We went to Ootoro Sushi Irvine thinking that we were going to get a decent Japanese meal. It is located in a small business district area in Irvine, CA, so we thought it would at least give us some good Japanese dishes. We were totally proven wrong the moment we tasted the first dish, as the experience topped our expectations a hundred times over.
We were initially hesitant to get the Omakase because of the high prices, that ranged between $130/person to $181/person, depending on the type of Omakase. Due to the location of the sushi restaurant, we were also skeptical that the Omakase would be of great quality to match the prices listed. There were four options for the Omakase: Chef’s Special (you had to pre-order), Traditional Japanese, Seasonal Omakase, and Omakase. The waiter was very helpful in explaining the differences between all the Omakase choices. We ended up going with the Omakase option, priced at $181/person, which completely blew our minds with how tasty everything was! The entire Omakase experience engaged all our five senses, and with the great service, we did not regret our decision to go with the Omakase. In fact, we felt that our entire Omakase experience was undoubtedly worth the money.
Throughout our 15 course Omakase, the food came quickly to our table, despite us not being seated at the sushi bar to be taken care of by the chefs. It is also important to note that every dish that arrived at our table was of high quality, and at the precise temperatures (e.g., the temperature of rice for the sushi course, and the wagyu steak) they were meant to be consumed at. All dishes were also extremely fresh and of great authenticity, which is something that is difficult to find with sushi in Chicago. The servers were also helpful in letting us know how each dish was intended to be consumed, i.e., whether we would dip in their special house soy sauce, to not use any sauce for the sushi course, to eat each component of the dish from right to left, or to eat the entire dish in one mouthful. I think this also goes to show how well-trained each of their servers are.
Our first 2 dishes were our appetizers. The first was a raw seaweed dish that was soaked in a delicious yuzu sauce, which whetted our appetites. The second dish comprised three, raw octopus slices with different sauces on them. The second slice of octopus had a yuzu sauce on it, which was refreshing. The last slice of octopus had a spicy sauce on it that really had a nice kick to it. It was our favorite. Before this dish, we had never had raw octopus before. After eating this dish, we were completely sold that this Omakase experience was going to continue to be an amazing one. The appetizers were followed by the sashimi and sushi courses. Before the sashimi course, we were served one slice of extremely fresh fish (it might have been Hamachi). The server explained that the fish was still alive that morning, and that the clear flesh was an indication of how fresh the fish is.
The sashimi course had a nice, fatty piece of toro Bluefin tuna, which was our favorite. The sashimi course also included a shrimp’s head as part of the presentation. Upon completion of the sashimi course, the servers asked us how we would like our shrimp heads to be prepared as one of our dishes later in the Omakase experience. I chose to have mine prepared in a soup, while he chose to have his deep fried! We loved all 3 pieces of sushi that we had. We were also served uni, which is sea-urchin, raw, and on its own.
We had never had uni on its own like that, as we’ve only eaten uni that has been incorporated into sauces for pastas, etc. Their house made soy sauce that we were provided, elevated the taste the uni. For the sushi course, the temperature of the rice was still warm when we consumed them, and very well-seasoned. We did not need to dip it in any sauce, which was another indication of how authentic the food was at Ootoro Sushi. At this point, we were starting to fill up, and we still had several more courses to come!
This dish was one of my absolute favorites. I was blown away with how the different tastes and textures were encompassed with all that were served on this little spoon. The top layer is creamy piece of foie gras (duck liver), followed by a juicy, tender piece of Kobe beef, supported by various vegetables that added those nice crunchy textures to round out the textures of the foie gras and Kobe beef. This was like a party in my mouth! He had never eaten foie gras before today, as he is a little queasy about “weird food” like livers. However, he was very pleasantly surprised with this dish, although I think I liked it more than he did.
This dish was a Kobe beef tartare with avocado and uni to top it off. The chef personally delivered this dish our table, with a piece of truffle and grater in hand. As he generously shaved the pieces of truffle onto our dishes, the chef that at that current time in the market, truffles were priced at $1200/pound! He also talked about how truffles do not taste like anything to him, but the smell of the truffles is what matters in a dish. He was right, as the smell of the truffles truly rounded out this dish. After this dish, we were positively full. We also thought that we were pretty much at the end of our Omakase experience. However, to our delight, a few more dishes followed! He was served his deep-fried shrimp head, which he surprisingly loved. The servers told us ahead of time that my shrimp head soup will be my last course, while he would be served his deep-fried shrimp head first. I tried some of the deep-fried shrimp head, and the batter that it was dipped and fried in was very well-seasoned and very delicious, that no additional sauce was required.
We were served fresh, Hokkaido hairy crab! I recall having this 7 years ago, when I took a trip to Hokkaido with my family. It was a vinaigrette sauce that accompanied the crab. However, I loved how fresh the crab was, that I ended up eating all the crab meat without the sauce, just like I had done when I visited Hokkaido. He loved the sauce! While the crab appeared smallish, there was a lot of meat that we picked out of the legs, pincers, and stomach.
Holy mother. This was a Grade A wagyu beef dish. We both have never had the opportunity to try wagyu beef. This beef was so tender and juicy, that I thought I was in beef heaven (I really love beef/steak). He was absolutely in love with the sauce that accompanied the steak, and even finished mine off with the potatoes that were supporting those lovely steak pieces. As usual, I preferred to enjoy the steak with minimal sauce on it, as I love the taste of meat.
My shrimp head miso soup! I love soup, including miso soup, so this was a perfect way to round out my Omakase experience. I managed to pick out some meat from the shrimp head. The miso soup had a seafood taste to it, as the shrimp head was prepared in it. I had not had miso soup prepared this way before, and I loved it. What a comforting way to end an extensive meal!
Surprise! We were not expecting dessert to be included in the Omakase. I believe that was a slice of the buttery, Japanese cheesecake that I was familiar with, having had similar tasting ones throughout my years in Singapore. Look at that scoop of matcha ice cream! That was the smoothest ice cream we have had! You can observe the glossiness of the ice cream in the picture. I finished my cheesecake first because I wanted to savor the ice cream on its own. The cheesecake and the ice cream did go very well together, though.
Our minds were blown with how authentic and tasty this Omakase experience was! Of all places in California, we were not expecting that from a sushi restaurant in the middle of a couple of small businesses. We definitely thought that we would only be able to find such an experience in larger cities, such as LA or San Francisco. This Omakase experience absolutely topped the quality of the Omakase at Sugarfish in LA (the one that is run by Jiro’s disciple)! Our Omakase experience at Ootoro Sushi was also somewhat of an educational experience, as we tried so many new things in one evening, which you have already probably guessed that from the multiple times I’ve said, “I’ve never had…”. We went into dinner at Ootoro Sushi without realizing that we would be walking out with such an amazing food experience. I am sure we will be back at Ootoro Sushi for another round of Omakase!
Just a picture of Ootoro Sushi, which filled up quickly once it opened for dinner service at 5.30pm. I attempted to make a reservation for dinner earlier that Saturday, however, they were already fully booked. The hostess who answered the phone was still very helpful, as she told us that if we walked in right at 5.30pm when they opened for dinner service, we would not have a problem getting seated right away for 2 people. Also, our server also informed us when we inquired, that the seats at the sushi bar where you would be taken care of by the chefs, were fully booked. I think this restaurant may still be somewhat of a hidden gem! He has been to their lunch service a couple of times, and he reported that whatever he has had has always been really tasty. FYI, they have a Business Lunch Omakase, which is priced at $85/person. I believe that Ootoro Sushi has two other locations in CA, which Google will easily inform you of if you’re interested.