Last weekend, my mother, sister and I took Vince to visit our grandparents’ grave to say hello and introduce him to some of our Houston family. It was only a matter of time and actually a delayed trip since we’ve been married. In our relationship, I got to get to know his side of the family well and experience all the fun and love his cousins have to offer me. Now this was my opportunity to introduce Vince to my cousins, whom I love so much and haven’t hung out with since childhood. My grandparents (Mommy’s parents) were the glue that held most of the family together. We had family from Indianapolis and California come visit Houston every year for a family reunion. One of my closest cousins growing up was Anh Hieu. Anh Hieu has a family restaurant from his mother’s side (Bac Oanh) called Hidden Omakase. Knowing the foodie I am, Anh Hieu graciously made a reservation many months in advance for his family and mine to dine at. There was 12 of us total!
Hidden Omakase is an intimate dining experience in which there were 18 seats surrounding a personal chef’s counter. The chefs and cooks get to know you on a more personal level while you enjoy your meal. I personally love the bar table experience. Hidden Omakase is headed by Chef Niki Vongthong that night. Her innovative menu is influenced by her traveling experiences in Spain, Morocco, Paris and Thailand. I notice that her menu has subtle fusions from other cultures to marry with the Japanese cuisine.
Each diner has their personal eating space laid out for them. There is the black serving platter that reminds me of a stone near the top. There is a glass of still water sitting on top of an interesting gold-plated coaster. I love the whale-shaped chopstick holder. The tasting menu features 15 bites.
The dining area is shaped in a sharp U-bar with the chef’s counter right in the middle. Throughout the meal, you can observe the chefs bring out mostly finished plates to be have their final finishing touches done right before your eyes. The chefs are very attentive to refilling your water, cleaning your serving platter. The atmosphere was very animated, modern and inviting. It was a delicious and fun dining experience.
In the corner of the restaurant on the other end, there is the fridge with aged fishes.
There is two dining times available and everyone starts at the same time. Our dining time was the second slot at 9pm. The chefs engage all of us at the same time and together so even though we didn’t know the other parties, we felt united. The chefs started us out with a complimentary lychee sake shot that tasted sweet and light with little lychee bits in it. Even though it tasted good, the alcohol gave me a happy tipsy. Thank you chefs! About halfway through course course, the chefs even treated us to a second shot! How generous!
OYSTERS (Cocktail) – Canada. Fermented aguachile, garlic oil. To start off the evening, our first bite was an exquisiting looking vessel that held our oyster shots. Just smelling inside the glass was inviting with a savory, garlicky smell. The aguachile was a nice drinkable liquid that is a lighter version of the green chili salsa. The oyster was small and soft. The first bite was influenced by Canada. One of my favorite bites in the evening!
A closer look at the fresh, raw oyster. No shell bites at all!
CHAWANMUSHI (Egg custard) – Anchovies, ikura. The second menu item is probably my favorite in the evening and only because I am biased towards egg custard. I loveeeee egg custard! It was served in a very elaborate small ceramic goblet. The egg custard was very soft and smooth in texture. The salty anchovies contrasted nicely with the smoothness of the egg custard. The delightful savory salmon eggs added a nice sea-taste to the bite.
KANPACHI (Amberjack) – Hokkaido. Yuzu kosho. Ohh and now to the start of the nigiri run. Third bite was the kanpachi influenced by Hokkaido, Japan. It was topped with yuzu to give it a light citrus flavor. The fish itself was very fresh and light. For the record, all of the nigiri had extremely fresh bites of fish. Hidden Omakase is notorious for sourcing all of their ingredients from Japan itself. What a hidden gem in the big city of Houston!
KINMEDAI (Golden eye snapper) – Nagasaki. Shiso, lemon zest. Fourth bite is the beautiful golden eye snapper with its eye-catching colors. Its added flavors is influenced by Nagasaki. Lemon zest is the citrus component.
HOKKE (Greenling) – Hokkaido. Hawaiian salt, lime. Fifth course is the flaky, tender greenling fish topped with Hawaiian salt for the added salt. The lime is the citrus component. The salt crystals added a nice contrasting texture.
AJI (Horse mackerel) – Hyogo. Ginger, chives. Sixth course is the horse mackerel. Even though I am not a big fan of ginger in my food, this bite just works. It wasn’t overpowering and the chives was a nice added touch. I appreciated the savory sauce that was soaked by the perfectly cooked Japanese rice underneath.
AKAGAI (Ark shell) – Korea. Nam jim, wagyu fat. Seventh course was the ark shell fish topped with a Thai dipping sauce that has all the components of salt, sweet, spicy and sour. It says Korea in the line so I’m not sure where the Korean influence is unless I am interpreting the whole menu format wrong haha. The wagyu fat was a nice fusion between beef and fish which gave it an extra fatty and savory decadent flavor.
BOTAN EBI (Sweet shrimp) – Santa Barbara. Shrimp oboro, shrimp oil. Eighth course was the sweet shrimp from Santa Barbara that included a contrast of raw shrimp body attached to tail with the fried shrimp head. The raw shrimp was topped with a shrimp oboro (otherwise known as a shrimp paste or flakes). The fried shrimp head was crunchy.
AKAMI – Aichi. Foie fat, cherry wood smoked, 16 days aged. Ninth course is the beautiful akami flavored with fatty duck liver. It was so delicious, tender and soft.
CHUTORO – Aichi. Negi dare, 16 days aged. Tenth course is also one of my favorite courses. How can anyone not love toro? The fatty tuna is topped with a Japanese green onion sauce for added flavor.
OTORO – Aichi. Kizame, 16 days aged. Ohh this one of my super favorites because I personally love otoro and biased to it. It is topped with a type of seaweed to give it an extra umami flavor. The fatty tuna is sooo fatty and tender and soft.
HIDA A5 WAGYU – Shodoshima. Wagyu fat crumbs, smoked yolk. The twelfth course is the meaty A5 wagyu nigiri topped with wagyu fat crumbs!!! That is like wagyu on wagyu! Soft, tender, flaky raw wagyu on top of crunchy fatty wagyu crumbs is just double loading your mouth with wagyu squared in opposing textures together! One of my favorite bites also!
MOULARD DUCK – Canada. Negi ginger oil, chicken skin, foie gras. Thirteenth course is also a delicious meaty bite. There is the bite of rice soaked in the savory sauce topped with a beautiful slice of duck topped with a tender duck liver topped with crispy chicken skin. Tri-level of all of the best proteins in one bite!
AMADAI (Tilefish) NOODS – Yamaguchi. Vermicelli, coconut, pickled green mustards. Fourteenth course is a noodle course with vermicelli noodles. There is tilefish that is cooked where the scales are kept intact but fried until crispy and crunchy. It contrasted nicely with the flaky, soft fish body underneath.
They went around and poured the coconut-y soup/sauce to eat with the noodles. DISCLAIMER: Anyone who knows Vince and me well know we HATE bean sprouts. However, these bean sprouts have been trimmed of their body and just the seeds intact. It was edible and enjoyable by both of us.
OLIVE A5 – Miso, sesame, egg yolk, fermented chili. This wasn’t part of the 15-course meal, but my beloved cousin Anh Hieu ordered this for both of us to try. Thank you Anh Hieu!! You are the best and sweetest! I love you! The thinly slice of A5 wagyu was so tender, so fatty, so juicy.. How you eat it is first store the egg yolk with the chili and miso until combined, dip the wagyu in and eat. Then afterwards, you use the ball of rice to soak up the rest of the sauce to eat. It was soooo delicious. I will never forget you thought of me to try this with you! One of my favorites and I can still taste it as I write about it.
SWEETS – Plantains, sesame, Thai vanilla, passion fruit. Last dish of the course was dessert round. It included fried plantains that surprisingly is not heavy at all! Most fried foods are oily and heavy, but these are light, crispy and enjoyable. It was served hot which contrasted nicely with the super cold Thai vanilla ice cream.
We took a picture with Chef Niki!! The backdrop was beautiful and was most of our view for the evening!
Thank you Anh Hieu and Anh Thang for treating all of us to this beautiful meal! It is such a hidden gem in Houston, hence the word “Hidden” in the restaurant name. No sign or obvious street number outside to locate it but once you do, you enter a different world altogether. The service was very attentive, fast and friendly. The food was delicious 10/10 all around. The ambiance was casual, trendy and intimate. I would definitely come back to visit and definitely recommend as a top to visit place for my friends. I cannot wait to visit future family restaurants to Hidden Omakase soon. A little birdie told me the next place to keep my eye, ear and mouth out for is Norigami, which specializes in hand rolls..
