OmG - Omakase by Gino

OmG - Omakase by Gino Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Visiting this tiny downtown Santa Ana spot requires planning, patience and perseverance. Owner/sushi chef Gino Choi (Kaori) offers just two seatings in his 10-seat space per night, and the venue’s commonly booked two months in advance. Guests also have to book their seats via a third party website. Yet the craftsmanship and attention to detail Choi gives to his daily-changing menu makes it worth all the effort. Jazz music and soft lighting set the mood, providing the type of sleek metropolitan vibe befitting a much larger downtown area. Choi’s omakase enhances this sense of big city coolness not just through meticulous preparation, but through the quality of his ingredients.

Likes: Intimate communal experience.
Dislikes: Could use one or two more beer/wine options.

Food & Drinks: Choi sources the seafood that stars in his sashimi, nigiri, and items like spot prawns with shiso flower and uni cream from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market. He doesn’t scrimp on the selection – bluefin tuna, seasonal rockfish and blue crab can be part of the dining experience. His trust in the products and his exemplary knife skills result in aesthetically dynamic dishes ranging from the simple to the elaborate, connected by clean, natural flavors unobstructed by excessive fluff. Land-based surprises such as A5 Japanese Wagyu beef finished with caviar occasionally make an appearance during the feast. A decadent uni-topped truffle udon noodle dish is sized ideally to balance out the richness. The desserts that end the meal, perhaps panna cotta, are appropriately light and refreshing. A small list of saké, beer and wine options is available to round out the evening.