Ready to dine at a luxurious restaurant but without the option to choose your favorite dishes, unsure of what you will eat, and not knowing the detailed prices of each dish… is one of the defining features of the Omakase dining style.
Recently, a culinary trend has been gaining popularity among Vietnam’s wealthy elite, heavily promoted by artists, and that is Omakase.
In Japanese, Omakase derives from the verb “Makasu” – meaning trust; therefore, it can be understood that omakase means “trust the chef.” It can be said that with omakase, the chef’s decisions are of utmost importance. This also means that the main principle that diners must adhere to when enjoying an omakase meal is: do not order dishes, do not ask for prices, and do not be picky about what is served.
During the meal, you will not be in control; instead, you will completely entrust the experience to the chef. Instead, you can observe the ingredients, witness the chefs at work, wait, and enjoy the dishes served.
When dining in omakase style, diners will not be in control of the experience.
Overall, each meal is like an exciting culinary adventure. Diners are only allowed to request changes if they have allergies.
Where does Omakase originate from?
Contrary to what many people think, omakase is not an age-old tradition spanning centuries.
Before the 1990s in Japan, sushi was quite expensive, often reserved for food connoisseurs and the wealthy. Then the economic bubble occurred, people had more money to spend, and they craved to experience luxurious and expensive items they had never tried, such as sushi.
However, because they had never tried sushi before, they entered restaurants feeling confused and unfamiliar. To help diners save face, restaurant staff introduced “omakase.”
Omakase is very popular among the Japanese because it saves time for indecisive diners. Instead of struggling to choose what is delicious, we “entrust” the decision-making to someone with culinary expertise, namely the chef or restaurant staff.
Secondly, omakase helps diners save face when they experience high-end sushi restaurants for the first time without extensive culinary knowledge. In reality, omakase restaurants are more expensive than regular Japanese restaurants, but this is due to the meticulously crafted dishes and a warm service attitude.
The chefs at omakase restaurants are often regarded as talented artists with the ability to create unlimited culinary experiences. They have a deep understanding of ingredients and mastery of cooking methods to ensure the best taste. The ingredients used are also carefully chosen to ensure freshness and seasonality, so each visit will offer you different dishes.
Dishes are creatively crafted by the chef.
The omakase dining style is not widespread and is highly artistic, which also explains why the cost of an omakase meal is not cheap. Diners will only receive a single bill with the total amount to be paid at the end.
Why is Omakase expensive, yet many people are still willing to spend money to enjoy it?
No need to ponder what to eat
Having to ponder over what to order can diminish part of your dining excitement. However, with the omakase experience, you don’t need to think about this. The chef will randomly serve dishes during your meal.
Chef Katsuhiro Kobayashi – (Photo: Vietcetera).
Experienced chefs
As mentioned above, famous omakase restaurants are often run by highly skilled chefs. They are regarded as culinary artists because they can satisfy the tastes of all diners.
The element of surprise
You will not know in advance what the restaurant will serve, which adds an element of surprise, excitement, and curiosity to the meal. This dining style caters to the desire for a surprising experience among food enthusiasts.
