This past summer, I was in Boston for a conference and went to Oya with a good friend of mine and the best dining partner. It’s kind of our thing, we meet up in cool cities, bike around, and eat at fancy places. We opted for the 17 course omakase with a kobe beef supplement. Overall it came out to around $250 a person. This is the most I’ve ever spent on a meal but was it worth every dollar. It was just a stunning meal in every aspect. I got to try new flavors and new combinations of flavors. Let’s jump to it.
1) KUMAMOTO OYSTER watermelon pearls, cucumber mignonette. I could down a dozen of these. So refreshing!
2) HAMACHI spicy banana pepper mousse. There was a slight char on the hamachi which gave it a nice smoky flavor that went well with the banana peppers.
3) SALMON unfiltered wheat soy moroni. The wheat berries were really interesting! I normally don’t like salmon (raw and cooked) but this was really great. In another post, at Craigie’s, I also tried the best cooked salmon of my life. So this Boston trip made me a salmon fan.
4) SANTA BARBARA SEA URCHIN blood orange, homemade soy.
5) WARM EEL thai basil, kabayaki, fresh kyoto sansho. The basil and sweet eel combination was a little weird at first but the more I chewed, the more I “got it.” Very interesting.
6) SCARLET SEA SCALLOP white soy yuzu sauce, yuzu tobiko. The scallop was dyed with beet juice and this dish was just visually very striking. I think the scallop may have been smoked or cooked as well, it had a firmer texture.
7) HOMEMADE FINGERLING POTATO CHIP perigord truffle. This was the first time I’ve had truffle and the smell and taste was just intoxicating. WOW. Really interesting and a little bit goes a long way.
8) FRIED KUMAMOTO OYSTER yuzu kosho aioli, squid ink bubbles. Our least favorite dish of the night. Fried oyster on rice. A little too much rice and I’m not a big fan of fried oysters. Fried clams yes but oysters I”ll take on the half shell any day.
9) BLUEFIN CHUTORO republic of georgia herb sauce. This was really interesting, the herb sauce on top was crazy. Apparently, Republic of Georgia Herb sauce is a thing. Google it, make it, rub it on ALL the meats, grill it. Boom.
10) MORELS garlic, soy. My second time trying morels. Did not disappoint.
11) ARCTIC CHAR yuzu cured, sesame brittle, cumin aioli, cilantro. The basket had smoke it in that came out when they took off the top.
12) SHIMA AJI & SANTA BARBARA SEA URCHIN ceviche vinaigrette, cilantro. More sea urchin! This dish was kind of hard to eat both the fish and sea urchin in one bite.
13) SNAPPER ponzu, scallion, spicy daikon. One of my favorites of the night. The snapper was just so…for lack of a better word, snappy!
14) VENISON TATAKI porcini crema, ponzu oil. Not super memorable. I’m not that big a fan of lean meat served rare.
15) SHISO TEMPURA WITH GRILLED LOBSTER charred tomato, ponzu aioli. I’m not a big fan of lobster so to me this dish was a fried leak with a piece of lobster on top and a tomato. Nice charred flavors though, the grill did it’s work here.
16) GRILLED SHIITAKE AND HEDGEHOG MUSHROOM SASHIMI rosemary garlic oil, sesame froth, soy. I love mushrooms. Enough said.
17) SEARED KOBE PETIT STRIP LOIN 2 oz., potato confit, sea salt, white truffle oil. First time trying kobe. The meat was just super rich. We shared a 2 oz portion and I could barely finish by 1 oz portion, which is the perfect serving for meat so rich. I’m really glad I got to try this. This and the truffle are one of those 2 luxurious food items that are hyped and with good reason. But they are not dishes I would eat once a month much less once a year, more for special occasions.
18a) Desert.
18b) Small treats. Keep me away from these, I could pop these in my mouth all day until I got fat.
End. This is going to be one of those meals I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.
zawEats 