Tracy C.
Yelp
Omakase........oh my died n gone to seafood Heaven! What a triumph of a meal we experienced. Is it expensive? A tad at $160 per person, but superior quality seafood is shipped fresh from Japan along with sake and most of the ingredients (apart from local sweet Molokai shrimp and Big Eye tuna), everything is fresh and made in front of you, and you eat so much you are fit to burst, but all of it is healthy! You can add on a sake tasting along with each course for $65, and there is a secret Chef's add on menu too (it is definitely worth it). We were celebrating a late Father's Day and another couple were celebrating a birthday, so it is definitely a celebration event, or just a treat yourself splurge.
We booked online easily with Opentable.com (please note no strong perfume to be worn), parking is free, and CJ gives you a hearty welcome and settles you in for your Omakase extravaganza, explaining the menu and offering drinks. I plumped for a grapefruit K pop (High Ball in Japan), and hubby who doesn't drink was happy to find non alcoholic choices and chose a Yuzu sparkling drink. Both drinks were refreshing, and CJ kept our water filled up throughout the 2 hour meal- athon.
Omakase is in the main restaurant, which is small, 6 chef's table seats and a table for 4. Outside there is an a la carte area and a takeout window. All the decor is from Japan, minimal and calming, creating the perfect backdrop for Chef's creations. Our menu for the evening was the Chef's choice (Omakase) and he was on fire!
1. Sweet Crab with crunchy pickled cucumber, assorted seaweed
2. Monk fish liver in soy sauce, earthy and rich unctiousness
3. Egg custardy with scallop, crab, shitake and roe, juxtaposition of silky egg and bubbles of roe which burst in your mouth
4. Butterfish marinaded in soy for 6 days with shishito pepper, the fish is incredibly flavoured and soft and the pepper adds crunch
5. Chiba golden eye snapper, a white light but oily fish (the fish is served sushi style from here, starting with the subtlest whites down to the meatier red fish). Soft and sweet with a slight bite from the wasabi
6. Flounder with kombu (sea kelp) marinade, delicious
7. Striped Jack with green onion and ginger chopped topping, slightly crunchy and the Jack is delish
8. Molokai Sweet shrimp, soft yet juicy and so sweet
9. Hokkaido scallop with lemon juice and shiso flower and lemon salt, melt in the mouth scallop with the zing of lemon
10. Sea bass, oh so good
11. Local Big eye tuna with shoyu, sea salt and onion chopped, so proud our local tuna is featured, meaty and moreish
12. Oro blue fin chopped with tuna, The blue fin and tuna are chopped together into a sheet and used in warm nori rolls, crunchy and eat straight away like an ice cream cone
13. Binchotan charcoal seared fish, with sea salt and lemon juice, this was a fave, the smokiness was so delicious and the showmanship was IG worthy. Binchotan charcoal from Japan is white charcoal and very clean burning, used a lot in Japanese cuisine.
14. Miso soup, this was a surprise with the umami depth and richness
15. Chef's special menu items - which I won't spoil for you! Definitely worth ordering though, a gilded experience
16 Mochi - wheat and matcha flavours
Chef announces each course/sake and puts on a show while creating each dish, and the meal takes 2 hours in total. It is a culinary tour de force, one not to be missed, exactly like being in Japan. CJ checks you out and makes sure you are happy and full and gives you a hug as you leave :)
We had a really enjoyable night, full of laughter, culinary showmanship, indescribably good food and so much of it, it was a night to remember and we hope to return to celebrate future happy occasions