Latest news with #omakase
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Your Hong Kong weekend food guide for June 5-7
June has arrived, which means we are officially halfway through 2025. So far, Hong Kong's F&B scene has not disappointed, with more new menus, seasonal dishes and special events than we can squeeze into our calendars. This week we're spoiled for choice with one new opening, a weekend brunch, a one-night-only dinner, and sustainable seafood dishes. If that's still not enough to tickle your taste buds, our 100 Top Tables Guide 2025 surely will. Thursday, June 5 Guests will witness a captivating performance in the heart of Nobu led by the restaurant's corporate sushi chef Toshiyuki Shiramizu. Photo: Handout Start the weekend early with Nobu Hong Kong's first tuna-cutting ceremony and dinner this Thursday. A 70kg bluefin tuna takes centre stage at this immersive showcase of Japanese tradition, where Nobu Corporate Sushi Chef Toshiyuki Shiramizu will demonstrate his knife skills before serving a curated tasting menu built around the fresh fish from Nagasaki. The one-night-only event will dish up a seven-course omakase meal with plates like toro caviar tacos, seared toro with truffle teriyaki and grilled lobster with creamy uni sauce. Be sure to book a table to secure your seat. Where: Regent Hong Kong, 2/F, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui When: Thursday, June 5
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
ShoMan in Seattle Makes A Convincing Case For Kappo-Style Dining
Most Japanese food fans have experienced omakase, a lavish multi-course menu determined by the chef. Kappo-style sushi restaurants amp up that approach by adding luxe creations including elegant dashi-based preparations made while guests watch. Here's how one restaurant owner is determined to take this approach to a bigger stage. Yoshi Yokoyama has been in the business of making seafood lovers swoon for years, dating back to the opening of I Love Sushi in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue back in the 1980s. When sushi legend Shiro Kashiba left his namesake restaurant to rock and roll at a new spot at the Pike Place Market, he turned his original operation over to Yokoyama. Last fall, the enterprising entrepreneur launched the stylish ShoMan just a few blocks away. Its configuration – with 14 seats wrapping around the busy kitchen – sets the tone for the elaborate meal. The chefs are the stars, diners the appreciative audience. The feast isn't fussy, though. There's plenty of conversation playing out between bites and admiring mmmm's. Yokoyama recalled what spoke to him about this approach to dining during a recent interview via email. For those who aren't familiar, how would you describe Kappo-style dining? Kappo is a traditional Japanese dining style where guests are seated at a counter facing an open kitchen, and the chef prepares each dish in front of them, often after engaging in conversation to understand their preferences. The word kappo is derived from two kanji characters: katsu (割), meaning "to cut," and ho (烹), meaning "to cook." Together, they reflect the essence of this style—cutting and cooking, performed in full view of the guest. Kappo dining typically includes both à la carte options and dishes crafted spontaneously from rare or seasonal ingredients delivered fresh each day. Chefs may also customize dishes based on individual requests. Many kappo restaurants—especially at the high end—offer multi-course tasting menus. At ShoMon, we currently serve our menu in a course format, but we are gradually exploring more flexible offerings to better suit the tastes and expectations of our American guests. What's the history of this type of approach? While kappo originally referred to cooking more broadly, it evolved in the late 17th to 18th centuries—particularly in Osaka—into a refined dining style where chefs prepare and serve food directly in front of diners. It thrived within the merchant culture of the time, emphasizing seasonality, skill, and hospitality, often paired with sake. In the late 19th century, as Western cuisine gained popularity, kappo played a vital role in preserving traditional Japanese culinary techniques. The style spread beyond urban centers and became recognized as a refined and elegant form of dining. By the mid-20th century, more casual taishū kappo restaurants began to appear, making the experience more accessible, while high-end kappo establishments continued to emphasize tradition and craftsmanship. Today, counter-style kappo has grown in popularity, fostering direct interaction between chefs and guests, and continues to evolve as a uniquely Japanese expression of seasonality, artistry, and connection. The amount of prep that goes into each service is impressive. What's the daily routine for each chef? Our chefs begin prep work around 10:00 a.m., followed by a short break in the afternoon. Dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m. and typically runs until around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. Can you provide some background on the chef who's in charge of the dashi? Our dashi is overseen by Assistant Head Chef Taka Murakami, who spent a decade training and working at a Michelin-starred kappo restaurant in Kyoto before joining our team. How did you find this collection of talented chefs? All of our chefs were introduced through personal referrals or professional recruiters. I personally conducted the final interviews for each of them. Our current team includes: What's the plan for expanding? For now, we are focused on establishing and promoting the kappo concept through ShoMon in Seattle, with the goal of increasing awareness and appreciation across the U.S. Once we've built a strong foundation here, we plan to explore expansion through additional locations. Because many ingredients are imported from Japan, what's the strategy for dealing with tariffs? While the 10 percent Global Tariff has already taken effect, the 24 percent Reciprocal Tariff (applicable to Japan) has been temporarily suspended for 90 days. Given the uncertainty, we're not in a position to implement a definitive long-term strategy. Supplier responses vary widely, with many still determining their approach. For now, our priority is staying informed and maintaining a flexible internal framework that allows us to respond swiftly and effectively as the situation evolves. What's your favorite item on the menu? And your favorite kappo-style restaurant in Japan? We take immense pride in our dashi, which we believe to be among the finest in the world. Any dish at ShoMon that incorporates this dashi is one I hold in the highest regard. We are continuously refining our offerings to ensure that they resonate with our American guests and exceed their expectations. As for kappo restaurants in Japan, there are countless exceptional ones—each with its own distinct character—so it's difficult to choose a single favorite. Through my past experiences and ongoing visits to kappo restaurants across Japan, I remain committed to refining a style that brings the most joy to our guests here.
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23-05-2025
- Entertainment
The Best View of Las Vegas Is in This Hidden Poodle-themed Bar on the 67th Floor of a Luxury Hotel
Poodle Room is a members-only club at the top of 67-story Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The social space features striking, poodle-inspired decor, as well as a bar with stunning views of the Vegas Strip, a patio, lounge areas, a cigar room, a private bar, and a 12-seat omakase restaurant. The invite-only club is accessible to guests staying in the resort's Fleur de Lis suites, as well as those invited by a Poodle Room member and guests dining at 12-seat omakase restaurant Ito. One of Travel + Leisure 's Las Vegas reporters recently told me that the best view of Sin City is at a members-only bar called Poodle Room on the top floor of the Fontainebleau hotel. Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the second outpost from the hospitality brand known for its ever-popular Miami Beach resort, was named one of the best new hotels of 2024 on T+L's annual It List. Housed in the 'tallest occupiable building in the state of Nevada,' according to a Fontainebleau spokesperson, the bar crowning the tower also has a 12-seat omakase restaurant, Ito. The members-only club, 67 stories up, made New Yorker headlines at the beginning of 2024—during its preview phase—when A-listers like Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Cher, and as the article put it, 'more than one Kardashian' showed up to have a drink with Josephine, the bar's headlining poodle. The Poodle Bar entrance. Brandon Barré/Fontainebleau Las Vegas The idea of a sky-high bar, often bought out by celebrity clientele, with poodles everywhere lived rent-free in my mind until, finally, I succumbed to curiosity and made plans to see it. There are three ways to get in: you have to be invited by a member, have a coveted reservation at Ito, or stay in the Fontainebleau's $1,500-a-night Fleur de Lis suites, which include butler service and lavish digs with multiple bedrooms and a living room that feels roughly the size of Nantucket. In my Fleur de Lis suite, I found a bathroom that could certainly rival Caligula's—or really any Roman emperor's. And just as I turned on the fountain that would fill the marble Jacuzzi tub beside the in-suite sauna, I saw it: An invitation to the newly opened Poodle Room, extended to the guests of the hotel's highest-rolling rooms. At 11 p.m. that night, I made it home from the wedding that brought me to Las Vegas, swapped my lehenga for a black dress and bright-red Carel heels, and rode the Fontainebleau elevator to the 89th floor. (Often, hotels leave floors unaccounted for—many forego a 13th floor out of pure superstition—which is how the Poodle Room is 67 stories up but on the 89th floor.) The mirrored entry is ripe for Instagram moments, but there are no phones allowed up here; No photos, no videos, and yes, it's strictly enforced. I told the host I was a Fleur de Lis guest, was granted entrance to the decked-out bar, and nearly walked into a full-sized illuminated poodle statue. On her hind legs with her head held high, she was taller than I was and posing haughtily in front of floor-to-ceiling glass windows framing the Vegas strip. The welcoming committee. I was transfixed. Not so much by the view, though it was impressive, as by the poodle statues, sconces, and patterned lamp shades that might have been left over from a '60s haunt the Rat Pack frequented. The napkin under my gin martini had a poodle in the bottom right corner, and when the dessert cart came, it was done up with petit-fours and truffles arranged on what looked to be wax paper with sketches of purple poodles. The main bar and lounge at the Poodle Bar. Brandon Barré/Fontainebleau Las Vegas Poodle Room oozes luxury, but it isn't quiet. And in the U.S. capital of unabashed opulence, the deeply maximalist club fits right in. The navy blue walls meld with the glowing white orb the poodle sconces and statues emit, creating an ambiance that has you ordering a third martini for the first time in years. (On a related note, three martinis in was when I visited the women's restroom, and came face-to-face with a taxidermied poodle sitting on a toilet in one of the stalls.) We're not in the soft launch phase anymore. Poodle Room is in full swing, with a vibey cluster of hanging lights over the bar and a small patio where I found a member smoking next to a hanging portrait of a crowned poodle labeled 'La Reine' in gold script. There is a cigar room, inviting lounge areas, and the sultry Forneau private bar, clad in floor-to-ceiling red and an impressive art collection. Finally, the 12-seat omakase restaurant Ito has a separate Japanese whiskey bar and serves rare fish that make daily flights from Japan to be dolled up by acclaimed chefs Masa Ito and Kevin Kim. The restaurant, which may be headed for the Las Vegas Michelin-star list, is open to members and non-members, and might be your best way into Poodle Room. To book your Ito reservation, visit or to book a stay at the Fleur de Lis suites, from $1,500 a night, visit
Bloomberg
21-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Sushi Deflation Comes to New York, With $58 Menus
New York City is a global capital for high-end sushi, home to some of the most sought-after omakase experiences outside of Japan. Those chef's choice meals have also become extremely pricey—especially compared to similar experiences in Tokyo. Experts who've arrived in the Big Apple in the last few years, like Keiji Nakazawa of Sushi Sho and Tadashi Yoshida of Yoshino, have further elevated the game, with prices to match: These masters' meals can easily reach $1,000 a person with a drink or two. It's not hard to spend $500 eating quality sushi in New York, before you've even left the tip. But here comes a countertrend (no pun intended).
Bloomberg
17-05-2025
- Bloomberg
Roucou Is a Cheese Omakase and Bar Offering 12-Course Meals in Hong Kong
Roucou is a cheese omakase and bar that recently opened on Aberdeen Street opposite PMQ, and is the creation of Jeremy Evrard, former manager of Caprice and Upper Modern Bistro. I went recently with five friends and we indulged in the restaurant's 12-course cheese voyage. This took the form of a Japanese-French omakase at HK$1,280 per head. There's also the option of a HK$500 wine pairing, with bottles from up-and-coming vineyards. If you opt to order a la carte at the bar, friends who have done so suggest getting more than you might think, and also being adventurous in your cheese selections.
