if you've seen the documentary "jiro dreams of sushi". This is the trend started by Jiro in a subway station in Tokyo. The customer comes in and the chef serves him a tasting menu of sushi items and other small bites. Omakase sushi experience. This is the first one of it kind in Montreal. 275$ per person. Arrive on time, dinner starts on time if you're late you miss out...
As we arrive they take our coats and get us seated, instructions are given about phones and pictures, no flash and silent phones.
we are seated around a rectangular u shaped bar, we were 11-12 but it can seat 15-16.The open kitchen behind the bar is curtained, when dinner starts the drums roll and the curtains rise slowly, the show is about to start.
The whole meal is an experience, an orchestrated dance of balanced service with attention on detail and precision. the meal lasted two hours, and service flowed never stalling. it was never rushed but before you know it, it was over. And you pay and leave, no lingering... it's a bit rigid and structured.
I very much enjoyed the experience as a whole, though the food, some of it was amazing, some were just ok, and then a few i din't like... though at 28 servings, it's practically impossible to please everyone on every dish. A matter of taste and opinions, the cooking was on point and the ingredients were fresh and of high quality.
I have posted pictures of every dish below, and a small impression of each dish... marked with * to *** depending on how much i liked the dish. Mostly the one * is because I don't like the ingredients or dish not because it wasn't good. A few dishes got no star hihi.
Dicon and mollusk: nice contrast in texture *
Chawanmushi with crab: soft and subtle and sweet crab flavour ***
Bonito sashimi: like tuna but firmer *
Trumpet fish: good texture *
Japanese hairy crab: crab is delicate and sweet **
Yellowfin maguro: soft texture melts in your mouth ***** best dish
Fish roe wrapped in shiso fried: like the shiso, fish roe weird *
Belt fish carpaccio with turnip: mild flavour sweet broth *
Uni two ways: love uni but nothing new here **
Black cod white ginger root: very subtle seasoning, good contrast ***
Golden eyed snapper: good texture ***
Mackerel in vinegar: Don't like mackerel *
Amberjack Shabu shabu kampachi: good fish nice sauce **
Fried lobster with hidalgo citrus: good contrast, fresh lobster, nice subtle citrus flavour, delicate and refined ***
Sea weed broth miso soup: good miso, again just miso *
Fluke with monkfish liver: expected a good contrast, but didn't get it *
Miso and black bean and cucumber: Looked simple tasted really good ***
Japanese sweet potato with butter: rich, sweet, comforting and satisfying ***
Torched Hokkaido scallop with miso: smokey flavour, nice contrast and well seasoned ***
Otoro tuna: so good ***
King salmon wrapped in Japanese raffish: nope, vinegar was overpowering, did not like...
Wagyu mustard seed black salt: well seared, too bland *
Donburi salmon otoro rice bonito flake wasabi: nope, fishy roe, fishy salmon, didn't like the contrast...
Salt water eel with roasted sesame seeds: Love eel, the roasted sesame really made this fly ***
Tamaro with white fish: soft texture but too sweet, fish was lost *
bone broth ramen with gold flakes: just broth and ramen. bold uncrowded flavours, deep rich broth and perfect noodles harmonize, unexpectedly amazing, and that's saying much since I don't like ramen that much ***
Matcha opera with Crown melon: Meh, the crown melon supposedly costing 100$ per fruit, was unimpressive, maybe I didn't get a good piece, matcha opera cake and cream layers too dense *
Matcha tea: serve ceremonially, not a fan of matcha *
The most memorable was the yellowfin tuna nigiri, perhaps the best piece of sushi I've ever had. favorties are the Lobster, black cod, eel with sesame, ramen, torched scallop, chawanmushi, and miso black bean cucumber.
I would go back, for special occasions... nice experience. The menu changes periodically. read more