After a few weeks of running in, Nama Omakase officially opens its doors. It’s a project that chef-owner GaCong Ruan has been thinking about with the Carma Hospitality group for almost three years, joined by executive chef Michael Ho, a finalist on the show The bosses! in 2023.
GaCong Ruan had in mind a restaurant that embraces Japanese tradition with French cuisine and where two services coexist. One of the “omakase” type with people sitting at the counter being guided by the chef, and another with an “à la carte” menu and customers enlivening the dining room.
The chef-owner and his partners make no secret of their ambitions to become an internationally recognized gourmet restaurant and even become the next Nobu with multiple locations.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Unique fish
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Brussel sprouts sautéed in yuzu miso with pearl onion pickles, seasoned with furikake
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The Moriawase sashimi dish consists of high-quality fish (red king crab legs, Japanese bream, tuna, Kinmedai, salmon) that the chefs invite us to eat in a very specific order with fresh wasabi, ginger seasoned with sesame seeds and yuzu-infused salmon roe.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Magnificent to the eyes and tasty to the palate, this frisee salad is based on fried aubergine. With tomatoes and pine nuts, there is no doubt: Nama Omakase is a French-Japanese restaurant.
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But first of all we had to find the premises on rue Viger, which consisted of “four walls” of brick and elegant columns. Hence the word “nama”, which means “raw”, which applies to the decor consisting of raw materials (signed Guillaume Ménard of Ménard Dworkind), but also to the menu, which focuses on fish, meat and local products. Exception: Ora King salmon from New Zealand, Marunaka shoyu sauce aged for more than three years, A5 wagyu beef, etc.
Tip: Listen carefully to your server’s instructions, especially about edible greens in sushi dishes (ginger flowers, sansho pepper leaves) and how to maximize the flavor of fresh wasabi. And warning: the belly of the bluefin tuna (theotoro) literally melts in your mouth!
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
You can have two experiences at Nama Omakase: in “omakase” mode at the counter with the chef or “à la carte” in the dining room.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Chef-owner GaCong Ruan and Executive Chef Michael Ho
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
From the Carma Hospitality group, which adds Nama Omakase to its restaurant portfolio, Pietro Maio, Clément Audouy and Lucio Carlomusto
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The two chefs GaCong Ruan and Michael Ho, who are 31 and 28 respectively, have known each other since childhood. The former is a self-taught chef and grew up developing the art of service with his restaurateur parents before working at several sushi restaurants, including Maïko and Tori. Name Omakase represents “a dream” for him.
As for Michael Ho, his culinary studies led him to internships in Lyon at the Paul Bocuse restaurant and at the Auberge de l’île Barbe. In Montreal, he worked for four years at Maison Boulud.
The two partners hope to surprise even the most discerning palates with their impeccably presented French-Japanese dishes, including the vegetarian aubergine dish. Alongside the plate, you can choose from cocktails (signatures or classics), sakes (Kikuchi, Akebono Shuzo) and wines carefully selected for their pairing with the dishes. By glass, for example, you can drink sauvignon blanc from Domaine Lebrun or pinot noir from Domaine Poderi Colla.
Please note that the two omakase services offered each evening (18:00 and 20:30) bring together a group of six people. The dining room has 56 seats.
425, avenue Viger Ouest, Montreal
Visit the Nama Omakase website
