Omakase menu at Kasai
This week, I had a nine course tasting menu at one of Stockholm’s newer Japanese fusion restaurants, Kasai. The restaurant is created by people with a dream of opening a modern Japanese restaurant, serving creative Japanese fusion dishes and well-made cocktails in exclusive surroundings with a lively atmosphere.
The restaurant is located on a quiet street in one of Stockholm’s fancier areas. It may look low-key from the outside, but it has at least two dining rooms on the main level, and a night club with a small dance floor, as well as a lounge and seating area downstairs.
I had the nine course Omakase II menu, linked above. A Japanese tasting menu where every dish was carefully explained and beautifully presented. Below, I’ve provided images and comments on every dish. The dishes arrived slowly, and even though each dish was pretty small, it made me very full, so there’s no need to worry about leaving this place hungry.
Shrimp tempura
We got two of these giant tempura shrimps each. These were pretty spicy, but tempura is a true favourite of mine, and these came out really well despite the spiciness. I’d actually go ahead and say that this was my favourite item out of all the courses.
Spicy Tuna and Edamame
Edamame, or soybeans is something that I can never stop eating once it’s in front of me. It can go from one to 20 pieces very fast. Needless to say, they were great. Just make sure not to eat them with the peel on. The Spicy tuna was good too. It consisted of a base of rice that had been put together and fried so it almost looked and felt like a piece of sushi. On top, there was a mayo sauce with slices of tuna mixed into it.
Peking Duck Baos
This was perhaps, the coolest looking item on the menu. Everyone was like, wow what is this, when it arrived. It was crispy duck, with green onion and Vietnamese bao bread, which I hadn’t tried up until now. The duck was very good, crispy with a lot of taste. It went really well with the bread, which on its own didn’t have much taste. The bread looked cooler than it tasted. I’d say that the duck did most of the work in making this dish good.
Lobster Taco
So all of a sudden, I’m holding a taco and we’re in Mexico, or at least that’s what it felt like. This didn’t feel Japanese at all, and even if Japanese fusion is supposed to be Japanese food with other influences, this was too far from it and too random. It tasted good, but it didn’t belong in this menu. Also, there was too much mayonnaise, which overpowered the rest of the ingredients.
Sushi Moriawase
Mixed assortment of classic high-quality sushi pieces. This was good, regular sushi. You got one of each, so four pieces in total. No weird ingredients, if you enjoy sushi, you’re gonna enjoy this. I did, however expect more from this dish, as there are places where you can get the same thing for a fraction of the price, and I feel like they should’ve taken the sushi to the next level to really stand out and make up for the price tag.
Shabu Shabu
Japanese hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water. This is a bit similar to the concept of Korean BBQ, which I like a lot. You get mushrooms and slices of beef tenderloin, which you put in the pot, let it simmer for around 20 seconds, and then eat. It tasted great and wasn’t too spicy.
Mushroom and egg
A mix of mushrooms, green onion and egg, all put together to form a tasty, but strange dish. It was good, but no that good. It reminded me of Korean Bibimbap, because of the bowl and egg. This didn’t however include rice so the similarities end there. It was pretty good though and not too spicy.
Chocolate Dome
The dessert was good, but felt a bit boring and uncreative after receiving so many dishes that seemed exciting, fun and new. This was basically white chocolate and something that tasted like vanilla ice cream inside, which they poured caramel sauce all over. It tasted good but felt a bit boring, uninspired, and it was way too small for sharing. It should also have been about four times as big for me to think it was a good size. It was pretty messy and difficult to share as well.
There were a few aspects of some dishes that I didn’t enjoy as much as others, but that’s what you would expect with exotic food. Other things I didn’t particularly enjoy was the concept of sharing the food. I want my food on my plate, and not have to sit and divide food between people and make sure that it’s fair and square. For, me, it’s always a bit stressful to share food, especially when you’re out with colleagues, which I was on this occasion. Also, We were quite a large group, and I didn’t appreciate how they’d squeezed in too many tables in a space that was obviously too small for such a big group. I had to climb out of my seat and squeeze a lot between other people’s chairs to get to the bathroom, and some of us were squeezed in on the short edges of the tables as well. It felt crammed, and I think that they should’ve put us somewhere else, as the dinner had been booked for quite some time and they could’ve prioritized providing a better seating arrangement for us. It was also pretty difficult to get help from the staff, as they were quick to leave after giving and explaining food and refilling drinks.
Overall impression
It was great food and a beautiful venue that they’ve put a lot of effort in creating. I think the concept of sharing should be phased out, but that’s really a matter of preference. I didn’t like how we were seated, but the food was good enough for me to visit again, and I’d like to try their cocktails as well. I do, however think that the price of the menu is a bit on the steeper side in relation to what you get.
Rating: 3,5 – Good food, but not mind-blowing, nice venue, but a few negative aspects that I’ve previously mentioned which makes me unable to give this restaurant a four star rating.
Outdoor seating: Yes, during summer.
