Hoshi Japanese Cuisine Restaurant serves dishes that embody the various prefectures of Japan and their cultural foods. They specialize in Kaiseki, a multi-course seasonal set menu that must be pre-ordered in advance and regularly, they have an all day menu and Teishoku, lunch meal set.

The Chef has an incredible culinary experience, “apprentice Chef of Emperor Akihito of Japan and Michelin Guide recommended Hotel – Hotel New Otani Osaka former Chef.”

From food to service, I observed how well the staff took care of each table. An added bonus is the fact that it has a wonderful view of the water between Granville Island and Burrard/Downtown.

If it is your first time visiting, here is what to order

1. Sukiyaki ($26)

Sukiyaki is a hot pot filled with sweet soy sauce broth and a variety of vegetables and thinly sliced beef. Hoshi puts their spin on it by offering milk to make the broth creamier and less salty.

I like that Konjac noodles were used instead of vermicelli since they absorb all the flavour of the soy sauce and stay chewy even after cooking for a long time.

This set comes with a scoop of Hoshi Signature Potato Salad, Korean Pickled Radish, raw egg for dipping, a bowl of rice and miso soup. [Available for lunch and dinner]

2. Renkon Pork Gyoza Tempura ($10)

I absolutely loved this deep fried lotus root with minced pork appetizer! The light and airy tempura batter coats a filling of minced pork sandwiched between crunchy lotus roots. Compared to the typical ‘assorted tempura’ at Japanese restaurants, this was a great alternative.

I highly recommend this!

3. Gyutan ($15.8)

Their tender beef tongue was grilled well with a nice amount of charred flavour. The crispy garlic chips added a nice touch of caramelized flavour and crunchy texture to the dish.

4. Chef’s 5 Pick Sashimi Platter ($46)

Both the fatty otoro tuna and salmon belly I had were extraordinarily good, as they each had distinctive fat marbling and melted in the mouth. The thickness of the cut was also surprising! The hotate (scallop) deserves honourable mention as it had a refreshing sweetness and tenderness. Can’t go wrong with their sashimi offerings!

5. Aburi Sushi Set ($29)

This aburi sushi set isn’t your ordinary sushi as it has a foie gras nigiri! I liked how each nigiri was not overly oil or smothered in mayo. Delicious bites.

They also serve freshly grated wasabi which is very rare in Vancouver! The difference is that wasabi is not as pungent compared to the wasabi-horseradish paste and is served to enhance the delicate fish flavour, not to overwhelm your tongue and nose.

This just goes to show how serious Hoshi takes their quality and standard of Japanese cuisine.

Dessert: Warabi Mochi

I loved how warabi mochi is served as a dessert here! It is hard to find authentic versions but Hoshi has it!

Service

I would also like to thank the female servers at Hoshi. The lunch was very enjoyable due to their attention to detail. Seeing that it was transitioning into Fall, they suggested a Honey Citron tea that tasted like Yuzu and was made from a combination of dehydrated fruit. There was also dragon fruit, star fruit, lemon in the cups which turned the water into a lovely pink colour.

I recommend sipping on this over green tea.

Parking

Free parking is available. At 1000 Beach Avenue, there are two entrances to visitor parking (one before the restaurant’s sign and one in front of the restaurant’s building). Don’t be concerned about entering the wrong entrance because the parking garage is connected. Make sure to pick up a visitor parking pass at the restaurant and park in the green marked spots

Overall Thoughts

If you have friends and family visiting out of town or want a breakaway from your usual sushi spot, I recommend heading to Hoshi! You can take a stroll at Granville Island and stop for lunch afterwards but most importantly, you can truly have a relaxing meal without worrying about parking. The items were refined and at a reasonable price point compared to other sushi restaurants in Vancouver!

NOTE: I was invited to taste the food but review and comments are my own.