Morimoto Asia's Omakase - 3 Hours of Bliss

Pygoplites

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 6, 2009
My 5-day solo trip has ended but it was truly a triumph of great dining…which is not always the case with WDW. My meals/snacks included Tokyo Dining, Tusker House, Tiffins, Jungle Cruise Skipper Canteen, Columbia Harbor House, Everything Pop!, Nomad Lounge, Le Cellier, Morimoto Lounge, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, Tambu Lounge, various F&W booths...and the absolute highlight of the chef’s tasting (Omakase) at Morimoto Asia's upstairs sushi bar.

The Omakase must be booked in advance (with 50% deposit placed) and the chef will create an experience for you, taking into account any particular restrictions/dislikes/allergies. I’m a pretty adventurous diner with no allergies, so I just let the chef know that i was open to anything. I believe the Omakase is limited to 12 people, but I happened to be the only one having it that evening, so I essentially had a private chef for the evening…what a treat! Although I had read that it was 5 to 7 courses, my meal was actually 10 courses. Unlike some tasting menus, many of the courses were quite large. I’m 6’2” / 210 lbs. and I was maxed out by the end of the meal.

Courses (as best as I can remember):
1. Amuse: A trio of oyster, black cod and shishito pepper

2. Toro (tuna) Tartare

3. Nigiri Sushi (5 pieces, including kampachi, scallop, mackerel)

4. Sashimi (5 pieces, with several prepared as crudo with olive oil and other components such as dried ossetra caviar and house-made bottarga). Final piece was fatty tuna smoked on the spot. Also had a piece of lion fish served with shiso leaf.

5. Lobster Shabu Shabu: A hotpot of very complex broth served with assorted mushrooms, veggies and raw lobster claw and tail meat that you cook briefly in the broth. The was stunningly delicious; among the best dishes I’ve ever eaten.

6. Marinated/steamed/tableside smoked Faroe Island salmon belly and maitake mushrooms. Generally, I'm not big on salmon, but this was phenomenal.

7. Squid “fettucine carbonara”: In quotes because the squid was cut into thin strips to mimic pasta and the carbonara was uni and bacon foam with quail egg and fresh salmon roe (from the actual salmon served in the previous course). This wins another spot on my personal “dining hall of fame.” I was getting pretty full by this point, but I finished it!

8. A5 Japanese Wagyu beef: A couple pieces simply grilled on a hot rock and dressed with freshly grated wasabi. Simple and perfect and it was real, certified Japanese beef from Miyazaki Prefecture.

9. More A5 Wagyu!!: 4 pieces, also rock grilled, and served on Korean-style rice (Morimoto-ized bi bim bop). Ate the beef, but couldn’t finish the rice!

10. Dessert: Tempura fried local honeycomb with a fruity sauce (forgot what, exactly) . A new dessert, apparently and maybe the only minor misstep. I’m in no hurry to eat fried beeswax again. At least it was not boring!

Drinks:
A flight of Morimoto’s own sake and a couple glasses of wine that I just asked the waiter to pair with later courses.

Thoughts:
Overall, this was not only one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten at WDW--as enjoyable as Victoria & Albert’s, but a totally different experience—but it was one of the most memorable and delicious dinners of my lifetime. It was every bit as good as when Morimoto himself prepared our Omakase dinner in Philadelphia years ago. I have had Michelin 3-star dinners that weren’t nearly as impressive as this meal. Plus, Chef Yuhi Fujinaga is as friendly as he is talented. The rest of the food and service staff were equally fantastic.

For people who love Japanese food but aren’t averse Pan-Asian and even European influences--and who don’t mind spending 2 1/2 to 3 hours at a meal, you’re in for a treat. For dining at this level, and the fact that the A5 Wagyu beef was not an add-on supplement like at V&A, the $150.00 food tab was an excellent value. I hope that doesn’t change, considering that Morimoto normally charges almost $70 just for 3 ounces of Wagyu.

Extra--Tiffins Mini Review:
While Morimoto’s Omakase was the dining highlight of my vacation by a huge margin, I really enjoyed my first-ever meal at Tiffins, too. I know they’ve gotten some mixed reviews, but for me it was my best-ever in-park meal. My server, Laura(?), was wonderful.

I had the octopus appetizer, charcuterie board, whole fried snapper, and the cheese board with wine pairings for each course. Finished with Indonesian coffee in a press pot.
 


Morimotos is amazing! I must agree. I want to try the chef's experience next time I go.
 
Thank you for this review, I had always wondered about the omakase here. My hubs and I hail from NYC and we love omakase but they are getting too expensive...they are insanely priced in NYC, but they are sooo good. Morimoto's sounds very unique in that it includes cooked food as well as sushi and the price is only 150. NYC is almost double the price if not more. I really want to reserve this for my husband's birthday in December! Did you reserve with them directly or through Disney's website?
 


Thank you for this review, I had always wondered about the omakase here. My hubs and I hail from NYC and we love omakase but they are getting too expensive...they are insanely priced in NYC, but they are sooo good. Morimoto's sounds very unique in that it includes cooked food as well as sushi and the price is only 150. NYC is almost double the price if not more. I really want to reserve this for my husband's birthday in December! Did you reserve with them directly or through Disney's website?

Yes, 150 is an amazing value for Omakase at this level, especially considering some of the ingredients. Apparently, when Morimoto is in town and behind the counter, the price is higher (250 recently).

I booked it through the restaurant. You email them an inquiry and then they contact you to finalize the reservation and take a 50 percent deposit. They also ask about likes/dislikes/allergies when booking.
 

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