Hailing from the Miyazaki prefecture in Japan, Seigo Nakamura stands as the visionary behind Aburi Restaurants Canada.
Over a decade ago, Seigo found himself drawn to Vancouver, having “fallen in love with the city since [his] first visit”. Inspired by Vancouver’s summer skies, which reminded him of his eldest daughter’s name, he christened his first restaurant “Miku” as a homage to her.
From a single establishment to a culinary empire spanning across Vancouver, Toronto, and Tokyo, Seigo’s commitment to innovation and excellence has been the driving force behind their success. “Downtown Vancouver has been wonderful to us, and it’s been great to see it continue to thrive and grow,” he says.
With downtown Vancouver being so central, it has allowed Aburi Canada to foster a great community here. Although many of their guests are regulars, they have the incredible chance to meet many individuals from around the world, especially during cruise ship season. “We are lucky to have such an amazing waterfront view at Miku,” says Seigo. Since opening Miku in 2008, ABURI has opened a sister restaurant, Minami, in Yaletown, as well as WA-Bagel in the heart of the financial district. He states that the goal of ABURI is to “create innovative and unique culinary experiences by merging Japanese culture and food with fresh, local ingredients to create Japanese cuisine that is loved by locals”. “Aburi,” meaning “flame-seared,” symbolizes transformation, like searing enhances sushi and creates a brand-new experience. Helping pioneer the Aburi Oshi Sushi trend in Vancouver, no one quite understood it at first, but after one bite, it became an instant hit.
With the start of the pandemic, they quickly turned “adversity into opportunity” and started their take-out and delivery services immediately. Later, they opened Aburi Market, a premium Japanese grocery, and Aburi To-Go, Vancouver’s first “aburi grocerant” (grocery + restaurant). With “innovation being the foundation of everything they do,” Seigo is always thinking of new ideas. “Enjoying good food and having conversations around the world inspire me,” he says. “My life has always been involved in food. I want to enrich people’s lives and make people’s lives better through great food, excellent service, and innovative concepts.”
Check out our review of WA-Bagel here. Both Miku and WA-Bagel are located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, call or make a reservation for Miku online..
