Found this cute little Omakase place hiding around the corner and made a reservation online. This would be my first ever Omakase. Deposit was €20 non-refundable and full set of weekday menu of Omakase was €100, with additional charges for drinks and extra offerings.
Came in on a rainy Wednesday afternoon and the place was open in time to let us in. Eight seats in total, simplistic and delicate Japanese style décor, very attentive and friendly waitresses, and soothing music and lighting. Bathroom was very clean as well. Chef carefully did all the prep work and sliced all the fishes on the spot. Waitress recommended a great sake (Japanese rice wine), Urakasumi (浦霞), to go with the menu.
Appetizer: sliced fried parsnip with sesame, and marinated leeks with fried tofu slices. Personally I preferred the leeks for its more pickled flavor and the more complex texture with the tofu.
Warm dish: steamed egg custard. Nicely seasoned, slightly briny with seaweed flavor, creamy eggs, also had bouncy steam prawns and slices of sweet mushrooms inside, adding to the overall texture.
Sashimi: turbot and salmon. Salmon was creamy and the fattiness was spot-on, had that oily texture but neither too overwhelming or too chewy. Turbot was excellent, flavor was a combination of sweetness and briny, silky texture melted in the mouth like steamed tofu.
Main courses: consisted of 12 pieces of nigiri (sushi), served with chef's swipes of soy sauce, lemon, and/or salt. Wasabi was hand-made on the spot grated with real wasabi roots.
Sea bream - served with a touch of salt, refreshing, texture was bouncy.
Seabass - a bit brinier and nuttier than sea bream.
Pickled mackerel - pickling was done perfectly, had that vinegar flavor but not overly sour, flaky texture of mackerel was maintained well, smooth, not coarse like the cheap canned products.
Prawn - tasted fresh and sweet, but maybe just a touch too much of boil, so the texture was slightly chewy and not as bouncy as imagined.
Cured turbot - compared to fresh turbot in the sashimi, a bit more briny taste, texture slightly firmer.
Medium fatty tuna (Chi-toro) - probably the best Chi-toro I've ever had. Gamey taste of tuna, melted quickly in the mouth.
Hamachi - nice, you can taste the difference between this and the cheaper products in cheaper Japanese places.
Salmon - as good as the sashimi.
Rare cut turbot - a bit more sinew than the previous two pieces, packed a bite, also nuttier.
Bluefin tuna belly (O-toro) - another "best ever" moment. Clearly fattier and oilier than the Chi-toro, melted even quicker, gamey tasted lasted very long in mouth.
Salmon caviar gunkan - hand-rolled with crispy seaweed slices. Nice.
Japanese style egg omelette - tasted like a foamy and sweet piece of cake, sweet and eggy.
At the end of the main course, waitress asked if I wanted extra nigiri for additional charges. Of course I would not let the opportunity slip by. Ordered an extra piece of bluefin tuna belly.
Soup: fish stock miso soup. Tasted nice, packed with miso and seaweed flavor, a bit of lingering seafood brininess as well.
Dessert: matcha ice cream, very well made. Clear green tea flavor naturally, but also had a hint of roasted/smoky flavor inside, while still packing that buttery and silky texture and milky flavor of ice cream.
Overall: wonderful experience for my first ever Omakase. The only slight slip was the prawn nigiri. Everything else was splendid. read more