Georgia Trend Magazine. November 2023 print.

On West Marietta Street in Atlanta’s Westside stands an apartment building with a lone eatery at its ground floor. At the hostess stand, someone is there to greet you by name. You’re on the “guest list” for the evening.

Inside, a minimalistic yet elegant décor of dark blue and wood-covered walls, a white U-shaped sushi bar and orange leather bar chairs make you feel like you are at an intimate dinner party at someone’s intown pad rather than a restaurant. Attentive servers explain how the evening will unfold and promptly attend to dishes and glasses in synchronized movements.

At Omakase Table, all diners have a clear view of the central workstation where chef-owner Leonard Yu and his assistants busily prep and assemble hundreds of colorful ceramic bowls and plates. Over the next couple of hours, Indonesian Chef Yu (who had pop ups of Omakase Table at both Silom Thai & Sushi and Brush Sushi Izakaya) takes just 12 guests on a journey through complex flavors of Japanese cuisine.

As with any omakase meal, don’t expect a menu. It is up to the chef to prepare whatever they may like based on the freshest ingredients available, in this case sourced weekly from Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo. You will be given a one-page guide describing the evening’s 20 or so courses.

Our meal started with several bite-size delicately flavored non-sushi courses called otsumami. Japanese cuisine emphasizes eating with all your senses, so presentation is key. And Yu entertains with his skillful techniques while having conversations with his guests. Omakase Table is almost as much as a cooking show as it is an upscale dinner.

We opened our palate with a glass of Spanish Cava paired with the highest-grade Kaluga hybrid caviar sourced from the Ob River of southeast Russia. Delicate and citrusy, the finely sliced tender Bigfin reef squid with halved green grapes and tozasu dressing doesn’t taste fishy at all and is quite refreshing served as a salad.

One thing consistently on the menu – a tasting of three kinds of ultra-fresh uni (Japanese sea urchin roe) served on wooden spoons. Each has a unique flavor, from salty ocean and creamy mango to briny and pungent. More bites follow. Velvety and earthy mushrooms are delightfully simmered in nutty sake. Chunks of lump crab float in a creamy and hearty corn-based cold soup.

Watch Yu’s knife skills as he shapes meaty fillets of Japanese butter fish into little fish molds. It will delight your inner child. If it’s offered, make sure to drink up the warm bone miso broth with crunchy scallions from the poached Japanese grouper, comforting in any season.

For a detour from the sea, we were served melt-in-your-mouth buttery A5 Wagyu that you mix with a quail egg yolk and shaved black truffles for the perfect balance. A Japanese egg frittata with shrimp, called atsuyaki tamago, has a sponge-cake-like texture with a hint of sweetness. Uni gohan with chu toro is basically a decadent uni risotto with medium fatty tuna.

But save room for more. Yu individually makes 10 to 12 rolls, sashimi and nigiri, for every individual and hands them out one by one during the sushi course. He advises diners to devour every serving within 10 seconds of him placing it in front of you.

Among these, you may find two-week-old aged striped bass with a rice blend of Koshihikari from Niigata and Nanatsuboshi from Hokkaido, lemon and sea salt-infused sea bream, fatty bluefin tuna and smokey Spanish mackerel. Chef Yu lightly grills some of the pieces with white-hot binchotan charcoal before serving, just enough to melt the fat and add a smoky flavor. There’s also a handheld nori roll filled with fatty ground tuna.

Our dinner ended with a strong matcha-flavored Swiss roll that was not really sweet.

There’s a wide selection of handcrafted cocktails, Japanese craft brews, wine and sake. You can also opt for a sake pairing through dinner for an additional cost. My knowledgeable server recommended a rare rosé sake that had strawberry and floral notes – a great crossover for those who aren’t used to rice-based alcohol.

Omakase Table is a special occasion treat for those who truly appreciate the art and craft of Japanese cuisine in an intimate setting. Don’t expect any substitutes or dietary considerations. Go with an open mind and simply leave it up to the chef to treat you to an ultimate dining experience.

~ Written for and published by Georgia Trend Magazine. All rights reserved.