The Grand Omakase at O Ya

Back in early March I was able to finally dine at a restaurant that’s been on my “Foodie Bucket List” for quite some time. Ever since I fell in love with sushi, I’ve always wanted to try the omakase at O Ya in Boston. In that time, a location opened in New York City, but I was determined to dine at the original.

Since I was planning to attend a hockey game at TD Garden one weekend, I made sure to make a reservation for that Friday night. This was it, I finally made it! I was getting pretty excited as I entered the small dimly lit dining room.

I was seated at the far end of the sushi bar next to the kitchen. I already had my heart set on their 21-course Grand Omakase, a tasting of some of their most well-known nigiri and small plates. My server, Jessica, was very nice and helpful.

The Kamotsuru Tokusei Gold Daiginjo Sake was my drink of choice. This particular sake had it’s moment of fame when former president Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enjoyed it while dining at world famous Sukibayashi Jiro.

I spotted the little gold leaves at the bottom of my cup. Nice.

The Grand Omakase started off with a Kumamoto Oyster topped with watermelon pearls and a cucumber mignonette. It was crisp, sweet, and delicious.

The Cobia was lightly torched and topped with banana peppers. It’s a white fish with a mild taste and the banana pepper added a nice kick.

The Wild Hokkaido Sea Urchin & Black River Caviar was an amazing bite! The uni was so fresh and sweet and the salty caviar went perfectly with it.

The Local Sea Bream was topped with persimmon miso, evergreen oil, and myoga – Japanese ginger.

Next up was a beautiful piece of Ika (squid). It had a flavorful garnish of blood orange kosho, golden whitefish roe, tangerine oil, and shiso. Kosho is a paste made from combining a type of citrus with chiles and salt.

One of my favorite pieces of the night had to be the Kinmedai, the Golden Eye Snapper. It was topped with ume – a Japanese apricot, Japanese plum vinaigrette, and shiso. Yum.

The Kohada Japanese Baby Mackerel had a black olive puree and Aka shiso on top. The Aka shiso, also known as Japanese Perilla, is a popular herb used for pickling.

The Kyoto Style Foraged Chanterelle Mushroom was topped with garlic, soy, and a lovely slice of black truffle. It was so tasty.

A unique bite was up next. The Foie Gras with miso and yuzu was grated and served on a wooden spoon. It was a cool presentation and a yummy bite.

A bowl of Martha’s Vineyard Bay Scallops with a celery & mitsuba leche de tigre, nori powder, and olive oil was served next. It was fantastic.

On to the Kona Kampachi. The Hawaiian Yellowtail was wrapped around julienned apples and myoga with a jalapeno sauce and topped with sesame seeds.

I was about halfway through the omakase at this point. It was all great so far.

Next up was the Sawara Penang. The Spanish Mackerel was served on a small plate with a flavorful mix of kaffir lime, coconut, Thai basil, Penang curry, shiso, and Ito Togarashi – a shredded Japanese red chile pepper used as a garnish.

The Ora King Salmon with spicy sesame ponzu, yuzu kosho, and scallion oil was another favorite.

They didn’t forget about the tuna. A piece of Blufin Chutoro with charred Korean long pepper an grapefruit ponzu was wonderful.

After the chutoro, came the Bluefin Toro with wasabi oil and topped with lots of green onion.

The Alaskan King Crab Sunomono was gorgeous. It had cucumber agua de chile, trout roe, and nasturtium – an edible plant.

I really enjoyed the the next dish. It’s typically made with shrimp, but mine was substituted with crab. It was served warm with ponzu buerre fondue, bonito flakes, and black truffle.

Another beautiful tasty dish was the “Faberge” Onsen Egg. The delicate soft egg was served in dashi sauce and topped with Ossetra caviar, green onion, and gold leaf.

The seared Kagoshima A5 Wagyu Petite Strip Loin was served over thin slices of potato. It was super tender and flavorful.

It had a light sprinkling of salt on top and the beef just melted in my mouth. You could clearly see how rich and fatty the beef was.

It was time to transition from savory to sweet. The next piece was Foie Gras Nigiri with balsamic chocolate kabayaki and raisin cocoa pulp. It was a nice blend of flavors with the sweet sauce, rich creamy foie gras, and the slightly bitter cocoa pulp.

It was paired with an aged sake that was well-balanced with some sweetness, bitterness, and acidity.

The omakase ended with a refreshing scoop of berry sorbet.

I really enjoyed the omakase at O Ya. Service was good and the food was incredible. The pace of the meal was perfect for me. My bill came out to around $330 for the Grand Omakase and sake before tip, so this was a special dinner that I was happy to finally experience.

I had a few favorite dishes that really stood out. There were only one or two courses that I thought were just okay. I only wish I was seated towards the middle of the sushi bar instead of the very end, it would have been nice to interact with the chefs. Overall, it was a wonderful dinner and I was not disappointed. It was lightly snowing out as I left and I still had plenty of time for a nightcap.

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O Ya
9 East Street
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 654-9900

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