I made a reservation on Resy to Omakase Room by Tadayoshi where I enjoyed a 20-course omakase for…read more$200. There were only two others at my reservation time, so it was a pretty intimate experience. We all made small talk about the unbearable DC humidity and our weather preferences. Once the meal began, the chatting ceased, which I was fine with. Throughout the courses, the chef would briefly mention what we're eating, but nothing too specific.
SHU-SAI
We started our omakase with five Japanese-style small dishes:
* Kanpachi with sesame sauce - Texture was phenomenal -- soft and practically melted in my mouth. The sesame sauce paired well but overpowered the fish's subtle flavor.
* Daikon with miso sauce - Refreshing and flavorful, the daikon soaked up the miso nicely, but the piece was so large that it was hard to get much sauce in each bite.
* Spinach & anchovy salad - Anchovies added a pleasant sea flavor, but the dashi dressing leaned saltier than I would've liked.
* Pike eel - Just okay. Really didn't like the texture.
* Chawanmushi with marinated crab - Warm and packed with lots of crab, but I was hoping for more depth from the dashi. A bit bland.
Before we got started with the nigiri, the chef explained that we'd be enjoying two different rice styles throughout the meal. We sampled both modern and traditional-style rice on its own before trying it as nigiri.
NIGIRI WITH MODERN-STYLE RICE
The rice itself was warm, soft, and slightly more acidic from the blend of two vinegars.
* Ika (squid): Fresh with a pleasant chew, the wasabi was balanced nicely.
* Kanpachi (amber jack): Smooth and delicate, but I would've preferred it without the pickled turnip.
* Kisetsu no sakana (seasonal fish): The seasonal fish was skipjack, which I've never had. It was buttery, fresh, and subtle -- one of my favorites.
* Masu Saikyo-Zuke (miso-marinated trout): Ridiculously buttery and smooth, instant melt-in-your-mouth experience. The miso was a bit gritty, but it complimented the trout well.
* Mini Donburi (small rice bowl): This was topped with uni, ikura, and scallops. Excellent rice bowl, but small. Uni was velvety, ikura was clean and not overly fishy, and scallops tasted like it just got shucked off the shell.
OWAN
In between modern and traditional-style nigiri, we enjoyed prawn with dashi broth topped with enoki mushroom. It was simple but comforting, I enjoyed the stronger dashi flavor here.
NIGIRI WITH TRADITIONAL-STYLE RICE
The rice itself tasted a bit more dry and was the savory end, with the acidity coming through later.
* Madai (red snapper): Delicate and pleasant, pretty typical.
* Kisetsu no sakana (seasonal fish): The seasonal fish was horse mackerel, which was rich and buttery with a savory finish. Cleaner and less aggressively briny compared to other mackerels.
* Akami (lean tuna): This was okay. It had a weird aftertaste that I don't like in most tunas.
* Toro (fatty tuna): Soft and rich, but it didn't quite melt in my mouth the way I expected.
* Makimono (sushi roll): This was a tuna handroll with some shiso wrapped in. It added a refreshing herbal note that worked well.
SOUP
The miso soup was nice and warm, slightly acidic from the fermentation. Very clean tasting.
WAGASHI
For dessert, we were served a pair of Japanese jelly desserts. I peronally preferred the roasted green tea for its deep roasted flavor, while the red bean had an interesting contrast between the smooth jelly and the gritty bean paste.
While some of the courses were a bit hit-or-miss for me, the fish quality was good and fresh. However, my biggest issue was the pacing. From my first bite to my last bite was just 55 minutes, which left very little time to appreciate each course. I barely finished the toro before the tuna roll was already in front of me. Instead of savoring each bite, it felt like I was constantly trying to keep up.
The chef was fairly quiet throughout the meal, which didn't bother me as much. The server, however, offered very little interaction beyond delivering and clearing dishes and came across disengaged. While the service was efficient, it lacked the warmth and hospitality I'd expect from a $200 omakase experience.
Looking over at the counter, many of the pieces had already been sliced in advance. By the time we got to dessert, the chef was already preparing fish for the next seating. At this price point, I expected a more relaxed omakase experience.
There were several memorable bites, such as the miso-marinated trout, mini donburi, and horse mackerel. Unfortunately, the misses, rushed pacing, and impersonal service kept the overall experience from living up to the price.