The exclusivity of omakase

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Naftoor

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This seems to be the closest applicable section of the forums. I didn’t see any prior topics on the subject, so I figured I may as well learn something from the hive mind today.

For the last 3-4 years, I’ve been gobbling down every video on omakase I find. From irritating YouTube reviewers (read: all of them), to deep dives for a particular restaurant by larger media channels like bon appetit, to subtitled tours of locations in Japan. Ironically, I’ve never tried one and I frankly don’t even know if it would be to my taste.

Regardless, what I’ve noticed is that the style is ubiquitous in Japan and Japanese cuisine. And it isn’t exclusive to fish; here’s a few that focus on wild game.

What I’ve noticed is that it doesn’t seem to exist in other cuisines, whether that’s pens with as storied of a culinary history as Chinese or French, or ones that have frequently cross pollinated with Japanese cuisine like Korean.

So why is that? At first I thought maybe it’s due to the Japanese focus on quality of ingredients and the importance of a chef being free to improvise on the fly to show them off, but as anyone’s who’s been told “aCtUaLlY champagne iS a rEgIoN~” could tell you that the French take such things seriously as well.

Is it the focus on small plates? That seems ideal for something like a Spanish style tapas variation.

The low in-service prep time required allowing you to maximize the amount of dish variety you can get to the consumer? It seems a variation focused on various forms of sausage could suit German culture or spring rolls in Vietnamese culture.

Clearly I’m missing something, so why do you think the style of dining has never taken ahold in other cuisines?
 
Naftoor said:
This seems to be the closest applicable section of the forums. I didn’t see any prior topics on the subject, so I figured I may as well learn something from the hive mind today.

For the last 3-4 years, I’ve been gobbling down every video on omakase I find. From irritating YouTube reviewers (read: all of them), to deep dives for a particular restaurant by larger media channels like bon appetit, to subtitled tours of locations in Japan. Ironically, I’ve never tried one and I frankly don’t even know if it would be to my taste.

Regardless, what I’ve noticed is that the style is ubiquitous in Japan and Japanese cuisine. And it isn’t exclusive to fish; here’s a few that focus on wild game.

What I’ve noticed is that it doesn’t seem to exist in other cuisines, whether that’s pens with as storied of a culinary history as Chinese or French, or ones that have frequently cross pollinated with Japanese cuisine like Korean.

So why is that? At first I thought maybe it’s due to the Japanese focus on quality of ingredients and the importance of a chef being free to improvise on the fly to show them off, but as anyone’s who’s been told “aCtUaLlY champagne iS a rEgIoN~” could tell you that the French take such things seriously as well.

Is it the focus on small plates? That seems ideal for something like a Spanish style tapas variation.

The low in-service prep time required allowing you to maximize the amount of dish variety you can get to the consumer? It seems a variation focused on various forms of sausage could suit German culture or spring rolls in Vietnamese culture.

Clearly I’m missing something, so why do you think the style of dining has never taken ahold in other cuisines?
Click to expand...

There is a Korean hand roll omakase restaurant in Manhattan called Mari. It is amazing.
 
Maybe one sorta distinction is in yakitori omakase you can kind of request stuff (from what I heard). I feel like this is more of a matter of practicality than anything. And substitutions are not impossible in omakase/tasting menu, according to dietary preferences/restrictions/allergies, but it can often just be an omission in that case, especially in Japan.
 
I think a lot of places are doing this now. I think it's a trend that's been percolating for awhile. At least in NYC.

A quick yelp search shows several Korean restaurants offering omakase menus now.

There is a taco omakase

https://ny.eater.com/2023/6/7/23698...al-terminal-basement-dirty-taco-manhattan-nyc
Kosher amakase

https://eastsidefeed.com/food-and-drink/upscale-kosher-omakase-spot-opens-next-month/
French omakase

Restaurant Yuu, an Omakase With a French Approach, Opens in Brooklyn https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/...urant-opening.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
 
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Yeah I suppose a tasting menu gets closest from what I’ve seen in other cuisines.

I’m not hung up on the term, and I don’t necessarily mean places calling themselves omakase since at the end of the day it’s just a word. The spirit of it, seems to be that diners go not having any idea what they’ll be eating outside of a type of food (whether that’s sushi, game, hand rolls etc). Everything is left to the chef which leaves the entire course changing on a nightly basis; my understanding for tasting menus is that they generally stay pretty consistent, with a handful of the dishes being used to flex for a surplus of a good ingredient or due to a lack of another. The idea of omakase seems to take that idea of flexibility and make it the focal point of the meal instead of acting as a fall back. I think an Italian variation could be spectacular, fresh pasta cooks quite quickly and each course could be a single bite to showcase local ingredients and how they can be leveraged with the classical techniques

Looks like I’m behind the times, thanks @stringer !
 
Naftoor said:
Yeah I suppose a tasting menu gets closest from what I’ve seen in other cuisines.

I’m not hung up on the term, and I don’t necessarily mean places calling themselves omakase since at the end of the day it’s just a word. The spirit of it, seems to be that diners go not having any idea what they’ll be eating outside of a type of food (whether that’s sushi, game, hand rolls etc). Everything is left to the chef which leaves the entire course changing on a nightly basis; my understanding for tasting menus is that they generally stay pretty consistent, with a handful of the dishes being used to flex for a surplus of a good ingredient or due to a lack of another. The idea of omakase seems to take that idea of flexibility and make it the focal point of the meal instead of acting as a fall back. I think an Italian variation could be spectacular, fresh pasta cooks quite quickly and each course could be a single bite to showcase local ingredients and how they can be leveraged with the classical techniques

Looks like I’m behind the times, thanks @stringer !
Click to expand...
I'm not really sure about that characterization of omakase. Many places with tasting menu change frequently and many omakase places are actually pretty similar day-to-day. If you go to edomae sushi omakase for example, it's pretty consistent usually except for seasonal items. Even if you go to a few different edomae places in the same season, you will find a lot in common. I think tasting menus will generally have this same constraint with seasonality and item availability. I guess you could say tasting menus often have signature dishes, but it's often true for omakase as well.

I think I do see "taco omakase" as being more analogous to what I think of with omakase, focusing on a specific dish. I don't really see how "French omakase" is different than just a French tasting menu.
 
very common with frequently or daily changing tasting menus. especially in the post bistronomy landscape.

you’ll find an à la carte menu that’s subject for daily change, with the option of having (parts or variants) of it as a tasting menu. super common.

‘omakase’ is in my experience (europe, not japan) a lot of courses – like 20. and bite size. the rice (sushi) comes in late in the meals. 20 courses is more in the vein of the contemporary *** places. neo bistro in paris is often like 7 – and you’ll get crazy good stuff for very reasonable money.

all is good. the last fifteen years has been fun. no rules and lots of inspiration.

i’m not one to tell the chef what to make me – unless in a diner.

.
 
Seems like I had the wrong impression of tasting menus from the YouTube videos I’ve followed; I appreciate you all for opening my eyes!

Also I have some fun new places next time I’m up in NYC. 😀
 
One of the best non Japanese "omakase" meals I ever had was in Spoleto, Italy at a place called Osteria del Matto. No menu, ever. Mama does the cooking. She goes to the market in the morning and just makes food she is inspired to make that day. You go in, order a bottle of wine, and food just comes out. Small little plates. All of them simple and delicious. Seemed like as long as you keep ordering wine, they keep bringing out food. I love that concept, just feed me what's good, no menu. Sometimes the simplest food is the best.

https://italianfoodforever.com/2011/11/losteria-del-matto-italian-home-cooking-at-its-finest/
 
Okay, rant (somewhat related):

Declaring your sushi joint an omakase establishment is a money grab at this point. Tourists are easily impressed by it and it goes hand in hand with comically huge, curved knives and, if you really want to milk the nouveau riche, a bs members only system. Look at Teru sushi for a blueprint.
In an age of fish becoming increasingly unavailable and more expensive, omakase also makes buying a lot easier. If there’s no good Uni you just don’t serve it, no need to tell people you don’t have it.

Omakase in Japanese as a term is only used for sushi. Meat and everything else is a course, or koosu. Declaring it omakase is part of the tourism gold rush.
 
Lurkernomore said:
Omakase in Japanese as a term is only used for sushi
Click to expand...
The founders of this briefly successful outfit were like “imma let you finish but hear me out, what if we did the exact opposite in every way imaginable”

1706844036570.png
 
mengwong said:
The founders of this briefly successful outfit were like “imma let you finish but hear me out, what if we did the exact opposite in every way imaginable”

View attachment 297504
Click to expand...
Yeah, for some reason I don't think "Omakase" and "authentic American smashed burgers" go together.

But maybe I don't understand either? 🤷‍♂️
 
At my current spot, we have a tasting menu. And then another separte "tasting menu" for kitchen table guests. Usually similar to the regular tasting menu, but the chef modifies it depending on ingredients on hand, allergies/food preferences/dislikes/requests, returning customers. If they say they're hungry we'll do heavier courses/protiens or lighter courses with seafood, veg etc if theyre not. The chef will also create special menus for the rare frequent return customers who request it. So I think we offer certain qualities of the omakase experience in a french setting.

I think it's hard logistically and culturally to implement. It takes a certain Chef, business, AND customer to meet in the middle to have an "omakase" experience. The chef has to have creative freedom, the diner has to be open minded, and logistically it has to flow with the service of the business, of which I don't think meet often enough. But I'd personally be interested in seeing more "omakase" experiences in places as wacky as burger and taco joints ha.
 
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