Who’s Behind It
Chef-Owner Darren MacLean, Shokunin Collective.
What’s on the Menu
Japanese-style izakaya with rare sake offerings.
Why We Love This Place
The soundtrack of eclectic street beats, manga-esque murals and outstanding Japanese-inspired cuisine hits all the right notes in Shokunin, chef Darren MacLean’s 50-seat izakaya-inspired restaurant on 4th Street S.W. in Mission. At this yakitoria, the kitchen butchers more than 30 locally sourced free-range chickens daily to create skewers of everything from thyroid and knees, to the more familiar thighs and wings. Extremely popular, the yakitori offerings sell out fast.
Elsewhere on the menu is a melt-in-your-mouth bison tataki and a buttermilk chicken karaage expertly fried to crispy perfection. The always-in-season sushi offerings made with Ora King salmon from New Zealand, Haidacore tuna and a signature white sablefish from B.C. are beautifully presented and impeccably fresh — paired with house-ground Canadian wasabi, each bite is truly rewarding.
Unable to rest on his laurels, MacLean debuted last fall what is certain to become his new star menu item: AAAAA5 Japanese wagyu, dry-aged in locally sourced beeswax and cold-smoked in-house. The process, unique to Shokunin, required a renovation in order to install the dry-aging equipment.
The bar’s excellent range of sakes (many of which are exclusive to Shokunin in North America), Japanese beers and skillfully crafted cocktails complete the dining experience — unless, that is, you saved room for the ethereal sake kasu tiramisu with sake caramel. Shokunin is a sustainably run Canadian-born homage to Japanese cuisine that continues to showcase its chef’s impeccable standards to a clientele that is always hungry for more.
2016 4 St. S.W. 403-229-3444, shokuninyyc.ca, @shokuninyyc