Johnny W.
Yelp
So let's start off with its service. Louis and Isabelle were very friendly, warm, attentive, and kind, occasionally socializing with us diners and refilling our complimentary sake/water without being asked to. This shows how they want to provide us diners with the best and most comfortable dining experience possible. The head chefs were also very sweet and started our experience off drinking some sake with all of us, which I thought was fun and warm-hearted! Service is 5 stars without a doubt. Please keep in mind that they are still in the process of modifying their menu so you may or may not experience the same dishes that I am posting about.
First - Oyster with ponzu, sesame oil and chives. 3/10
Although the oyster was fresh, the sesame oil that accompanied it was so overpowering that it completely masked the ponzu, which made the overall oyster a lot less citrusy and more sesame oily.
Second - Miso soup with leek, shiitake mushroom and shrimp. 4/10
This unfortunately wasn't anything too special, was just miso soup with little bits (1-2 small piece) of shrimps.
Third - King salmon with chili oil, chives, tobiko and fried onion. 8/10
Aesthetically pleasing and delicious as well! The smoked component of the dish was unique and infused the king salmon perfectly. The fried onions were a delicious addition to the dish and complimented the soft king salmon deliciously!
Fourth - Soft shelled crab with cauliflower purée and pickled cucumber. 9/10
The soft shell crab was so delicious and paired greatly with the soft cauliflower purée, which was so smooth it tasted kind of like mashed potato haha. By far, the soft shelled crab is my favorite!
Fifth - Fluke with ponzu I guess? 6/10
You can definitely taste the ponzu and the fluke was fresh. It was tiny, however, and because of its small portion, I couldn't really make out its taste that well.
Sixth - Bluefin tuna carpaccio with wasabi and yuzu. 8.5/10
Very fresh bluefin tuna, which was fatty enough that it paired greatly with the yuzu sauce and wasabi! I liked this a lot, but I think they can enhance this dish even more by using a bit of soy sauce to bring out its umami!
Seventh - Shima aji with preserved vegetable. 7/10
Very meaty and fresh shima aji, where the preserved vegetable brings out its otherwise plain flavor. The sushi rice that accompanied it was delicious, perfectly balanced with its vinegar and sweetness!
Eighth - Wild caught salmon. 6/10
This was hard to grade because the freshness of it was impeccable, but there was either none or a very mild droplet of soy sauce brushed on. Hence there were nothing bringing out and enhancing the incredible freshness of the salmon. Hope they can either give a little bit more or provide the diners an opportunity to put their own.
Ninth - Langoustine Shrimp with beurre blanc sauce. 10/10
It comes with a cream sauce (beurre blanc) that paired with it perfectly, which adds a non-Asian twist to the dish. Would totally order another one if possible, that's how good it was!
Tenth - Madai fish from Shiba, Japan. 5/10
Once again, they may have been a little light handed on the soy sauce. Fish was fresh as well, but the lack of soy sauce didn't bring out the fish's flavors. Easy fix!
Eleventh - Baby Marilyn - chefs unique creation with scallop and chef's unique sauce that can only be found here. 10/10
This was both a fun and delicious dish to eat, for the head chef came around torching our scallops one at a time until we hear a crackle, signaling the perfect timing to eat it! It was extremely delicious and the sauce tasted both like a creamy Mayo/butter infused fish roe. A definite must-keep so please don't take it out of your Omakase menu!
Twelfth - O-Toro tuna with Santa Barbara uni. 10/10
The name says it all, can't really go wrong with seared o-toro and uni! Maybe this is a me thing, but because I ate the whole thing in a bite, I could only taste the o-toro and not the uni; may taste better as two separate bites!
Thirteenth - Sea eel from Japan. 5/10
The sea eel was fresh but kind of too bland to my liking unfortunately; maybe a little sprinkle of sea salt may help bring out its natural flavors and freshness! (:
Fourteenth and last - gooseberries infused with sake, mirin, and fresh cream! 10/10
Very unique dessert and my first time trying gooseberries. The cream was so fresh that it really complimented the sake-infused gooseberries! You can't get this kind of dessert anywhere else, so I hope you can try it!
Our overall experience was an interesting one and definitely an omakase experience that varied creatively than many others. There's some areas where they can improve upon, and some where they shined incredibly blindingly. There are some special dishes that you simply can't get anywhere else, and that's where they give you the best, delicious experience. I hope they will continue to grow and come up with new, unique, and memorable dishes!