The daruma is a Japanese amulet that is also known as the Purpose Doll. And it is also the figure that presides over the second room of Sen Omakase. Its functionality is one of those things that guides who give free tours of cities like Osaka enjoy recounting: it’s a head that you have to paint one eye on when you start a project… and the second one when you finish it.
“You have to keep it close to remind you that you haven’t fulfilled your purpose,” says Steven Wu, itamae of Sen Omakase and (along with his team) architect of the achievement of one of the earliest Michelin stars in the capital’s history – awarded just a week ago. Steven has not yet painted the second eye, which invites to think that the purpose was not the star.
Steven’s bet is really that of any restaurant with aspirations when he opens his place: to fill a gap that no one has filled in the saturated Madrid gastronomic scene.
The gap is complicated to define, but excellence in execution is understood by the early attainment of the star. The gap is also something that Dabiz Muñoz or Ferrán Adrià seemed to claim -two of the best chefs in the world were won over by Steven Wu’s cuisine.
But perhaps the word that best approximates the definition of Sen Omakase is immersive. What didn’t exist in Madrid was an immersion in Japanese culture, but immersiveness and interaction is something so hackneyed that it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. In the words of Aldo Rial, sommelier of the place: “we mean that we go beyond what we serve on the plate”.
And that is something that is achieved through specialization, focus on the concept, seasonal work or the respectful use of Japanese tradition. Steven presents the menu as follows: “the number five is very important”.
The reasons for this numerological basis refer to the fact that it is a menu articulated in five techniques, five colors, five flavors and enjoyed from five senses. The products that make up the menu are typical of Kaiseki cuisine – traditional multi-course dinner.
It is impossible to make this article a list of ingredients and dishes included in the tasting menu because it would be somewhat encyclopedic. By extension and epistemologically. Every decision Steven makes is as if consulted with an entelechy of Japanese gastronomic tradition.
Even so, the parade of nigiris ( squid with caviar or three slices of tuna belly) is on a par with the best sushi in a city that has raised its level considerably in recent years. The mushroom dishes are another demonstration of mastery and technique with one of the products that Steven most enjoys working with.
Sen Omakase has a single tasting menu of around 35 passes(€220) with two pairing options at €130 and €70 respectively. It offers two daily services from Tuesday to Saturday that start simultaneously. The experience is divided into four parts: an entrance ceremony; then the main part which is the omakase menu; then the part of the tea ceremony and, finally, the cocktail area.
The penalty always of seasonal cuisine and ambitious chefs is the penalty of someone who complains about not always bathing in the same river. Who knows if on future visits (even in November next year) one will come across the boletus broth and the boletus finished in robata and glazed with wagyu fat. Be that as it may, what you will surely find is the daruma looking at the diner and looking at Steven, remembering that the road to perfection is what enables things to be done.