#1. District Binh Thanh, Sushi Omakase OMAKASE TIGER Review
Omakase Tiger is a sushi omakase restaurant located on Pham Viet Chanh Street, also called Little Tokyo, in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. This restaurant is run by the owner of Sushi Tiger in Japanese Town, Le Thanh Ton, District 1. There is little bit higher price than Sushi Tiger, but you can taste slightly higher quality sushi in a restaurant with a good atmosphere.
It's located on the 8th floor of a building in an alley, but it wasn't noticeable, so I had a hard time finding the restaurant. When you take the elevator up, there is Yakitori Hachibei, a yakitori restaurant, on your right, and Omakase Tiger is in a small space on your left. It is a small restaurant that can accommodate up to 8 people, and the neon tiger sign on the wall gives it a hip feel.
Although it is not a tall building with an 8-story height, there are no tall buildings around here, so I was able to see the night view of downtown Ho Chi Minh at a glance. This is a wonderful restaurant where you can enjoy delicious sushi and drinks in a cozy atmosphere while looking at the beautiful night view.
Since I came for sushi, I wanted to drink some decent sake, so I ordered a glass of Dassai 45. It had a subtle fruity aroma, moderate sweetness, and a refreshing, clean finish. This is definitely a sake worth the price.
The first dish was the appetizer, which consisted of sesame tofu and edamame with two sauces. Usually, chawanmushi is served a lot at omakase, but it was refreshing to see this dish for the first time. The sweet and salty sauce and savory sesame tofu were edible.
The second dish was KANASY YUKI SHIO(JAPANESE BARRACUDA WITH SNOW SALT). Because it is an entry-level sushi omakase restaurant, nigiri was served right after the first appetizer. Snow salt, which has a salinity of about 30% of regular salt, was sprinkled on top of the barracuda sushi to add visual appeal. It was a bit disappointing that it had a strong salty taste, masking the taste of neta.
The third dish was MARUKOBAN AR GOMA(YELLOWFIN JACK WITH SESAME SAUCE). I sprinkled sesame sauce on top to add a salty and savory taste, and from this point on, I realized that this place's overall food is strong, so it would be good to eat it with alcohol.
The fourth dish was KISU DILL(SAND BORER MARINATED IN VINEGAR WITH DILL SOY SAUCE). Since it is a whitefish, the taste is not strong, but the sour and salty flavor was so strong that I could barely taste the sand borer original flavor, which was disappointing.
The fifth dish was HONMAGURO AKAMI ZUKE(SOY SAUCE MARINATED RED BLUFIN TUNA WITH EGG YOLK MARINATED IN SOY SAUCE). There was an egg yolk marinated in soy sauce on top, and although it was a little salty, the concentrated savory flavor went quite well with the oily tuna.
The sixth dish was SALMON WARAYAKI(STRAW GRILLED SALMON WITH HORSERADISH SOY SAUCE). The fresh salmon used as neta was seared on the outside using a brazier to add a smoky taste, and horseradish and soy sauce were used to add a spicy and salty taste, but it was not very special.
The seventh dish was AKOYAGAI OBA GENOVESE & CHEESE(PEARL CLAM WITH OBA LEAF GENOVESE SAUCE & PARMESAN CHEESE). Although it looked rough on the outside, the combination of the springy texture of the pearl clams and the rich aroma and taste of the basil sauce was quite good and exceeded my expectations.
The eighth dish was SAKAMUSHI(STEAMED FISH COLLAR IN SAKE). Salmon fin is boiled in broth containing yuzu and green onions, and you can eat the fish by dipping it in the accompanying ponzu sauce. After eating cold sushi over and over again, I was glad to see some warm food in the middle, but it was a strange taste that I had never tried before.
The ninth dish was HIRAME YUZU KOSHO(FLOUNDER WITH YUZU CITRUS SALT). It was added yuzu salt to add a refreshing and salty taste, it was not bad, but had no impact at all.
The tenth dish was EBI TEMPURA(SHRIMP TEMPURA WITH YUZU INFUSED SAUCE AMERICAINE). The sauce was spread on large fried tiger shrimp and wrapped in seaweed. The ingredients used were good, so it was definitely good taste.
The eleventh dish was CHUTORO NEGIMISO(MEDIUM-FATTY BLUEFIN TUNA WITH HOMEMADE LEEK MISO). They served a sauce made with green onions and miso on top of the sushi, and it was the most delicious food I had that day. I could feel that the taste was upgraded to a higher level by adding a luxurious salty umami taste to the fatty and savory mid-belly meat along with the subtle scent of green onions.
The last twelfth dish of the basic course was UNAGI TRUFFLE CREAM(EEL WITH TRUFFLE CREAM). Grilled eel slathered in skein sauce, wrapped in seaweed and topped with truffle cream. It was the second most delicious dish I ate that day and had the strongest impact. You can finish the course here or go further.
The thirteenth dish was HOKKAIDO HOTATE ABURI(SEARED SCALLOPS WITH SPICY MARAS CHILI & SOY SAUCE). They said they used Hokkaido scallops, but it was small and didn't have a good texture, and I didn't like the mala seasoning on top. This was the worst sushi. It made me that I suddenly felt depressed after maximizing my satisfaction with the mid-belly sushi and eel temaki.
The fourteenth dish was HAMACHI NINNIKU SHOYU(JAPANESE YELLOWTAIL WITH GARLIC MARINATED SOY SAUCE). Garlic pickled in soy sauce was placed on top of oily yellowtail and it was reasonably tasty, but it wasn't enough to quell the anger created by the scallop sushi.
The fifteenth dish was OTORO PONZU(FATTY BLUEFIN TUNA WITH GRATED RADISH IN PONZU SAUCE & CHILI POWDER). The fatty and savory tuna belly and the spicy and salty ponzu sauce on top didn't seem to go well together. It was okay to eat, but I felt a little disappointed.
UNI IKURA(SEA URCHIN WITH ROE) was served as the 16th and final dish of the meal. It was a combination that easy see. Since it was an entry-level omakase, so they didn't use good quality sea urchin, but it wasn't bad because it wasn't too bitter and had a fairly savory taste.
After the meal is over, the final food begins to be served. Warm miso soup was served first to soothe the stomach after eating a lot of cold food. It was an ordinary, nothing special dish with small ingredients such as seaweed, chives, onions, and tofu.
Miso soup was followed by warm green tea. After eating cold food, I ended up eating hot food, which made my stomach feel better. It seemed to have a similar role to eating spicy fish stew to finish off the raw fish at a Korean restaurant.
To finish off the omakase course, black rice gelato was served. It had a luxurious, subtle sweetness and a chewy texture that made it a great ending to the meal. I felt as if my mouth had been thoroughly rinsed.
#2. Omakase Tiger Menu
Sushi omakase restaurant Omakase Tiger offers three sushi courses and a variety of drinks. The sushi course system is unique. You start with a basic course for 780,000VND and can choose to finish or proceed further at the end of the course. The basic course may seem short, but you will get full as you eat, and it was very refreshing to be able to choose while eating without having to choose before starting the course. The composition of the basic course is quite good for the price, but the composition of the additional courses feels a little ambiguous.
I visited alone for dinner on a Thursday evening and ordered the following.
Omakase C: 980,000VND
Dassai 45: 238,000VND x 2 EA = 476,000VND
Sapporo Draft Beer: 75,000VND
Green Tea: 40,000VND x 2 EA = 80,000VND
At 1,611,000VND, plus service charge 5% and VAT 8%, came to a total of 1,826,874VND. As entry-level sushi omakase, the prices of alcohol seemed a little expensive, but the dinner course was a cheap, so overall satisfaction was high. Omakase Tiger is a great restaurant to visit when you want to enjoy a casual yet cost-effective sushi course.
#3. Omakase Tiger Hours and Location
Omakase Tiger is a sushi omakase restaurant located on Pham Viet Chanh Street, called Little Tokyo in Binh Thanh District. For a more detailed location, click the Check Location button below to check on Google Maps.
Address: 85/9 Phạm Viết Chánh, Phường 19, Bình Thạnh, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Phone: 0932014124
Hours: 17:00 ~ 22:30(Closed on Mondays)