Nama Omakase — Restaurant in Montreal

Advertised as a perfect blend of Japanese and French styles of cuisine, the menu instead gives an impression of complete confusion.

We went to the restaurant for the dining floor experience, being unaware of how to access the omakase, so I can’t say anything about the quality there, but the dining floor menu was truly underwhelming. All the menu options were an eclectic mix of flavors that made absolutely no sense and promised an overwhelming experience for an overwhelming price. We decided to give the sashimi a try, thinking to test at the very least the quality of the ingredients. For an excessive price of over $120 for only 20 pieces of tiny sashimi, the quality was mediocre. We were severely unimpressed and decided to leave after finishing the sashimi, having already searched through google photos to try and understand the menu options and finding ourselves completely unexcited.

A blend of cuisines should not simply be throwing in ingredients of one cuisine into a dish of the other, such as adding miso and sake to a French duck dish. It should blend the key features of both for a wholistic experience, i.e. the simplicity of Japanese cuisine with only a few high quality ingredients combined with the technique of French cuisine to intensify flavors and sauces. Instead, we found a menu asking for truly ridiculous prices for something as insane as combining oysters, a refreshing and light dish, with something as heavy in texture and flavor as foie gras. Truly depicting confusion instead of creativity.

The atmosphere was also oppressive, being so dark we couldn’t even read the menu without turning on a flashlight. The restaurant was almost empty, making us nervous on the quality before we even sat down. The service was mediocre as well, with our waiter struggling himself to explain the dishes to us or give any convincing suggestions. It was clear not even he understood the intention behind the schizophrenic combinations offered in the menu.

Overall, a clearly overpriced under quality experience, designed to take advantage of people who have never experienced true high quality French or Japanese cuisine, or actually effective fusions, and get convinced by seeing overpriced ingredients. Seeing the pictures of the omakase didn’t excite me at all either, seeming to offer singular pieces of incredibly common combinations of nigiri. With the quality of the sashimi, I doubt the nigiri could be anything special. Getting the bill was another unpleasant surprise, somehow hitting over $200 after simply ordering one mediocre sashimi platter, one glass of whiskey, and a bottle of water? Unfortunately, I was far more invested in leaving the restaurant as soon as possible, or else I might have had some harsh questions to ask about the charges.

Definitely would not recommend. Save your money and go...

Atmosphere & Ambiance Despite the elegant decor and carefully curated aesthetics, the dining experience was significantly compromised by fundamental design issues. The restaurant's acoustics proved particularly problematic – the combination of loud music and poor sound dynamics created an environment where conversations became a challenge. Seated at a large rectangular table in the center of the room, we found ourselves straining to hear dinner companions directly across from us, while paradoxically picking up conversations from distant tables along the walls.

Seating Arrangement The communal-style seating, while perhaps intended to create a contemporary dining atmosphere, detracted from the intimate dining experience one expects from an upscale establishment. The central rectangular table, more suited for business meetings than social dining, forced guests to project their voices uncomfortably throughout the meal. Food & Presentation The late-night menu, heavily promoted on Instagram, delivered mixed results:

Tartare A delicate presentation of Tuna tartare, served in an artistic sheet-like formation, offered excellent flavors despite its modest portion (equivalent to roughly two pieces of sashimi). While visually striking, the unusual plating made it challenging to navigate with chopsticks.

Sashimi The sashimi demonstrated skilled preparation and thoughtful seasoning. However, the choice of New Zealand frozen salmon over local Montreal options seemed at odds with current restaurant industry trends toward local sourcing and sustainability.

Mazemen The noodle dish proved to be the evening's greatest disappointment. While the initial aroma promised a rich Shrimp-based broth with brioche spices and lime, the actual sauce registered as little more than warmed butter, lacking any discernible acidity. The noodles arrived both cold and overcooked – a combination that prompted one dish to be returned. Due to the notably slow service, other diners reluctantly finished their portions rather than face lengthy replacement wait times. Effort can be made by adding one slice of veggies or a shrimp.

At $65 per person for the late-night menu, the price point feels steep given the portion sizes and inconsistent execution.

While the restaurant shows promise with its appetizers and aesthetic vision, significant improvements are needed in acoustics, seating arrangements, and main course execution to justify its premium positioning. The clever observation from one diner comparing the experience to dining in a retirement home – complete with difficulty hearing and soft foods – unfortunately captures the evening's...

$135 PP Omakase menu (for two). Great service. Food was hit or miss for us. Lovely experience overall.

Overall impression: Impeccable service from our waiter. Beautiful dessert plating. Too many “pre-packaged”-tasting flavors and disjointed elements to recommend the cooked dishes as standalone. Sushi omakase could still be good.

5 course omakase breakdown:

First course: Beef tartare and red snapper— primary ingredients were both fresh. Tartare had a touch too much sesame oil and felt a bit greasy but still enjoyable. Red snapper was perfectly good. Pickled mushrooms etc. tastes exactly as what you’d get at any other spot. The Lychee(?) had an overwhelmingly synthetic taste. Couldn’t help but feel that some elements come commercially prepackaged.

Second course: Eggplant katsu with salad, swordfish on daikon. Great textures in the eggplant with high quality ingredients. Swordfish was a little dry, but fine with the sauce.

Third course: Sushi course. Received red snapper again, and it turned out to be the freshest of the fish in the sushi row. We would have preferred a bit more vinegar in the rice with a little bit more wasabi. Maki was made beautifully, with great balance of flavors, and the fish on top was perfection. While the sushi was subpar, the maki was the highlight of our meal

Fourth course: Short rib and brussels sprouts. Good, familiar flavors. Brussels sprouts were greasy but otherwise cooked perfectly. Short rib a bit dry with a “spice package” tasting sauce.

Fifth course: sake-infused ice cream with rice pudding and orange crisps; gin(?) infused ice cream with cake and what tasted like waffle cone crumbles. Gorgeous plating, both hits and misses (orange crisp = perfect. cake = slightly stale, rice pudding = disjointed, ice creams = delightful)

Bottom line: Good experience. Would not go for the cooked dishes at this price point. Higher end sushi omakase might still be worthwhile if the maki is an indication of freshness and execution with that...