Later on this 7 days, the newly painted crimson crimson doorways at 1227 de la Montagne, around the Bell Centre, will swing open up to expose Okeya Kyujiro, an omakase sushi restaurant helmed by Japanese chef Takuya Matsuda.
Whilst several Montreal sushi eating places, these as Park, Ôkini, and Concealed Fish (just a couple doors down), have offered an omakase component, Matsuda states Okeya Kyujiro will be the only a single to run solely in the classic Japanese “leave it to the chef” omakase model of eating.
His version will see close to 20 buyers per night time — break up in two rounds of 10, all perched around a wrap-about wood counter encasing cooks expertly crafting dishes from commence to complete — for a two-hour, 20-system expertise, concluding with a tea ceremony. The restaurant will offer just one menu per night coming in at about $150 to $200 for every head.
“In Montreal, no a single else is carrying out this, but in Toronto and Vancouver there are quite a few omakase dining places. That’s why for my initial place in Canada I came below,” Matsuda suggests. Outposts in the two other Canadian towns are however on the way, with a single planned for Vancouver this coming summer time, and a single in Toronto in winter season 2021.
But there was a thing else drawing Matsuda to Montreal: “When I was youthful, I noticed a Cirque du Soleil exhibit and I was so amazed that I assumed, ‘One day, I want to open up a restaurant that is like a stay exhibit, demonstrating all the talent guiding Japanese foodstuff. Buyers will see the fish remaining slash, the rice remaining cooked, the ginger becoming grated. Even the sesame will be roasted in front of them. I’m motivated by the performances of Cirque du Soleil that is a further motive why I selected Quebec.”
The phrase “theatre” even seems in the Downtown Montreal restaurant’s signage, in front of the constructing that the moment housed Jérôme Ferrer’s Europea. It’s preceded by the phrase “Washoku,” this means conventional Japanese cuisine, referring to his vision for an elaborate and carefully strewn choreography of Japanese cooking. “To be genuine, I’m a tiny tired of the restaurant organization, which is why I wanted to make this much more of an artwork overall performance,” he laughs.
He’s joined by sake sommelier Kuniko Fujita, who has labored at other Japanese eateries close to town, which include Marusan, Bistro Otto, and Ôkini, and nicely-recognised Japanese chef Hachiro Fujise (formerly Iwashi, Thazard) on the food aspect. A Japanese pastry chef, some musicians, and a calligrapher are also on board. “And considering the fact that this is a theatre, I get in touch with them the forged,” Matsuda says.
Of training course, all of this will have to hold out until finally indoor eating is permitted to resume (and the quantity of new COVID-19 cases diminishes) in the province. In the meantime, and as of opening night on January 8, Okeya Kyujiro will be offering a restricted range of bento boxes for takeout. “It’s limited, like it’s possible 10, because if we want it to be good foods, we are unable to make a lot of it,” Matsuda says.
Okeya Kyujiro opens for takeout on January 8 at 1227 de la Montagne.