jamesq | The Lost Weekend, part 4

Omakase - Entrusting (to the chef).

I went to Tojo's, as I mentioned in the previous post. I am now glad that I did. It cost me a pretty penny, but I got some delicious food that I might never have otherwise tried and I had exactly enough to satisfy myself without feeling stuffed.

Omakase at Tojo's means Tojo decides what you're eating. There is a $60, $80 and $110 version. I opted for the $60, hoping that it would be somewhat smaller then the $80 and $110. Chatting up the pretty bar tender I found that the difference is an extra removes and more exotic ingredients as you go up the price range. She even suggested (after I finished eating) that if I was with a guest, it's a good idea for one person to get the $80 and the other to get the $110, as there is almost no overlap of the removes (there is some overlap between the $60 and $80). This gives you the best variety.

For my mere $60, I got the following:

1) The starter - Tojo's Tuna. Tuna sashimi with Tojo's special sesame sause. The server urged me to not use any soy sauce with this item. He was right.

2) The salad - Mixed greens with a topping of fried shrimp cakes.

3) The entrée - Cooked halibut with a cream/soy sauce.

4) The sushi - a medley of popular pieces. I got one piece each of albacore tuna, snapper, Golden Roll, Great Pacific Roll, Spicy Tuna Insideout roll, Great BC roll (check the menu out for details). These were some of the most delicious and innovative pieces of sushi I've ever had. There was some definite fish bliss happening. It was also the first time I've had a spicy tuna roll that didn't make me regret consuming it. It was spicy without burning and it didn't interfere with the next piece.

5) Dessert - cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream.

I also remembered the joy of being served by professional servers - as opposed to students/actors/family-of-the-owner. They were attentive without being obsequious. Also friendly and knowledgeable. Every remove came with a brief explanation of what I was eating and how I should eat it to get the most enjoyment.

I walked into the restaurant nervous and a little sad. I left glad that I had made the leap of faith into Omakase. Delicious, new and not overly filling. Exactly what I was looking for.

Now I get to try and convince my Vancouver peeps to give it a try. In the past I had resisted this because I knew a lot of them weren't as into sushi as I am (preferring other, cooked, Japanese fare). Not now. There is no reason why they shouldn't go, aside from the expense.

If you can afford it, and you're in Vancouver, go for it.