Oya

Oya is one of the best sushi restaurants (and restaurants in general) in Boston. The sushi is a more creative, gourmet style and while the menu notes that most items can be traditionally prepared, when they come topped with truffles, fois gras, caviar, and gold leaves I can’t imagine anyone would want to.

            Oya isn’t cheap but it’s worth it, and I try to make it in at least once a year. In my first few visits I had a choice of omakase (the chef’s tasting menu) or a ‘la carte, and selected all a ’la Carte options. The last couple of times, there was a third option, the grand tasting menu, which I tried. Some of the earlier yelp reviews of Oya complained that for the price they end up leaving hungry, even after ordering the omakase. The owners must have taken this to heart because the newer twenty course tasting menu is almost too much. Almost.

With so many courses I won’t describe the entire tasting menu, but some of my favorites that really stood out during my latest visit were:

Torched Hamachi with a spicy banana pepper mousse and truffle oil.

Fried kumoto oyster maki, topped with a sauce (almost like tartar) and squid ink foam.

 

Fois gras frozen and prepared as a cold powder  with a yuzu topping, served in one bite on a wooden spoon.

 

An Onsen Egg poached for twenty hours and served with a generous scoop of white sturgeon caviar on top and finished with gold flakes.

 

Seared petite strip loin of wagyu – this was the most tender and flavorful steak I’ve ever had. It was served with confit potato (thin strips of potato like a chip, but softer in the center) and all topped with truffle oil. 

Fois Gras and chocolate – this is one of Oya’s signatures, something I’ve ordered every time I’ve been, and the dish that has kept me coming back. It is a piece of fois gras seared, served on top of sushi rice, and topped with balsamic syrup and chocolate. It is always served with a sip of aged sake, which compliments it perfectly.  

During my last visit to Oya, I ordered dessert for the first time (the tres leches soaked Boston cream pie) and it was delicious. Boston has several restaurants claiming to have invented or serve the award winning Boston cream pie. I’ve never seen Oya mentioned specifically for this dessert but it’s one of the best I’ve had. It’s not a traditional preparation, but like the rest of the menu has more of a creative twist the most notable being the sesame seeds on top. It was unusual, it worked, and now I have another reason to keep going back!