THE LOBBY LOUNGE & RAWBAR

In the early '70s, Japanese cuisine, especially sushi, was foreign to most Vancouverites. Fast forward to 2017: the city has embraced sushi with open arms. It is home to 600 sushi eateries and counting. In fact, Vancouver was the first Canadian city to introduce Japanese cuisine, earning its title as the sushi capital of North America. Judging by the crowds that head to The Lobby Lounge and RawBar at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, sushi remains as popular as ever. Heading the open-concept kitchen is sushi master Takayuki (Taka) Omi.

“Sushi is simply a combination of three or four ingredients, but what makes superior sushi is the ingredients you use,” Taka explains. Japanese born, Taka earned his culinary degree in Tokyo. Before long he was honing his chops working at the Yamaha Resort in Tsumagoi, Japan. In 1997, the talented chef was invited to work at Toronto’s famed Fairmont Royal York.  Thirteen years later, drawn by B.C.’s rich seafood bounty, Taka moved west.

“Sushi is all about freshness and B.C. is rich with a wonderful selection of fish, like salmon, Albacore tuna, halibut and sablefish. Which as a sushi chef, is a dream,” Taka explains. His enthusiasm for producing "top notch" sushi and introducing unique plates has put The Lobby Lounge and RawBar among the top-ranked sushi restaurants in Vancouver.