OMAKASE
Auckland · By Reservation Only
お任せ
omakase — I leave it to you
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A counter where a single chef’s knife meets New Zealand king salmon at dawn, where rice is seasoned by feel and nigiri is pressed exactly twice — no more, no less.
A Day at Omakase
6:00 AM — Fish Market, Wynyard Quarter
The day begins before the city wakes.
Chef Kenji walks the dock at first light. He knows the boats by name. Today: New Zealand king salmon, still cold from the Tasman Sea.
6:14 AM
9:30 AM
Prep Kitchen
間
Ma — the pause between
10:45 AM — Rice Room
The rice is washed seven times.
Seasoned by feel, not measure. Twenty-year-old red vinegar from Aichi. The temperature of the shari must match the temperature of your palm.
11:20 AM
2:00 PM
Counter Setup
一
Ichi — one, undivided attention
4:30 PM — The Counter
Six seats. One chef. No menu.
The binchotan ignites at four. By five, the cypress counter has been wiped twice and the teapot is breathing.
5:00 PM
First Guest
7:30 PM
Service
8:45 PM — The Turning Point
Nigiri is pressed exactly twice.
No more, no less. The warmth of the rice must meet the cold of the fish at precisely the right moment. This is not technique. This is instinct earned over twelve years.
9:15 PM
11:59 PM
The counter is ready. Are you?
2×
Nigiri is pressed
No more. No less.
The Counter Philosophy
A room where someone has already started preparing something beautiful just for you.
The counter seats six. The chef seats one guest at a time in his attention. There is no menu to choose from because the choice was made at six in the morning, at the dock, in the cold, when the salmon was still silver.
NZ King Salmon
Sourced from the Marlborough Sounds. Harvested to order, never frozen.
Binchotan Charcoal
White oak charcoal from Kishu. Burns at 800°C with no smoke, no smell — only heat.
Akazu Rice Vinegar
Aged twenty years in Aichi. The colour of amber. The taste of time.
Wasabi Root
Grated fresh on sharkskin. Never from a tube. Never from a jar.
6
Counter Seats
12
Courses, Nightly
20+
Years of Akazu
1
Chef. Always.
Voices from the Counter
“We had been to four countries looking for a meal that felt like ours. This was the first time a restaurant understood what an anniversary actually means. The tamago arrived exactly when the conversation needed to pause.”
Sophie & James Hartley
Ten-year anniversary
Auckland
“I have eaten at counters in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Chef Kenji's shari temperature is the most precise I have encountered outside Japan. The akazu vinegar is not something you encounter in New Zealand. I went back three times in one month.”
Marcus Chen
Food writer, Cuisine NZ
Auckland
“I brought our Singapore clients here instead of a steakhouse. Two weeks later one of them emailed me unprompted to say it was the best meal of their year. That email closed the deal.”
Fiona McAllister
Client dinner, private equity
Auckland
The Counter Awaits
Reserve Your Seat at the Counter
Six seats. One seating per evening. Doors open at 5:30 PM. The counter is ready when you are.
or
Book a Private Omakase for Your Group
Exclusive counter hire for ten or more. Corporate evenings, milestone celebrations, and client experiences that close deals. The entire restaurant is yours.