CHORNEY-BOOTH: WHERE TO FIND AN OMAKASE EXPERIENCE IN CALGARY
Chorney-Booth: Where to find an omakase experience in Calgary
It’s a bit of a food lover’s dream: sitting at a pristine sushi bar as the chef methodically hands you piece after piece of sushi (with a few other snacks thrown in for good measure), gauging your reaction to make sure the next bite suits your fancy.
Omakase, the Japanese culinary service that roughly translates to “I’ll leave it to you,” has become the hottest trend in fine dining all over the world, including here in Calgary.
For the uninitiated, omakase is often compared to a Western-style chef’s tasting menu, but while that model involves diners obediently following the chef on a journey, a proper omakase chef will adjust the menu to suit the guest. Think of a chef’s tasting menu as being like a presentation, whereas omakase should play out more like a conversation.
That chef attention, coupled with high-end seafood and expert preparation means omakase is also famously expensive, with most local versions coming in at well over $100 per person and Michelin-starred examples in other cities often costing over $500. While the price may seem steep for what is typically about a dozen or more courses of nigiri, sashimi and appetizers, the experience can be mesmerizing and, for those who love it, well worth the price tag.
Here are your best bets for catching the omakase wave here in Calgary:
Nupo
The first true player on Calgary’s omakase scene, the small bar tucked into the back corner of Nupo sets a high standard for local sushi. Guests are served three seasonal dishes, a sashimi tasting, and 12 courses of sustainable nigiri for $165 per person. Nupo sources its fish from around the world, but one highlight is the bluefin tuna from Prince Edward Island, with whole fish broken down bi-weekly by chef Darren MacLean and his team. This experience is as much an education in exquisite — and often Canadian — fish as it is a meal, with each bite given extreme reverence.
For a twist, Nupo’s sister restaurant Shokunin offers a more casual but equally delicious yakitori omakase with 12 courses, including six different yakitori chicken skewers.
Nupo: 631 Confluence Way S.E., 587-353-1388, nupo.ca
Shokunin: 2016 4th St. S.W., 403-229-3444, shokuninyyc.ca
Article on: Calgary Herald
