A while back I won a draw for a Hello Nori omakase for four, and more recently I finally claimed it. And luck would have it that it would be executed and served by both Hello Nori’s Executive Chef and Operational Director at their Brentwood location. This night would be nothing short of spectacularly memorable.
As per the restaurant’s custom, every guest is seated at the bar. This offers a great view with everything, as much as possible, being prepared before your eyes for the spectacle of the art and craftsmanship of the plate.
We began our journey with a welcome pour of premium sake. Done traditional with shot glass in wooden box, and the expectation to over power. The result is essentially two shots in one and setting the tone of abundance to come.
After we whet our whistle we transitioned into a couple of their seasonal, signature cocktails like the Rokabiru Baby. This was a mix of Suntory Toki, galliano, sakura soda, and vanilla foam. Together, they faintly reminded me of cherry coke it is sweet, fun, and fizzy nature.
The Kaiju En Neguroni was Roku Gin, strawberry averna, plum umeshu, plum bitters, and dehydrated dragonfruit. This reminded me of a fruitier Old Fashioned.
The meal is 9 courses, each just as impressive as the last and next. We started with one of the most decadent amuse-bouche I have ever had the pleasure of indulging in. A collection of uni, treated in different ways and served in different ways. I didn’t know uni could have such a variety of flavours and having tried some of the best here, I don’t think I could enjoy regular store bought uni the same anymore. Truly, my standards have risen because of this. And these here aren’t the only uni we would be having on this set menu, more to come below.
Oyster sparkling sake shooter topped with uni, uni chawanmushi, and crab sunomono. The uni here was caught in deep and cold waters, then stored in a non-chemical salt water. The result is freshness from the salinity and a sweet creaminess at its core in contrast. As part of a shooter, the uni was the standout, yet balanced and beautiful with the effervescent sweetness from the sparkling red wine sake used.
In the egg pudding the uni was striking against the custard. Both creamy in texture, but one bold in umami, the other washed by it.
Sadly, by comparison to both the crab bite was un-memorable, despite the quality of the crustacean sourced.
Our second course was three types of premium tuna that we were recommend to have from lean to fatty. Chef’s Selection Sashimi of maguro akami (lean tuna), chu-toro (fatty tuna), and o-toro, (very fatty tuna). Each high in quality with so much character of its own.
The Saba Boo is premium Japanese mackerel with shiso ginger rice in a sushi roll. It looks like art with the patterned kombu mimicking a snake’s skin with scales. The mackerel was fairly muted for a fairly lean and filling dish.
The Tai Cut Roll is dry aged Madai snapper, shiso, soy sauce film, and ginger shoots. What was iconic here was the use of a soy sauce paper. This is a new innovation to Japan rolled right into your sushi; meaning you don’t have to self season with soy and the flavour is continuous. The roll in its entirety was refreshing, herbaceous, and light.
Here, we got three more takes on uni in the Uni Ikura Don with ikura and Hello Nori sushi rice. Regular uni, Ocean cured uni, and saline water uni, all this made even more decadent with caviar. This was definitely my favourite course.
And you don’t visit Hello Nori without having a couple of their hand rolls, but seeing as this omakase was all about exclusivity, we got ingredients not available on their regular menu.
Done tandem with our Executive Chef and his Sous. The first was a blend of snow crab and hairy crab meat rolled with their iconic perfected rice and a sheet of seaweed combo. Light and creamy, I found myself reaching for soy to add some salt and acidity. This was a sweeter mix to warm us up for the bold flavours below.
Our second roll was a Hello Nori best seller. Japanese Unagi, torched with charcoal before us, before being rolled and placed directly before us.
For our 7th course it was all about steak. Miyazaki Wagyu Tenderloin with marinated, seasoned and seared succulent wagyu. This was beef perfection. The steak is from the Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan, where the cattle are raised under strict regulations and fed a specific diet to develop its characteristic marbling. Mizaki waygu A5 tenderloin is also known as filet mignon. Served with freshly grated wasabi, it takes the restaurant a week to bring it in. Lusciously fatty morsels meets equal parts juicy meat, each a perfectly carved delight.
And for dessert it wasn’t made in house, but imported into the restaurant, straight from Japan every Thursday. This is the fabled King Melon, a melon hollowed out then filled with intermittent layers of sponge cake, cream, and fresh fruit. I don’t know how they do it, because in order to access all this, you have to slice into it. The act of cutting into the melon is just as satisfying as eating the dessert.
But first we got a shot of fresh king melon juice. It had a punch of Yuzu and a sour saltiness reminiscent of a margarita.
As for the cake itself, it was not sweet, but you got to appreciate the natural flavour of the fruit for its sugar, accompanied by foamy cream, and a delicate sponge. For fruit there was the king melon, chunks, kiwi, cantaloupe, and strawberry. This was beautifully done, and I can see why people clamour over it.
Im closing this was an amazing experience, and at Omakase worth every penny at $250 per person. I was utterly impressed and cannot recommend this experience more.
Hello Nori
1920 Willingdon Ave #1114, Burnaby, BC V5C 0K3
(604) 564-6674
hellonori.com
