Michelin awards star to 5-seat sushi counter inside another Vancouver restaurant

A five-seat sushi counter located inside another restaurant is the latest Vancouver eatery to receive a Michelin star.

Sushi Masuda was the only new restaurant in the city to receive the distinction at an annual ceremony Thursday, the third such event since the culinary kingmaker started issuing its famously elusive stars on Canada's west coast.

Michelin's anonymous inspector described Sushi Masuda as "a pointed reminder not to judge a book by its cover.

"The plain, spare room is brought to life by the artfully simple, meticulous preparations of Chef Yoji Masuda, whose time spent in a top counter in Tokyo is amply apparent, though his own personality comes through," the inspector wrote of the eatery's omakase sushi course.

With the addition of Sushi Masuda, there are now 10 restaurants in Vancouver with one Michelin star, an honour given to eateries with "high quality cooking" that are deemed "worth a stop."

The list also includes the French restaurant St. Lawrence, the contemporary eatery Published on Main, and the Chinese restaurant iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House.

There are, as of yet, no restaurants in the city with two stars — "excellent cooking, worth a detour" — or the maximum three stars — "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."

There's also one new restaurant with a "bib gourmand" designation, which goes to establishments where customers can get bang for their buck: Gary's, which serves French food.

"To match the relaxed, friendly vibe, the cuisine is rustic and approachable, offering hearty dishes that draw inspiration from French country cooking," the inspector wrote.

Earlier additions to the list include Japanese restaurant Sushi Hil, brother-sister-owned Vietnamese joint Anh and Chi and Mexican eatery Chupito.

Michelin first entered Canada in 2022 with guides for Toronto and Vancouver, and has announced plans to expand into Quebec next year.

Last month, Michelin broadened the borders for its Toronto guide and awarded four more restaurants a single star.

The expanded region stretched as far as Collingwood, Hamilton, Cambridge and Niagara Falls, the anonymous chief inspector for Michelin North America said at the time, noting that just because the inspection team conducted field work in this area didn’t guarantee restaurants there would be under consideration.

Toronto and the region now have 15 restaurants with one Michelin star and one restaurant with two stars: Sushi Masaki Saito.