Whilst I begin my roundups of finest eating experiences for 2024, we have now a late entry into the sport: HARU Omakase!
HARU Omakase is dropped at us by Jeff Tsao, the proprietor of Fukuryu Ramen. (Learn my 2019 profile of him in Columbus Month-to-month!). Jeff and his spouse Yenny, each founding companions within the enterprise, took the Fukuryu location off Polaris Parkway and transformed it into a contemporary omakase expertise with chef Yudi Makassau on the helm.
“Omakase” is a Japanese time period that basically means, “I’ll depart it as much as you.” Like a tasting menu, you’re letting the chef provide you with the menu for you. It’s parsed out into 5 “excursions,” or programs: a salad, three entrees, and a dessert, all with a heavy seafood focus (besides the dessert, that’s).
There are six reservable spot on the omakase bar, the place you get a entrance row seat, though there’s a full eating room the place friends can order the omakase and a la carte gadgets.
They very generously invited us in to sit down on the omakase bar, and it was a pleasant expertise attending to see the 4 cooks work exactly collectively and to work together with them as they crafted the meal.
Along with Chef Makassau, the three cooks introduced a wide range of experiences.
One of many youngest, they mentioned, was nonetheless in highschool however was heading to the Culinary Institute of America quickly!
HARU incorporates a full beverage menu that features wine, sake, cocktails, Japanese whiskey and beer, and matcha.
One of many suggestions we obtained – and I extremely counsel it as effectively – is the sake pairings. HARU options four-course pairings of each the sake and wines, designed to enhance the primary 4 stops on the omakase tour.
I’m not that effectively versed in sake, however I appreciated the flavour of every one, and the way every cease diverse so extensively from the subsequent, flowing from yuzu-tinted variations to unfiltered ones, all hitting taste profiles that vary from citrusy to floral to virtually savory.
Chef Makassau mentioned the menu will rotate about each six weeks, however will at all times work in conventional Japanese methods with worldwide inspiration.
Chef himself hails from Indonesia, and he spoke of his travels in Latin America. So our first tour, for example, the salad tour, featured amberjack in a yuzu chipotle sauce.
The second tour featured a trio of bites: scallops, striped bass, and flounder.
The third tour explored Spanish mackerel, golden eye snapper, and king salmon.
The fourth tour featured a handroll made with yellowtail (on the appropriate), bluefin tuna, and eel. The eel was one in every of my favourite bites of the night; it was calmly torched to supply these good, crispy edges.
The ultimate tour was a luscious matcha creme brulee.
The omakase menu is $89 per particular person, with sake pairings including one other $45 per particular person.
Along with the omakase, friends can order premium bites of A5 waygu, fatty tuna, sea urchin, caviar, and different small plates.
We’d extremely suggest a go to to HARU, particularly for the omakase bar. The entire crew was splendidly hospitable, and it’s fascinating to look at the culinary crew at work.
HARU Omakase is at the moment open Thursday-Saturday from 5-9 p.m. Reservations are advisable, and are required for the omakase bar.
HARU Omakase
2027 Polaris Pkwy.
Columbus, OH 43240
(614) 696-9882
Net: haruomakase.com
FB: HARU Omakase
IG: @haru.omakase
