Restaurant Review: Sushi by Bou in WPB
Disclosure: I was invited to dine at this restaurant in exchange for this post. All opinions here are my own.
Hidden inside the swanky Vinyl Fish Club is a tropically decorated private room. With only 12 seats, the omakase experience dubbed Sushi by Bou is as intimate as it gets.
Unlike regular dining at a restaurant, omakase dining includes courses selected and served by the chef as opposed to the attendee choosing their meal. Usually courses are full of seasonal ingredients and are smaller than the standard meal.
I had the pleasure of experiencing the Bougie Omakase, which is 17 courses and an hour long. This was my first time dining in this fashion and let me tell you, it set the bar high for the next one I attend.
Each nigiri piece and hand roll was carefully curated and detailed. It was an art form and truly a pleasure to watch how seamlessly the chefs worked together. As a chef placed a course in front of us, they stated what fish was used and the toppings, which truly enhanced the experience for me. A chef even allowed a diner to use a blow torch on one of the rolls.
Plenty of laughs ensued throughout the night. As we raised our sake glasses (chefs included), one of the chefs taught us a fun cheer to chant. It’s not every day you get to clink glasses with talent in the kitchen.
Another time when a chef said “cod” for the hand roll he was handing out, I thought he said a different word! Needless to say, laughter definitely ensued.
Beverages we drank were Sake (smooth, sweet, and chilled), a Japanese Citrus Highball (refreshing), and an Old Fashioned (smoked in-house).
Here is what we ate:
- Tuna Tataki (Adorned with cucumber shaving, this course had a lovely crunch.)
- Japanese Sea Bream (The wasabi on top made this nigiri piece memorable.)
- Bluefin Tuna (Hailing from Mexico, it was full of buttery, melt in your mouth flavor.)
- Triple Tail (Created with mint sauce, this was one of my favorites.)
- Scallop (I never had scallops in sushi before, so I appreciated this one and especially loved the mild red sauce on top.)
- Isaki (Aka threeline grunt. Lemon sauce and spice adorned this bite, which made it in the top five for me. Loved the kick!)
- Japanese Flounder (Topped with squid ink, this bite was buttery and smooth.)
- Hamachi (Also known as yellow tail. Made with chives, it was savory and memorable.)
- Striped Jack (Aka Shima-aji. Japanese pesto was drizzled on top. This begs the question: what is not to love about this one? The pesto was made with chives and ginger. 10/10.)
- Prawn (From Canada with white truffle aioli. The smell and flavor was rich and creamy. Such a decadent taste.)
- Medium Fatty Tuna (Also called toro, this bite pleasantly surprised me. I’m usually picky about raw tuna but the taste was mind blowing. The texture was THICK and multi-layered. Loved this one.)
- Mackerel (Two words: chef kiss.)
- Scottish Salmon (Topped with rainbow sesame seeds. That was a first for me!)
- Fatty Tuna (One of the chefs dubbed this roll “the best one”. Considering it had black truffle, I can see why.)
- Miso Cod Roll (Sweet and thanks to the seaweed roll, crunchy.)
- Wagu Beef Hand Roll (Anyone who has had wagu knows that this meat is divine. This course was no exception and provided a unique take on the beef.)
- Barbecue Eel (Smokey)
- Fresh Wagu (This had a very peppery smell, which I enjoyed. One of the top courses for sure, and the black truffle certainly didn’t hurt.)
Sushi by Bou is also located in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. Other locations include New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.
To book your fun, interactive Sushi by Bou Omakase experience in West Palm Beach, click here.
