Amaterasu Resurfaces at Ala Moana Center with Lunch and Dinner Sushi Omakase
Hideo Ohmiya started with a pop-up counter inside a car showroom. This is his first brick-and-mortar.
Photo: Melissa Chang
About a year ago, people were abuzz about a pop-up called Amaterasu inside the Velocity luxury car showroom. It was an unusual spot for a high-quality sushi omakase at a casual price. And it was short-lived: Amaterasu closed abruptly earlier this year.
SEE ALSO: Amaterasu, the City’s Newest Sushi Omakase, Is in a Car Showroom
Now, owner and chef Hideo Ohmiya has reopened his sushi counter at Ala Moana Center. Ohmiya, who previously made sushi at Robata Jinya and sushi restaurants in San Francisco and his native Japan, seems to have brought his following to his new spot in that quiet side of the mall downstairs from Macy’s near Barnes & Noble, where Jack in the Box used to be.
Photo: Melissa Chang
After soft-opening the week before Thanksgiving, Amaterasu grand-opened at the beginning of December. I arrived on Day 2, and the counter was full. Ohmiya is much more comfortable in English now and is chatty and accommodating, which I always appreciate in sushi bars.
You’ll notice there are no shoyu dishes. Ohmiya blends his rice with different vinegars to complement the various seafood, then lightly brushes some items with sauce and sprinkles salt on others. The finale is his signature: thinly butterflied Kaua‘i shrimp topped with uni garlic butter that’s torched right before he hands it to you.
Toro nigiri. Photo: Melissa Chang
Each bite of nigiri drew gasps from all of us at the counter. In many cases, the seafood melted in our mouths after the initial burst of flavor. The rare tsubugai, or whelk, was perfectly crunchy, but not too chewy to enjoy. You’ll also find classic favorites like toro, uni, scallop and saba. But our unexpected favorite was the Hokkaido buri, served with a dot of yuzu kosho. In its prime in winter, it was slightly fattier, and the heat of the yuzu kosho gently coaxed out its flavor.
Buri nigiri. Photo: Melissa Chang
The chef’s counter, where the omakase is served, seats seven people comfortably. Just behind it is a large communal table that fits up to 12 people for à la carte dining.
Photo: Melissa Chang
The lunch omakase is $89 and includes an appetizer, chawan mushi, 10 pieces of nigiri sushi and miso soup. Dinner is $150 and includes an appetizer, shirako soup, matsukasa age (deep-fried fish), 10 pieces of nigiri sushi (using more premium seafood), torotaku hand roll and miso soup. Ohmiya says these prices are good until Dec. 31, at which time, after his first month at Ala Moana, he will reassess.
SEE ALSO: Omakase Sushi: A How-To Guide
Supplements can be ordered at the bar or table: Maguro zukushi, which is a flight of six different cuts or treatments of tuna, is available for $42; his “five star shellfish” for $49 features six luxury seafood items like abalone, crab and tsubugai.
For now, Amaterasu is BYOB. Ohmiya highly recommends reservations through OpenTable since he can’t answer the phone during service.
Open Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., (808) 570-4200, OpenTable reservations, @amaterasusushi808
