Summer solstice plant based tasting menu with Japanese tea pairing

5-course, 7-element tasting menu with tea pairing created in collaboration with Tsuen Tea, Japan’s oldest tea house (est. 1160)
About this Event

Price includes 5 courses, tea-based drinks, and gratuity.(2hours experience)

Created in collaboration with Tsuen Tea, Japan’s oldest tea house (est. 1160), this menu features this year’s Shincha, the season’s first tea harvest alongside a series of tea-based drinks and mocktails.

5-course, 7-element tasting menu explores early summer ingredients, drawing from both Japanese and New Nordic ideas. The menu highlights foraged ingredients and seasonal harvest vegetables, presented through fermentation, preservation, and contemporary techniques.

All courses are plant-based, gluten free.

June 28 only.

Limited seats.

-Menu-

Cold brew tea : Karigane tea

-Amuse

Zucchini flower tempura

Candied Fuki stems or burdock bunch

Turnip cup

-Appetizer

Sea asparagus & cucumber,rhubarb, Pickled elder flower and black currant oil, fermented young blueberry salad

Hot tea : shincha

-Main

Umami roasted Cabbage,peas, Black currant miso sauce, savoury crumble, rice

-Pallet changer

Green granita

Mocktail : Matcha and clarified amazake

-Dessert

Anmitsu 2026

Fig leaf Blue Japanese jelly, cherry, chocolate bean paste ice cream

Tomoko Tahara
Chef | Food culture Researcher | Founder of Mæst Food
Tomoko Tahara is a Vancouver-based chef with over a decade of experience in ethical, plant-based cooking.

Her culinary work focus on sustainable, seasonal ingredients, often foraged or sourced from local farms, using fermentation or other unique technique and is guided by a deep respect for technique, culture, and nature.

Tomoko has honed her skills at some of Vancouver’s most respected restaurants, including AnnaLena, Published on main, and The Acorn. She also served as head chef at Harken Coffee, where her inventive, ingredient-focused approach brought a new perspective to plant-based cafe.Her training includes an internship at Inua(closed by pandemic)—the Tokyo-based sister restaurant to Noma—and two terms at the MAD Academy in Copenhagen (2022 & 2024), where she further developed her focus on sustainability, fermentation, and leadership in the kitchen.

Feedback from past guests:

“Mæst Food offers one of the most thoughtful plant-based dining experiences in Vancouver — seasonal, creative and deeply considered.”
— Alicia, Vancouver

“Tomoko’s cooking is incredibly innovative and beautifully executed. Every detail feels intentional, creating an intimate and memorable experience.”
— Jace, Vancouver

“Wonderful and creative vegan gastronomy. A rare and much-needed addition to Vancouver’s food scene.”
— Dali, Vancouver

“Thoughtful, inventive and unlike anything else plant-based events in Vancouver. Every Mæst dinner feels intimate, memorable and beautifully executed.”

— Erin, Vancouver

“I first discovered Tomoko’s cooking at Harken Coffee, where her thoughtful, deeply satisfying food was as memorable as the space itself. Years later, I attended one of her tasting menu experiences and was equally impressed.

Tomoko’s cuisine brings together foraged ingredients, seasonal vegetables, fermentation, and contemporary technique through a uniquely Japanese perspective. Every dish is carefully considered, beautifully presented, and full of unexpected flavours.

Beyond the food, the experience creates a genuine sense of connection and hospitality, making each tasting menu feel personal, memorable, and unlike a conventional restaurant meal.”

ー Brandon, Vancouver, BC