The Fastest Omakase I've Ever Had｜Omakase Yume Chicago 🍣

TL;DR: Mixed feelings — probably won’t return. 💰 The meal and service felt worth $150–180, not the current price. They included some premium fish (snapper, amberjack, kanpachi, tuna from akami to otoro), but also threw in salmon 🤷, and some sashimi quality was just average. The chawanmushi started heavy, and much of the meal felt over-seasoned and disjointed — like they were trying to do too much without harmony or memorability. (Noticed later the chef is Korean — maybe that explains the flavor profile?) 🗞️ I’ve often heard: “Better to fly to NY/Japan for Japanese food than eat it in Chicago” (I’d add Taiwan to that list). I liked Itoko for its cozy izakaya vibe, but this omakase reinforced that stereotype for me. ✅ Highlights: Two white-flesh fish and the skipjack (katsuo) were pleasant surprises. The kanpachi (summer favorite in Taiwan) had visible marbling — refreshing among winter’s richer fish. The amberjack was also excellent. 🐟 The Salmon Dilemma: Don’t get why salmon was included at this price point. The smoked presentation felt gimmicky, but… I still like smoky flavors, so guilty as charged. 😅 Now the critiques: Tuna was average; the “toro” served felt closer to chutoro, and the black salt on top was gritty and distracting. Many pieces had too much connective tissue. Menu felt lazy — minimalist or just skimpy? Only one steamed dish (chawanmushi), miso soup, and the grilled item was combined with rice. No traditional appetizers or pickled sides. Plating was rough; uni hand roll was meager. 💁 Service: The chef seemed like an introvert in a hurry — we finished in one hour (faster than an omakase I once had before a flight!). Zero interaction — explanations were delegated to the server, who repeated the same script at every table 😅. Service was okay — coat check, hot towels, no extra charge for more tea — but they never wiped the sushi plate, and no towel was offered before the hand roll. #Omakase #ChicagoEats #SushiReview #MixedFeelings #JapaneseFoodChicago