West Loop
16-course | $120 | 8-seat
First Visit [7/3/2019]
The 8-seat, 16-course west loop gem was opened by Chef Sangtai Park almost one year ago, in July of 2018. Originally from South Korea, Chef Park was a former Sous chef at Marai before opening two restaurants on his own. Park is known for sourcing his fish primarily from Japan and Korea, adding to the legitimacy of the restaurant’s sushi quality. The quaint and inviting restaurant is run by both Park and his wife Kate Kim Park. Together they are in sync from the moment guests walk in the door till the last bite of desert. In a city lacking authentic/ quality omakase, Yume has answered our calls.
Omakase Yume has been on our list for over a year now. With its newness and growing publicity, Yume has easily become one of the hardest to attain Omakase reservations in the city. This only heightened our anticipation.
We finally landed our 5:30pm reservation, one of the two seatings offered each night, and marked our calendars for an unforgettable sushi experience. As we walked in, we were transported to a tiny, hole-in-the-wall Japanese sushi counter. The room barely fit more than the counter and space for eight seats. This was just what we wanted.
The meal started off with a deep-fried eggplant atop hirame, proceeding straight into the nigiri. Each piece of nigiri left us wanting more and more – with the exception of the Mejina – a fish we had never heard of before and had a rather chewy texture. The madai, chutoro, and sake were our favorites of the night. The visual presentation and creative process of each piece was phenomenal. We were mesmerized by the quickness and skill of chef Park.
After the nigiri portion ended, we were left slightly disappointed with the lack of fan-favorites such as uni or wagyu but were able to get our fix off the a la cart portion of the menu. As we moved on from nigiri, we were pleasantly surprised with the sushi restaurant staple, miso glazed baked cod. This dish provided the sustenance we needed after all the light and luscious nigiri. After the cod we were delivered miso soup, and then to top it all off, a wonderful and light matcha panna cotta. It was truly a wonderful ending to a lovely tasting. We were very content with the amount of food offered and left with happy, full bellies.
For all our fellow omakase-goers, Yume does not disappoint. He is not afraid to offer rare and exquisite options such as raw sweet shrimp. Newbie sushi-goers beware, you will definitely be pushed to your adventurous limits but will not leave disappointed.
Omakase Yume at a glance
Rice: Great temperature and texture. Some improvement could be made on flavor of the rice, it seemed to be lacking acidity from the vinegar or any outstanding tang or sweetness.
Fish: The fish was as fresh as anticipated. The tasting included all of our favorite fish, including madai and kinmedai. While all the fish was exceptionally fresh and cut with the most precision, an occasional piece or two Would leave my mouth a little fishy.
Vibe: Omakase Yume takes you straight to Japan with its intimate and quite ambiance and attentive service. We loved feeling so close to all the action.
Experience: Yume was a great experience and just what we needed after a long omakase hiatus. We loved the intimate dining experience and would have only loved a little more conversation with Chef Sangtai Park.
Value: For the intimate seating and high-quality fish, we would agree that Omakase Yume has earned its lofty price point. With limited omakase options in the city, we would happily pay a pretty penny to be transported to Japan for a couple hours. With this said, we would have loved to have seen some higher priced additions to the course-tasting such as uni or wagyu.
Second Visit [2/4/2021]:
We are so excited to recount our second visit to Omakase Yume. With the lift of the ban on indoor dining, we immediately went to make some long-awaited omakase reservations. Yume was one of the first omakases we experienced in the city and we were eager to go back for more.
The menu remained almost exactly the same since our last visit. This wasn't a surprise to us given Yume's adherence to traditional sushi and edomae style standards. Chef Park's craft lies in his ability to perform with the same precision over and over again, steadily improving his craft. While Park remains true to traditional sushi methods and combinations, they are far from simple. His vast knowledge of flavor profiles, seasonality, and fish aging shine in each perfectly formed nigiri. We were once again extremely pleased with our visit and are excited for more in the future.
Comments