It was a rainy Saturday night when three friends joined me for omakase, which translates to “I leave it up to you” in Japanese. Traditionally, omakase can cost into the hundreds per person for the freshest catch of the day that’s then slapped onto rice and served. 

Enter Sushi by Bou (41-17 Broadway, Astoria). I stumbled upon its Chelsea location and I was intrigued. Each of their eight locations is a speakeasy style. They’re all hidden behind another business, like a flower shop or another restaurant. Sushi by Bou in Astoria opened in June. What separates Sushi by Bou from other Omakase experiences is that it is timed. Your group must arrive on time and you have to be in and out in 30 minutes. You get your own chef who whips up extraordinary pieces of sushi including fatty tuna and spotted prawn. If you keep kosher, they can accommodate you. The cost of the meal is $60 per person for 12 pieces. Drinks are extra. You can upgrade to their Bougie experience which gets you an extra 30 minutes and 5 more pieces of delicious sushi. In Astoria they give you a little more time so we had about 40 minutes and it was perfect. Our chef was so nice and made us feel like real VIPs! Each course was prepared with so much care. He blowtorched certain pieces like the wagyu steak, which was then paired with uni (sea urchin) for a melt in your mouth flavor. Other highlights included unagi (bbq eel) and maguro, or chopped tuna. I didn’t want it to end!

Afterwards we hung around outside at Disco Sushi, another nice looking place with many…you guessed it, disco balls! I can’t wait to go back!

—Text and photos by Briyah