PHLReview
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Kichi Omakase
Included In
Midtown Village’s Kichi Omakase is the opposite of any tranquil sushi experience you’ve ever had. Demi Lovato plays, shots of sake are being poured at the bar, and because it’s a 60-minute meal, the chefs have the chaotic energy of friends sharing a mirror before a night out. Sure, by the end of the hour, you’ll have had some good bites of seafood. But you’ll also leave with the overall feeling that you’ve found the intersection of a Venn Diagram between “sushi dinner” and “hyperspeed”—and that overlap isn’t seamless.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
The casual, wood-filled space is a BYOB where people hang out near the sake bar before their seating and couples finish bottles of Riesling in lounge seats at its end. Because of the hurried pace, you’ll likely see leftover champagne from a birthday celebration or a group’s rowdy, sushi-filled night. Uptempo pop blasts from the speakers, you’re quickly shuffled to one of the 14 seats at the chef’s counter, and before you can blink you’re onto the third course.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Behind the omakase bar are three energetic, hospitable chefs working at a cadence that’s cranked up to full throttle. If you want to know what you’re about to eat, you’ll have to quickly interject, “what is this?” before they’re onto the next ingredient, and if you focus you may be able to make out “sea bream,” “lime shavings,” and “miso uni glaze” over the music. One chef torches king salmon, another saves steak from catching fire on a plug-in grill, and the third tops bluefin with micro greens. If you happen to be in their section when the smoke clears, they pass you the finished product.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
It’s a kind of organized chaos that reminds us of a silent rave—when half the party is dancing to the beat of another song. The $95, 15-course rotating menu features standouts like chūtoro topped with truffled mushrooms and wagyu layered with foie gras, caviar, and a gold flake mist that will stay on your hands for the rest of the night, while several of the others land closer to serviceable.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Kichi works when you’re in the mood for an exciting, fun meal that includes Ariana Grande hits and a montage of accessorized nigiri. It just happens to feel like it’s being served in fast forward.
Food Rundown
The menu here changes every week, but these are a few examples of things you might see.
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Eel With Eel Sauce And Foie Gras
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Otoro With Caviar And Gold Flakes
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Fluke With Shiso Leaf And Kosho Sauce
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Bluefin Tuna With Truffle Mushroom
photo credit: GAB BONGHI
Kampachi With Pickled Jalapeño