While its Japanese origin makes the word seem to appear more elegant or formal, in essence the concept of “omakase” is simply something along the lines of “chef’s choice.” In translation, the word means “I’ll leave it up to you” based on the verb to “entrust” in Japanese; so you could say, that it means something like “I trust you to serve me a delicious meal.”
In practice, choosing omakase in a Japanese restaurant rather than selecting from an á la carte menu, means that you will allow the chef to serve you dishes as he or she thinks most appropriate. In the best restaurants, omakase will deliver a crafted voyage of flavors as the chef balances dishes, usually from lighter dishes to heavier, harmonizing a range of flavors, textures, aromas and creative presentation.
Chef’s Choice or Chef’s Specials
Similar to the western concept of chef’s specials, omakase dining experiences will generally favor the freshest ingredients and those that are in season locally. Japanese chefs will use it as an opportunity to be innovative and creative, often serving surprising selections of ingredients. You can usually expect to be served the highest quality products and the most thoughtfully prepared combinations. The advantage of omakase is that you have a totally authentic experience rather than ordering the “safe” options on the menu that you might otherwise choose. Omakase is certainly a way to get diners eating outside of the box.
Omakase at Hiroshi in Puerto Vallarta
The Omakase chef’s table experience hosted by Hiroshi restaurant at Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta in June this year will be presenting four chefs from some of the top sushi restaurants: Katana, SUSHISAMBA, barMASA and Katsuya. The mission is to inspire your taste buds and take you on a sensual voyage, as you hand over your trust and your palate to the guest chef. Each week in June, a different sushi chef will join the 5 Diamond-rated hotel to create a tempting set menu for guests to try at the restaurant as well as complement Hiroshi’s menu with signature dishes.
Click here for more information about Omakase – a chef’s table experience.
