P.O.P.’s Triple Threat Omakase Evenings

Every Wednesday evening (and some Thursdays) the culinary team at Post Office Place hosts a progressive, uniquely crafted 15 course Omakase Dinner – an intimate affair with just 12-14 seats and two seatings: 5:30 and 8:00 pm. 

Madai Nigiri

If you’ve forgotten what omakase style dining is all about or you don’t know, here is a brief primer. It’s one of my favorite ways to dine out. 

Omakase is a Japanese dining style where the chef takes full control of the meal, and the guest leaves the selection of dishes up to the chef. The word “omakase” translates to “I leave it up to you,” which perfectly captures the essence of the experience. In an omakase meal, the chef (or chefs) typically serves a multi-course meal that showcases the freshest ingredients of the season, often with an emphasis on high-quality fish in sushi restaurants. The meal is usually prepared right in front of you, allowing for an intimate and interactive dining experience. Each dish is carefully curated and presented in a way that reflects the chef’s expertise, creativity, and personal style.

Razor Clam Nigiri

The types of dishes served can vary depending on the chef’s style, the season, and the ingredients available, but it often includes a variety of sushi, sashimi, appetizers, soups, and sometimes grilled or tempura items. The meal is designed to be a sensory journey, with flavors building and complementing one another throughout the course of the omakase meal.

Brendan Kawakami, Brice Okubo & Takaski Gibo

In many cases, the omakase experience is paired with drinks, such as sake, wine, or other beverages selected by the chef to complement the flavors of the meal.The omakase evenings at Post Office Place offer up a culinary triple threat, bringing together an uber talented trio of chefs: Brendan Kawakami from Post Office Place, and Takashi Gibo and Brice Okubo from Takashi. The opportunity to enjoy 15 food courses from this crack team is unparalleled. 

Oyster

Menu items change from week to week, with some favorites recurring regularly and others being one-off items. The dishes depicted in this article reflect the omakase evening my wife and I enjoyed in late March, which began quite simply with a raw oyster on the half-shell with myoga mignonette – minced shallots with vinegar and sharp tasting myoga ginger, a terrific appetite stimulant. 

Loho Ahumado

The oyster starter was followed by one of two meat dishes during omakase night: Loho Ahumado. The cuisine at Post Office Place is influenced by that of Peru, including this dish: smoked (ahumado) pork loin on a corn chip bed with aji panca (Peruvian red pepper paste) and pickled red onion.

Sashimi

Sashimi – raw fish without rice – is a staple of omakase dining, and the sashimi course at Post Office Place was exceptional: kinmedai with homemade pickles. Kinmedai is a deep-sea fish prized in Japanese cuisine for its delicate, tender flesh and mild, umami flavor. This version was outstanding. 

Roasted Cabbage

One of the more innovative dishes of the evening was Roasted Cabbage – a cabbage dish that would appeal to folks who don’t normally like cabbage. The charred cabbage was served with chai nduja butter and pepita green goddess sauce. 

Sawara Nigiri

The next five courses were a quintet of nigiri – raw fish on a rice bed – beginning with Razor Clam with kumquat and yuzu kosho. The Razor Clam was followed by firm textured Hiramasa – aka Yellowtail Amberjack – with burnt habanero and lime. 

Hon Maguro Nigiri

Next up was Madai nigiri – also called Tai or Sea Bream – with kombu maki and burnt cherry blossom. That was followed by Sawara (Spanish Mackerel) with pickled mustard seed and nikiri sweet soy sauce and finally, Hon Maguro – highly prized (and expensive) Bluefin Tuna – known for its creamy fat content, served here with thin-sliced takuan pickle and onion sprouts. The Hon Maguro is melt-in-the-mouth delicious. 

60 Celcius Egg

The 10th course was very unique and scrumptious, called simply 60 Celsius Egg. It was a bowl of luscious charred onion broth with a soft-cooked egg, wakame kelp, crispy and spicy Happy Lady Sauce, and sprinkled with faro. I absolutely loved this dish and hope it finds its way onto the regular Post Office Place or Takashi menu. 

Temaki

With the 11th course we were headed toward home with Temaki – a seared scallop served taco-style where nori served as the taco shell, with aji panca sauce and negi (similar to spring onions). 

Firefly Squid Yakitori

Yakitori is common in Japanese omakase and the yakitori dish the night we visited was Firefly Squid Yakitori with sumiso – a simple sauce made of miso, vinegar and sugar – and lardo – cured fatback. 

Chilean Sea Bass

A highlight of the evening was a tender and tasty Chilean Sea Bass filet with a heavenly broth of uni and dashi, poured onto the fish right at the table. 

Wagyu Coulotte

The Sea Bass was followed by the second meat course of the evening, and the final savory dish: Wagyu Coulotte steak with a clever quince mole sauce, crispy sunchoke chips, and preserved lemon chimichurri – an exquisite dish. 

Mango Mousse

The finale for Omakase night at Post Office Place was a Mango Mousse that was anything but standard, with mango kakigori, shikuwasa (a citrus fruit from Okinawa) granita, and jasmine shortbread crumble. Wow. 

The 15-course Omakase experience at Post Office Place is priced at $135 per person plus tax and gratuity, with a non-refundable $50 deposit required to secure a seat. Each reservation is for one person, so multiple deposits are needed for additional guests. The deposit is applied to the final bill, and beverages will be available for purchase on the night of the dinner. (No BYOB allowed.) Information and reservations can be made via the Post Office Place Instagram page. Upcoming omakase evenings are happening April 16, 17, 23, 24, and 30.

Photos by Ted Scheffler

Culinary quote of the week: “Sushi is not just food; it’s an art form, an experience.” – Francis Mallmann