Today, it is becoming more frequent to hear the term “omakase.” Omakase menus are gaining popularity globally, and many restaurants offer these menus not only for sushi but also for Japanese cuisine in general.
This article will help you learn about the basics of omakase and what you need to know about it as a chef.
What is Omakase?
Even though you have heard of the term, you may not know what it originally meant. Omakase literally translates to “I’ll leave it up to you.” This means an omakase menu is a chef-curated menu. Because of that aspect, it provides an intimate dining experience between chefs and customers.
History of Omakase Dining
In the 1990s in Japan, the omakase-style started to attract attention in the gastronomic scene. Against the backdrop of the bubble era in the country around that time, people began to seek fine dining experiences at restaurants. The boom in omakase-style dining was a tailwind for sushi chefs. Knowing what best to offer during the season, chefs could curate a menu for customers based on what they had prepared on the day. This helped them to minimize the food waste. Also, it allowed customers to taste a variety of flavors and textures.
Thus, this style has been a great way to satisfy both ends ever since.
Why Is It Popular?
Now we know how the omakase-style dining originated, let’s see how it has evolved.
Many factors contribute to the popularity of omakase, one of which is dining situations. For example, when using a high-end restaurant for business dining or group dinners, it is not convenient to order a la carte. Therefore, omakase works in customers’ favor because they leave it to the chef to serve whatever the chef has prepared.
In the past, sushi restaurants served mainly sushi connoisseurs as their primary clientele. Gradually, however, upscale restaurants began to offer omakase menus that included high-priced sushi items. The prevalence of menus with a higher price range allowed the restaurants to attract wealthier customers.
Since then, omakase has made fine dining more accessible to more people, not just the wealthy. It is sometimes difficult for people unfamiliar with fine dining restaurants to know what to order a la carte. However, the style can completely eliminate this problem, allowing them to relax and enjoy fine dining without the pressure of choosing dishes. This has led to an increasing number of customers trying omakase menus.
Omakase Experience
In omakase, a chef prepares sushi in front of customers. Generally, the chef handles the fish of the season and serves the sushi during a 1-2 hour period while interacting with the customers and observing their reactions.
The Michelin Guide states, “Dining omakase means being face-to-face with the chef, who will gauge your reaction and help guide you toward the best possible experience.” Restaurants that meet these criteria and receive high ratings may earn the Michelin star.
What is Special about Omakase?
The distinctive situation where customers watch a chef create sushi in front of them and are served by the chef firsthand is an unparalleled experience. Also, conversing with the chef about their personal stories and descriptions of the menu, delivered directly from them, will add a special and unique aspect to the dining experience.
As you can see from the characteristics described so far, the omakase style puts the chef’s skills to the test to the fullest. So, an omakase chef has to take responsibility for delivering the finest dining experience to their customers by serving the best sushi.
Customers place absolute trust in their chef, and the chef makes the fine dining experience worth the price or even more in the few hours before the customer leaves.
Learn More with MJCA!
Success in Omakase dining is how you can create trust with your customers and offer tradition. It might seem like a long journey, but the academy is here to help you achieve the goal.
In fact, our former student Bobby brought us great news the other day. He is now an Omakase chef looking to open his restaurant in Norway! He will have a bright future as an omakase chef with the first omakase restaurant in the city of Bergen. You can check his testimonial here if you are interested in his experience with us.
We look forward to welcoming you with our Sushi Masterclass –Foundation– and –Advanced– courses. These courses are also available in our Grand Membership Plus, where you can access all current and future courses (note: a certificate or live sessions with a master chef are not included in the plan).
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