Omakase

Omakase means "It's up to you" (from Japanese 任す, entrust). It's when the patron leaves the choice of dish up to the chef himself. Last night, Lima Bean and I celebrated the last day of his Birth Week with his actual present. An Omakase experience at Shira Nui. Chef Hiro Nishikura's Omakase comprises dishes made up of two pieces of sushi or sashimi, served at just-the-right moment, although, depending on how hungry you are, you can stop any time. This style of dining allows Nishikura to show off his considerable skill.T he chef will generally present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to heaviest, richest dishes. Omakase is not exclusive to the serving of raw dishes and simmering and frying is also an option.

The implied undertone of Omakase is that the chef will use the very best ingredients at his disposal, and his very finest skills to present you with a perfect morsel of food.

And Nishikura did not disappoint. From the very first dory seasoned lightly with lemon juice and salt, via marinated tuna on sweet yam and wakame, with a taste-gasm segue to peppered seared Wagu, gliding home through red clams to the pinnacle of the experience, the fried oyster, every single piece of the Omakase menu was exquisite.

I have a photo of every dish, but with Lima Bean pretty much yelling at me "Put down the camera and eat", some of them were pretty dodgy.

Lima and I, being the ridiculously obsessive foodies that we are, pretty much talked about nothing except flavours and textures and mouthgasms all night.

The highlight of the event MUST be the final portion, a perfectly fried oyster, wrapped in nori, seasoned with light soy. Every single thing.. from the temperature at service, to the creaminess of the texture was perfect.

I simply cannot rave about this highly enough. The service was perfect, the food sublime.