TL;DR: As of a month into their opening, it's currently $85 for 14 courses with potential…read moresupplements. BYOB for now with some non-alcoholic offerings. There's going to be a lunch option, likely in the summer, with temaki/handrolls. Non-traditional omakase with some unique toppings and very high-quality fish. Rice was well prepared and milder than most omakase, while the ginger was cubed and stronger. The vast majority of fish were from Japan. Best miso soup I've ever had by a mile.
I was at this very new UES omakase last night, with the spot having only been open for 3 weeks. Seating around 24 people, it's currently BYOB and is $85 for 14 courses, not including drinks or their Okonomi menu at the end, consisting of extra bites for between $10 and $20. The inside is dark with clear views of the counter, and the music consisted of 90s and early 2000s at a low volume. Outside of the extras, the menu includes two dishes, followed by 10 pieces of sushi, soup, and then finally a dessert. The service was friendly, with the two sushi chefs having pedigrees at Kappo Masa, Jeju, and Morimoto for our chef, and Ito Tribeca, Kanoyama, Ushiwakamaru, and Shuko for the other chef.
To drink, I didn't bring a bottle of sake, so I had some tea for $5, which turned out to be genmaicha. Even though it was poured frequently, I wish the omakase included tea as part of the price point. In terms of the gari/sushi ginger, it is uniquely cut into cubes and is a bit stronger than usual, with a bit of sweetness, and it was very tasty. After checking my allergies, the meal began, which took around 1 hour and 10 minutes. On a side note, I am pretty positive that one piece was shima aji/stripe jack, but my memory might be mistaken.
1st- Masu/Sakura Trout- Tomato, hanaho/yuzu flower, tomato jus, tosazu dressing. Good quality trout with a slightly sweet dressing complementing the fish.
2nd- Honmaguro/Pacific Blue Fin Tuna- Scallions, ginger-infused dashi. Tuna was slightly rich, while the dressing added a bit of saltiness and herbal flavor. I preferred this slightly as it was bolder.
3rd- Kanpachi/Greater Amberjack- Yuzu kosho, sea salt. Not too much yuzu kosho that it overpowered the fish with a bit of spiciness on the palate and some saltiness at the end. Very tasty.
4th- Hotate/Scallop- Yuzu kosho. The yuzu was lighter here, which I was happy about, while the large Hokkaido Scallop was sweet and tasty. One of my favorite bites of the night. Another person near me who was allergic to scallops got a piece of chutoro/medium fatty tuna, which they loved
5th- Tai/Seabream. The simplest preparation and a good quality tai.
6th- Masunosuke/King Salmon- Yuzu skin. The yuzu skin was my favorite unique offering, helping to reduce the richness of the salmon. Very tasty
7th- Sawara/Spanish Mackerel- Herb puree. The herb puree blended nicely with the slight fishiness of the mackerel. This was also very tasty
8th- Aburi Toro/Torched Fatty Tuna. Barely seared and melted on the tongue. Many people's favorite for a good reason.
9th- Hamachi/Amberjack- Truffle/maitake. Interesting umami mix with the amberjack. Not my favorite topping, but it worked
10th- Botan Ebi/Spot Prawn- Marinated with kombu. This was a giant piece of prawn with a bit of sweetness and a tiny bit of brine. Also had the most texture. Another highlight, even if I couldn't taste the seaweed. I believe the prawn was from Kyushu.
11th- Miyazaki A5 Wagyu- Torched twice. The torching on both sides made it melt even more, but I could still taste the beefy flavor. Delicious, of course.
12th- Negitoro Handroll. I got a bad photo, but this was excellent with a generous amount of fatty tuna. Seaweed had a good texture, and it was perfectly made. I'm looking forward to their handroll place based on this alone.
They then gave us the supplement menu as the sushi was over. I was tempted by the $16 Uni, but decided to only get the $15 Zuwaigani/Snow Crab Handroll. It was delicious and worth the price, with plenty of sweet crab. I slightly preferred the previous handroll, but both were excellent. Another person got the uni, which apparently was from Hokkaido, and it was a gigantic piece that they loved.
13th- Miso Soup- Red and white miso, mushroom, and poached black cod. This was the other unexpected highlight of the meal. The housemade blend included both miso and their dashi, I believe, and had a ridiculous amount of flavor. The mushrooms inside had some crunch, and there was a piece of tender black cod at the bottom. This was the best miso soup I've ever had, bar none.
14th- "Tamagoyaki" Cheesecake. This was a cheeky little dessert at the end, as it resembled the typical ending to an omakase, tamagoyaki, but instead was a miniature piece of cheesecake. Very much Japanese style, not super sweet and airy. Tasty
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here, and I plan on going back. Hopefully, they don't change the price too soon.