We accept a limited number of small reservations in advance. Due to limited space, we tend to fill up quickly.Please call 604-255-5550 after 4 pm, Tue – Sun.
In 2023 we turned twelve! Thank you for choosing Kishimoto to celebrate your special moments. With your support we will continue to grow and surprise you.
– Chef Akira, Jyan & the Kishimoto team
OUR SIGNATURE KAISEKI
Chef Kishimoto’s seasonal tasting menu
7 – 8 courses including dessert at $180 per person
Available by advanced reservation only
Please call to inquire 604-255-5550
About Artisan SakeMaker
Nestled in the heart of Vancouver’s Granville Island, Artisan SakeMaker is a producer and purveyor of award-winning handcrafted local sake. Founded in 2007 by Masa Shiroki, who strives to spread a uniquely Canadian rice and sake culture while operating in a sustainable, locally-focused fashion. Here at Vancouver’s only sake winery tradition meets innovation; the result is a unique collection of rice wine products that’s distinctly Canadian. The winery’s small-batch OSAKE line of sake features both traditional interpretations and brow-raising bespoke offerings.
In 2015, after seven years of experimentation in rice production, processing and sake making, Artisan SakeMaker launched its first sake produced with 100% Canadian ingredients. The revolutionary new offering is a true Canadian expression of sake made to pair with the seasonal bounty and cuisine of the region.
Today Artisan SakeMaker remains committed to perfecting rice production in Canada and curating exceptional sake, with all actions rooted in the brand’s philosophy – sustainable, local and natural.
Masa Shiroki
Owner and Founder of Artisinal SakeMaker, Masa oversees all sake production, store operations and the rice farm. Masa, a visionary and a dreamer, has taken several turns in his career paths to get to where he is now, a sakemaker and a rice farmer. After training up a passionate team at the winery, Masa is currently focusing the majority of his efforts at the Abbotsford rice farm. Masa is known by his team and industry peers for his persistent pursuit of perfection and desire to share sake culture.
Sakes tasted: Daiginjo Kura no Nushi, Akaiwa Omachi Junmai Daiginjo, and Osake Fraser Valley Junmai Renaissance.
Follow on Instagram: @kishimoto.restaurant @artisansake @goodlifevancouver
With thanks to Good Life Vancouver and Kishimoto for the invitatiion. I received a complimentary tasting menu experience, complimentary to facilitate this feature. All photos, except as noted MyVanCity.ca. Please note images are placed in random order.
