We only add a sauce if it brings out the taste of the fish. So many sushi restaurants don’t go that far and don’t use super fresh fish. It’s a commitment, but Yasu is a purist when it comes to sushi. I am from Paraguay, so there will be Latin influences, also.Įvery fish we use on the menu is flown in from Japan. For example, we make a steamed white fish in a cream sauce, that is an example of Japanese and French cuisine. Greenpointers: Could you give Greenpointers a little preview of what the menu will feature?Ĭhef Luis Durand: We are offering a tasting menu that is primarily Japanese, with French influences. Chef Hirashiki presenting a customer with the Japanese sea bream sashimi platter. The vibe here is more about having fun and enjoying the music and the food. We might play the Beatles and then jump to reggaeton. We want customers to enjoy a fine dining experience, but not be bored. We want to get close to it and still have fun. We won’t be Masa or be a traditional omakase. There will also be two seats in front of Yasu called the Chef’s Table. Greenpointers: What will the experience at U Omakase be like?Ĭhef Luis Durand: There will be 13 seats at the bar and 13 dishes on the tasting menu. We were sitting in the restaurant one night and thought why don’t we call it “U” after the bar, but also after “you” meaning “you and me.”Ĭhef Yasu Hirashiki: We want the food to make U happy. It’s communal people sit around it and we serve from the center. ![]() Greenpointers: That’s an amazing story! How did the two of you and your partners land on the name “U”?Ĭhef Luis Durand: The restaurant has a U-shaped bar with walkway in middle. I went to his place every single day, and he helped me lose 80 pounds. After helping him, Yasu told me I was overweight and he was going to teach me how to eat. ![]() ![]() I used to work for the Health Department, so I helped Yasu prepare. The day we went was Halloween, so there were not a lot of customers, but the health inspector was coming. I didn’t go out a lot, but on my birthday, my friend Alex said he was taking me to a place in Forest Hills that had the best sushi I’d ever eat. I consequently gained weight and was not healthy. Tell us how you two met and eventually ended up opening a restaurant together.Ĭhef Luis Durand: It all started when I broke my back and couldn’t walk for nine months. ![]() Greenpointers: Welcome to Greenpoint! We heard that U Omakase has an interesting origin story. Greenpointers spoke with Chefs Hirashiki and Durand about their friendship, the best dishes at their new local restaurant, and their favorite spots in Greenpoint. Owner and sous-chef, Luis Durand, frequented Yasu Hirashiki’s popular Forrest Hills sushi restaurant, and the two formed a connection.Īfter Hirashiki’s restaurant closed during the pandemic, Durand and his wife Kate, who owns a yoga and pilates studio in Greenpoint called YO BK, teamed up with Hirashiki and another partner, Arnon Magal, former owner of Gotan NYC and current owner of Novela Cafe in Miami, to make U Omakase come to life. The restaurant is the result of a decades-long friendship between a sushi chef and his customer. U Omakase (173 Greenpoint Ave.) is opening on September 3 in Greenpoint.
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