The word ‘omakase’ translates roughly to ‘leave it up to the chef’ in Japanese. And that is what up to eight diners get to do each night in this tiny new venue, located inside the award-winning Tengoku de Cusine complex. For 2,500 baht per head, diners are offered a seven-course Japanese seafood extravaganza of the highest quality, unlike anything available in the north of Thailand. The owner of Tengoku de Cuisine flew all his chefs to Japan recently to dine at some of Japan’s most celebrated restaurants, tasting, learning and being inspired. During a visit to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, they made arrangements to import a variety of the freshest products to Chiang Mai, which are now arriving every three days. Sashimi slices on offer include otoro, the buttery lower part of a tuna belly; engawa, the delicate edge of a flounder; matsuzaka, an incredibly tender beef; surf clams and sea urchin roe. Aromatic soups, foie gras sushi and a variety of other rare delicacies are included in the special seven-course omakase. You’ll be surprised at the ability of tiny bits of raw seafood to fill your belly, but you are still hungry (we certainly weren’t) the restaurant’s a la carte menu, comprising 30 items, is available for you to dig into. Order to your heart’s content, everything is included in the set price. This is a fabulous and very special dining experience – make sure you book ahead! – where strangers and friends can sit together at the food bar sipping hot sake or cold beer, watching the chef and owner expertly prepare each dish and sampling one rare treat after another. As owner San Suebsaeng says, “I just want people in Chiang Mai to get the opportunity to taste the best ingredients from Japan.”