Part of a trio of new concepts recently unveiled by the hit MediterrAsian spot MILA, including a private members club and an intimate lounge, decorated chef Michael Michaelidis—who trained under Joël Robuchon and has 26 Michelin stars to his name—and executive chef Reiji Yoshizawa put on quite a show at MILA Omakase. Immersed in a transportive atmosphere complete with a sweeping cherry blossom tree, a Japanese-inspired wallpaper screen, and a 500-year-old hinoki wood cutting board, a nightly gastronomic journey awaits patrons lucky enough to score one of the ten seats. “We want to really reach the art of fine dining,” says Michaelidis, referencing the tweezer-driven precision of the plating and the elegant fusion of Mediterranean and Japanese influences.
The heart of this exclusive experience lies in the ever-changing menu, which evolves in harmony with the 72 Japanese micro-seasons. Line-caught fish is flown in daily, including Hokkaido sea urchin, sustainable bluefin tuna from Baja, and Sanuki Olive Wagyu from Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture. In the capable hands of Michaelidis and Yoshizawa, the exquisite ingredients are transformed into dazzling compositions worthy of the revered tradition of omakase, a phrase that translates to ‘I leave it up to you.’ “The market is coming to us every day,” Michaelidis says. “I get boxes from Japan: Toyosu, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido. The customer gets to [discover] the beauty of our sourcing.”
In the latest installment of Designing Delicious, we visit MILA Omakase.
