Out & About #312 | Miku (Winterlicious 2017)

There's a first for everything, including prix fixe meals à la Winterlicious.

Extremely dedicated readers may recall the omission of a corresponding post to the full-fledged collection of visuals accompanying my first visit to Miku's Toronto location during its early stages of operation. The reason for this was the bitter aftertaste that remained long after the experience had passed.
Despite the very amiable hostess of the night, who graciously accomodated my request for a photo-taking space that permitted constant bursts of flash, the food quality was generally subpar; service staff also lacked courtesy, observation, and general knowledge about the dishes they were delivering. The environment was dim, but lacked a comfortable ambience. It made for a thoroughly disappointing experience unworthy of the prices being charged, particularly in regards to the claim of serving Aburi sushi alongside a "harbourfront" view.

​Recently, with the arrival of Winterlicious, my feeds have been bombarded with numerous images highlighting the same thing: Miku's Green Tea Opera and snippets of their limited-time lunch and dinner selections. Even my fellow food enthusiasts took relaying their extravagant impressions of the restaurant to me.

I opted to give Miku Toronto the benefit of the doubt for committing opening blunders that the original Vancouver location would have never tolerated. With just over a year of experience in their pockets, I initiated a visit to the view-less establishment once again with an open mind.

​Two days before my planned lunch appointment, I checked for table availability both via OpenTable and a physical phone call. While OpenTable had made it clear that not a single vacancy was present for the entirety of Saturday, the restaurant staff declared that bar seats were generally available with little to no wait times.
Upon arrival, it was noticed that the restaurant was far from being busy. I had anticipated being offer bar seats due to our lack of a reservation, but was more than ecstatic when the assistant hostess-like staff member guided us to a sleek, white table directly adjacent to a lofty glass window - natural lighting galore! The serene seating location was a pleasant surprise in itself, easily paving the way for a positive dining experience.

​The Winterlicious lunch menu comprised of a three-course meal with three non-substitutable choices from each category. We steered clear of the bland-sounding vegetarian options (Vegetarian Miku Zen and Garden Zen) and instead chose two sets of completely dissimilar dishes for sharing.

Miso soup was served immediately following our order placement, though I pushed it aside to conserve stomach capacity for the feast that was to follow.

​Miku Zen arrived in the form of four medium-sized side dishes served in shallow ceramic bowls affixed atop a square wooden tray. A detail that greatly appealed to me was that the bottom of the bowls were, in fact, rectangular, allowing each one to easily slide into the allocated slot shaped into the tray. Not only did this design permit safer transport of dishes, but also enhanced the seamlessness of the overall presentation.
Aburi Albacore Tuna, Ebi Fritter, Beef Tenderloin Skewers, and Miso Marinated Tofu Salad were artistically arranged and garnished in each bowl - the colours paired very well visually.

Gently seared and seasoned albacore tuna lay on top of a bed of wakame salad and lemon; a sweet-savoury and relatively pungent onion sauce accompanied the silky slices. It was easily my favourite of the four Miku Zen selections.

Miso Marinated Tofu Salad was a classic combination of greens, fresh tomatoes, and crispy noodles tossed in a thin sesame dressing that was as flavourful as it was refreshing. The simplicity of the dish actually offered a welcome contrast to the other components of the platter.

​The Ebi Fritter and Beef Tenderloin Skewers were unmistakably fragrant, with the former served with a sprinkle of chili powder and puddle of chilli aioli and the latter with soy and herb-inspired flavours.
The skewers were advertised with the addition of a spoonful of wasabi gremolata, though I can't say that either of us was able to locate any hints of wasabi whatsoever. Gremolata is, according to Wikipedia, a close cousin of pesto, but void of pine nuts and containing a lower oil to herb ratio. The chunky paste largely resembled this description, though I am uncertain whether it enhanced the skewers significantly.
I did not try either of these dishes and therefore cannot comment too extensively on their flavour profiles.

​The Sashimi Plate was, really, not a plate at all, but rather a large white bowl filled mostly with rock sugar lump-sized ice pellets. The chef's selection included Salmon, Maguro (Tuna), Red Snapper, and a small portion of kaisen poke. A duo of soy sauces was presented for the exhaustion of this dish: Shoyu (a sweet soy sauce) and Tamari (a richer variation with darker hue and bolder properties). Each could be paired with sashimi as a dipping sauce according to the diner's personal preferences.

​All six glistening strips were observed to be of magnificent quality, particularly the Salmon and Red Snapper. Already visible from a distance was the intricate marbling of fat between fleshy layers of fish; immediate disintegration followed for a glorious consumption process. Tamari was used for the fattier pieces to balance richness, while Shoyu was reserved for the tender, less fatty Maguro.
Kaisen poke, Miku's house special, was softer than the standard marinated cubes. This didn't necessarily indicate heightened texture or character content though. It paled slightly in comparison to the outstanding occupants of the chilled bowl.

View the full album HERE !

​Miku hails from a lineup of Aburi restaurants, so it was in our best interest to order the Signature Aburi Sushi Plate as one of our entrees.

The narrow platter featured salmon and saba (mackerel) oshizushi, red snapper and ebi nigiri, the Coal Harbour roll, and Queens Quay roll.

I tend to refer to Salmon and Saba Oshizushi as the "Aburi starters", since these specific varieties illustrate the best examples of charcoal searing. While the Saba Oshizushi was undeniably one of the most delectable items tasted during my visit to the original Waterfront location, the Toronto spot's needlessly dry and rigid blocks were far from well received. It was quite the disappointment, seeing that Miku prides itself greatly in Aburi cuisine. I suppose this is one of the few aspects they have failed to rectify since their opening phase.
Yuzu daikon was a subtle yet sophisticated addition to red snapper nigiri - the citrusy accessory was a pleasant addition in terms of both taste and appearance.​

Named to be location-specific, the rolls indicate the joining of West Coast (Coal Harbour) and the Toronto waterfront (Queens Quay). Despite their well-executed integration of local ingredients, the final products did not deliver enough impact to honour their titles. They lacked uniqueness, so to speak.

​While Vancouver is home to the exclusively West Coast Chirashi Tart, Miku Toronto has introduced the Maguro Chirashi, which is served in a beautiful container reminiscent of Japanese maple and cherry blossoms.

​A layer of sushi rice lined the base of the garden-like assembly - normally a mere mixture of short-grain rice, sugar, and rice wine vinegar, this carby component seemed somewhat different from the rest. It supported the savoury sauces the coated its toppings without being overwhelmingly vinegar-heavy, and, in ways, it was even slightly addicting.
Sweet tamago, smooth negitoro, pickled vegetables, shiny Albacore tuna, a tiny portion of Kale Gomae, and more poke bits make up the rest of the box.

​This time around, chopped tuna belly was the star of the show. Though not the most attractive, its uniform composition was unarguably formidable. It combined supreme smoothness with a great deal of flavour, even causing the more structured chunks of poke to seem bland in comparison.
Kale Gomae was satisfying, and the pickled vegetables added an ideal amount of crunch. The Shiso leaves were a nice touch as well.
Had my stomach not been nearing threshold capacity, I would have easily polished off the dish.

​Wrapping up the meal were two indulgent desserts: Green Tea Opera and Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding.

A half-segment of the renowned opera cake was provided with a brushing of green tea glaze and green tea ice cream. Considering that my previous experience with the dessert had been downright depressing, I hadn't been keen on re-ordering the cake until my fellow food enthusiasts claimed otherwise. Truth be told: the current recipe has undoubtedly undergone major developments to distinguish the individual qualities of each meticulously-crafted layer.

​Silky smooth mousse, sweet red bean, green tea genoise, and crisp wafer are combined along the height of the cake in perfect harmony. (Perhaps the topmost layer wasn't mousse at all, though its rich airiness definitely prompted the illusion of mousse.) Contrary to the utterances that depicted a visually appealing cake with little to no hint of green tea, I beg the complete opposite: the Green Tea Opera upgraded the classic green tea-red bean combination by compiling varying textures, richness, and sweetness levels for optimal dessert diversity. Admittedly, the azuki layer was a tad sweet for my preferences and the hazelnut-ness was predominantly indiscernible, but the overall execution and lateral cohesiveness should be applauded.

​Our second sweet finish of choice, the Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding, had garnered astounding rapport from orangecane. Served Dutch Baby-style in a small iron pan, the round of syrup-smothered flaky goodness was simultaneously decadent and soothing. "Miso caramel" was not detected - it seemed like a regular butter-infused caramel to me - and candied pecans were a notably harder than necessary. On a more positive note, shreds of chocolate were found evenly dispersed throughout; the gradually dissolving portion of tahitian vanilla ice cream (featuring specs of vanilla bean) added an extra comfort factor.

​To say that Miku's Winterlicious menu is amazing would be an understatement. Regardless of quality, quantity, presentation, and value, the three-course meal surpassed my expectations tremendously. (Pssst we actually didn't manage to consume everything.) Consequentially, my impression of the restaurant has improved drastically since the first visit. It may be too soon to conclude my findings for the Toronto outpost as yet (since this experience was based entirely off of the prix fixe selection), however I am not opposed to venturing back to test their patio come spring. (The harbourfront view, or rather lack thereof, hasn't changed though...)

​It should be noted, however, that the Toronto establishment still has a long way to go before their experience attains the same degree of fluidity and professionalism as the original Vancouver location. Areas of improvement include the polishing of minor details (such as smeared wasabi/scallion shreds tucked underneath the soup bowls) as well as more in-depth dish explanations. Despite a more chaotic atmosphere during the lunch rush, the Waterfront location maintained a certain indescribable operations correspondence that I did not witness here.

​Lunch at Miku was the lengthiest part of our day, extending just past 1.5 hours. Lunarfest was the next destination, and being located at Metro Hall, it allowed us sufficient time and distance to digest the modern Japanese feast.

​​As opposed to the festivities that were advertised on the website, Lunarfest was a small-scale Chinese New Year celebration centred mainly around children's games, painting activities, and red envelope ink stamping.

​Plastic roosters were situated at almost every stall within the lobby: some fixed at game stalls and others simply positioned near the makeshift podium for photo-taking.
I made my brief rounds at each game stall, earning a total of four checkmarks once I had completed the games circuit. I was fairly convinced I was the only adult in the vicinity who did not have a child or media pass in tow, though all of the game organizers were more than willing to welcome my participation.

​UNIQLO had also earned a tentative spot on my to-go list that day - Ultra Warm HEATTECH was ten dollars off! The trek to the Eaton Centre wasn't particularly chilly either, so I suggested a brief stop at Fugo on the way there.

​As Pablo's entry into Toronto's Little Tokyo is steadily nearing, the pressure for businesses to introduce their own cheese tarts to the market and secure a customer base has been on an incline.
I had stopped by Fugo towards the end of last year shortly after the debut of their cheese tarts. Prices have since surged (a box of 8 are now $15.99 instead of the promotional price of $11.99), though, I must give them credit for upgrading their crafting procedure.

​​​The tarts are a tad wider than I recall (approximately still 2 inches in diameter but somewhat flatter?) and no longer feature a neatly scalloped edge. Instead, they are filled and baked to order, then charred with a kitchen blowtorch. The result is a creamy, indulgent pastry with no shortage of cheesiness whatsoever.

Finally, they are placed into appropriately-sized paper boxes (4 pieces per box), aluminum foil tins and all. They've invested in logo-stamped paper bags since my last visit, though sturdy bags with handles are still in absence.

To state that I am not saddened by the fact that these morsels of goodness are no longer 25% off would be a lie. However, the tarts are well worth their price. (Side: It would probably be wise to drive should you wish to invest in a box or two, as the lack of proper carrying equipment could potentially lead to a mid-commute disaster.)

A quick UNIQLO and Sephora run later, we hit the road, homebound.

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