Inspired by Tokyo’s nightlife and coupled with the vibrancy of Tsukiji Market, Ooma has always been about interpreting Japanese flavors in bold and colorful ways. Brought to life by The Moment Group in 2014, the brand’s creations have become Filipino favorites. This time around, Ooma celebrates the arrival of new dishes to the menu featuring Japanese classics that have been given the Ooma touch.
Starters
To kick things off, the range of staple makis will be boosted by taco makis and aburi rolls. The crispy taco maki for instance is a one-bite version of the typical takoyaki, on a crisped piece of seaweed, with fried baby octopus, katsuobushi, Buldog aioli, and gari, with a soy dashi glaze.
An ode to ikura (Japanese salmon caviar) can be found through the ikura taco maki, with salty bits of salmon roe, buttery salmon pieces, fried shiso, and red radish. Those looking for a new charred roll can snack on the tamago and cheese aburi roll, featuring mozzarella and white cheddar, tamago, aligue mayo, fried enoki, ebiko, and yakiniku sauce.
Donburi
The existing selection of donburis welcome a series of Japanese curries: the cheese katsu curry don features breaded pork sukiyaki with mozzarella, a bed of thick house curry, and fried carrots and fried eggplants. The gyu katsu curry don, meanwhile, puts tender pieces of breaded sukiyaki beef and mozzarella on the same thick Ooma curry. Arguably the most exciting addition is the bara chirashi don, which puts bits of grilled baby octopus, salmon, tamago, tuna, and uni above a generous portion of sushi rice.
Noodles
All made for expert slurping are the noodle dishes of ebi tempura and roasted tomato cold soba, and udon Bolognese. The former puts buckwheat noodles in a matcha broth with roasted tomatoes and pickled watermelon rind, served with a side of crunchy ebi tempura. Meanwhile, the latter is an edible nod to the fascination that the Japanese have for European culture and cuisine: bouncy udon noodles tossed in a sauce of tuna, sofrito, katsuobushi, and bolognese sauce.
Entrees
The new menu also sees surf and turf additions. Surprisingly full-bodied is the gindara, which uses Atlantic black cod with cashew furikake and pea purée, served with a radish salad. Fans of the hanger steak can look forward to the sous vide garlic steak on cauliflower purée with crispy garlic, fried oyster mushrooms, sautéed kailan leaves, and teppanyaki sauce.
The new menu launches across all Ooma shops on Oct. 2.