Sushi Hil — Restaurant in Vancouver

Made a reservation by phone for our party of 6. Process was easy and we elected for the omakase option. The restaurant houses a sushi bar that seats 4 and around 6 tables that can accommodate 2 to 6 people. Overall the decor and setting are nice and comfortable.

Omakase was $150 per person and started off with miso soup and 4 small appetizers (spinach with crab, prawn sunomono, albacore tuna in sesame sauce, foie gras chawamushi). These were average with some hits and misses. Highlight was the chawamushi topped with seared foie gras which paired nicely with the smooth egg custard. The others were mostly one-dimensional in flavor and lacking in balance, but ingredients were well-prepared and fresh. Next was the bluefin tuna "tasting" that included negitoro gunkan, akami nigiri, otoro nigiri and chutoro sashimi. Fish was definitely fresh and sushi rice was decent, but the various toppings like raw ginger did not enhance the experience. Next was shima aji crudo topped with fried garlic and this was good with the right balance of acidity, savory and sweetness. This was followed by 8 nigiri pieces (various fish like hamachi, salmon, engawa... then hotate, anago, tamago. The quality, execution and presentation of these were below-par when compared to other omakase offerings in the city. A scallop and mushroom motoyaki in a oyster shell also made it's way to the table and this was served hot out of the kitchen which is always welcomed. The meal ended with a fruit and matcha panna Cotta. Good presentation but not a memorable dessert.

Service was okay. Servers checked in frequently to top off tea and water. One hiccup was that our sake was served to us until at least half way through the meal. This could be due to extra time to chill the sake but it did seem like they had forgot about the sake until we asked about it. They charged a $20 cockage fee which was expected.

To sum up my experience, Sushi Hil has potential as it makes a good effort but the omakase experience lacked creativity and execution. Nigiri lacked character and diversity and don't think this was Chef Hil at his best. Would have liked to try uncommon or rarer fish and shellfish or unique preparation techniques, but perhaps my expectation...

I’ve heard great things about Sushi Hill, so I came in with expectations and anticipation upon trying it out. The place is small and cozy, seating around 25 people. I’d recommend making reservations beforehand because I went on a Tuesday and it was filled up. The ambiance is intimate and it’s quite lowkey from a street view, so it’s easy to miss.

We ordered the nigiri set, maki set, Chawanmushi and 2 pieces of local uni. The Chawanmushi (with Madai) was really good, came out steaming hot, had a good texture and the Madai was perfectly cooked - the fish was a nice touch to the dish. Next up was the miso soup and sides with our sets. Soup and salad was standard as expected, but the gommae had a small punch of wasabi within the peanut sauce - it definitely grew on me. Next up was the Maki set! King salmon oshi was on point and the fish tasted fresh. For the maki presentation, I felt they should’ve laid out the roll so you could see the filling underneath the topping because if I wanted to see what was inside I’d have to lift the roll in an awkward way and it’s also less aesthetically pleasing. The chopped salad roll and tuna roll was just average, with the exception of the tuna tataki. Last up, the nigiri set! I wish I could name most of these fish, but I can’t remember all of them. Once again, the fish tasted fresh and I liked how they had some fish I’ve never tried before. Presentation was decent and I have no complaints.

Overall, my dining experience was decent, however, the price is where I’d deduct a point. Sushi Hill is relatively expensive compared to your average sushi place and although I like the concept of different sets to try things in smaller portions, I also feel I could get better sushi for the price. I will admit I didn’t order what they're known for because I’m not a huge tuna fan so that may have changed my perspective. I also know some people who enjoy this place. I just personally feel for the price, they could’ve made the presentation better or should have some sort of wow factor where I feel like what I’m paying is worth it. Service was great, but I didn't leave feeling content with the price I paid in comparison...

We frequent Temaki every time we visited Vancouver. We heard that Chef Hil opened his own restaurant so of course we had to check it out and boy it did not disappoint.

We had the omakase and each course was timed perfectly. We asked for rolls since our friends enjoy rolls. We are big eaters so at the end, we said we could eat more and the last 2 tuna add ons were some of my favourites among the night!

1 - kusshi oysters - soooo good with ponzu and shiso. 2 - poached oyster gomae - really well done and refreshing. 3 - tako sunomono - no vermicelli like other Japanese restaurants 4 - tuna gomae - love the hint of wasabi 5 - ankimo tuna - fresh 6 - fresh snapper porridge - so hearty 7 - oyster motoyaki with caviar - best I have ever had. I normally don’t like motoyaki but even the mushroom inside had so much flavour! 8 - chu toro - amazing quality 9 - torched o toro - melts in your mouth 10 - king salmon aburi 11 - king salmon roll 12 - BC roll 13 - tuna carpaccio - my fave!!! 14 - negitoro & tuna tatami nigiri - sooo good! 15 - panna cotta - to die for!!! So creamy and velvety

$125/per person is a steal for the quality and quantity we received. Such an amazing experience, Chef Hil never disappoints. The service was attentive and friendly. Since the space is small, reservation is highly...