There’s an Omakase Oracle Just Across the Golden Gate Bridge

The article details a "secret omakase" experience offered by Chef Yukinori Yama at Secret Sushi, located within Bungalow Kitchen in Tiburon, a town north of San Francisco. Omakase, a Japanese term meaning "I leave the details up to you," involves a sushi chef selecting the freshest and best ingredients for the diner. While omakase has become a widespread culinary trend, this specific experience is presented as a return to its more intimate and surprising roots. The restaurant, Bungalow Kitchen, opened in late 2021 by celebrity chef Michael Mina, serves as the setting for Chef Yama's omakase. The dining experience begins with a somewhat elusive entry, adding to the perception of a "secret" discovery. Upon finding the dedicated omakase counter upstairs, Chef Yama greets guests, initiating a multi-course culinary journey. The meal commences with a zensai (appetizer) featuring monkfish liver with ponzu jelly and a boiled oyster with salmon, truffle cream sauce, and fried seaweed. Chef Yama emphasizes that ingredients, including the monkfish liver, are regularly flown in from Japan. Subsequent courses showcase a variety of Japanese delicacies, including Japanese sea bream sashimi with dashi ponzu, miso-broiled sea bass with snap peas, maitake mushrooms, and ginger dashi, and a chawanmushi (savory egg custard) with Dungeness crab, salmon caviar, Hokkaido uni, shiitake, and truffle dashi. These initial dishes highlight the consistent use of aromatic dashi. A Miyazaki A5 Wagyu course is also featured. Chef Yama, with over 30 years of experience, moved to California from Osaka, Japan, nine years prior, initially recruited by the late Bay Area sushi chef Ken Tominaga to work at Pabu Izakaya in San Francisco. He later worked at Ozumo before taking the helm of Bungalow Kitchen’s sushi program, where the secret omakase is his personal venture. The omakase experience includes seven nigiri courses, offering opportunities for interaction and discussion with Chef Yama about ingredients like Hokkaido versus Santa Barbara uni. The chef’s generosity is noted, with an extra scoop of uni provided based on a diner's preference, as well as a "Yama Bowl" of fatty tuna with quail egg and caviar. All fish used is Japanese, with the exception of local Kaluga caviar from Tiburon's The Caviar Co. A notable detail is the sea eel nigiri, for which Chef Yama uses an eel sauce containing a portion of a "mother" sauce he started making 20 years ago in Osaka, emphasizing a connection to his culinary heritage. This omakase is characterized as an unpretentious experience, unfolding over 13 casually-paced courses. Priced at $150, it is described as being on the more accessible end of the omakase pricing spectrum. The sake menu is straightforward, catering to a wide range of diners. The article also mentions the possibility of securing a spot without a reservation, as some patrons from the main dining room discover the omakase counter by chance, reinforcing its "secret" allure. #Omakase #Sushi #ChefYama #BungalowKitchen #Tiburon #SanFrancisco #JapaneseCuisine #FineDining #CulinaryExperience #Omakase #Sushi #ChefYama #BungalowKitchen #Tiburon #SanFrancisco #JapaneseCuisine #FineDining #CulinaryExperience