Okini Restaurant & Bar is a Kerrisdale restaurant that offers a menu of West Coast & Japanese flavours, shaped by the shared vision of Chef Kevin Lin and Steph Wan.
Chef Kevin began his career in Vancouver in the early 2000s as a sushi apprentice, later completing formal culinary training and a degree at Les Roches in Switzerland. His path took him through luxury hotel kitchens at the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore and Hong Kong before bringing him back to Vancouver to open Okini. Steph leads the cocktail program, with a clear focus on hospitality and detail, creating drinks that feel thoughtful and accessible.
The menu reads as a reflection of their background, familiar Japanese formats interpreted through a West Coast lens, with careful attention to ingredients and execution.
We started with the Salmon Soba, featuring flame-finished Big Glory Bay salmon set over chilled green tea soba. The noodles were refreshing, while the sesame ponzu added richness. Yuzu tobiko and ikura brought small bursts of salinity that carried through each bite.
Both handrolls highlighted different expressions of salmon. Steph’s Handroll combined Hokkaido uni, ikura, shiso, and barbecue salmon skin, offering a mix of richness and crisp texture. Chef’s Handroll focused on truffle salmon negitoro with ikura and barbecue salmon skin, more savoury in tone and comforting in structure.
The Tempura-Style Unagi with Black Tobiko arrived crisp on the outside, with the tobiko adding contrast in texture and saltiness.
From the noodle section, the A5 Wagyu Tantanmen featured mochi udon in a spicy sesame sauce with minced Miyazaki wagyu and negi. The sauce coated the noodles well, and the wagyu added richness without overwhelming the dish.
The Yarrow Meadows Duck Breast was served with wild mushrooms, baby carrots, a kabocha croquette, and yakiniku gravy. The duck was cooked with care, and the vegetables and croquette made it feel complete as a main.
The Pork Tomahawk, using Fraser Valley bone-in pork, came with karashi grainy mustard and peperonata, offering a satisfying balance of savoury and gentle sweetness.
One of the more indulgent plates was the Kani Risotto, topped with tempura soft shell crab, ikura, edamame, sun-dried tomatoes, and sansho tare over creamy mentaiko risotto. The textures worked well together, and the crab added structure to the dish.
The Kamameshi Mushroom Rice was comforting and aromatic, a quieter dish that suited sharing.
Dessert was the Black Sesame Chocolate Brownie, served with shiratama mochi and kinako gelato. The brownie was rich without being heavy, and the gelato added a nutty finish.
To drink, the Yuzu Ginger Spritz, made with freshly muddled ginger, yuzu juice, and ginger ale, was refreshing and lightly aromatic.
Okini Restaurant & Bar feels considered and personal, a place suited to both relaxed evenings and more intentional meals.
Okini Restaurant & Bar is located at 1864 W 57th Ave, Vancouver, BC.