Experiencing Chef Pat Go’s Cocktail Omakase at Your Local

When we hear “omakase” we automatically go to sushi, but really, it’s about the chef's choices.

“Omakase” literally means “respectfully leaving another to decide what is best”. In the culinary world, it means leaving the food choices to the chef. It usually involves dining while watching the chef prepare your food and him serving the food (usually sushi) directly in front of you.

But at Makati favorite Your Local, it means trusting Chef Patrick Go to pair dishes with the right cocktail in the best possible way. Having tasted his food in the past, I'm sure we were in good hands.

We recently had the privilege of previewing Your Local’s Five-Course Cocktail Omakase dinner featuring five new dishes paired with their very own cocktails. Chef Pat’s dishes were familiar yet surprising at the same time.

If you’re a Your Local fan, you’ll recognize some familiar elements. If you’re new to the joint, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The dinner starts on a promising note with the Tuna Pomelo Lime Tartare paired with the Gin Lychee cocktail amped up with ginger ale, lemon, and the unmistakable Your Local touch: kaffir.

The tuna tartare is a bit chunkier than I’m used to, but that means you can taste more of the tuna’s freshness. The little juicy pops of pomelo gives vibrancy to the dish, while the delicately thin and crispy papadum gives it that much-needed texture.

Paired with the sweet and fruity cocktail, the first course is a strong start. And I’ll say it as early as now, that Gin Lychee is my favorite cocktail of the night.

The second course features an umami bomb in the form of the Salmon Kushiyaki, tender slivers of torched salmon with a sweet kecap manis glaze and topped with ikan bilis (sweet and crunchy anchovies) and crushed peanuts.

This is my favorite dish of the night, not just because of its flavors, but because it also reminds me of my favorite Your Local dish: the Torched Salmon Donburi.

It’s paired with the Whiskey Mojito, whose gingery and citrusy profile counters the fishiness of the salmon. Drank alone, the ginger juice was a bit too strong for my taste, but when sipped right after taking a bite of the salmon, it still works.

The third course is still a mystery to me. It’s Truffled Kropek and I have absolutely no idea why it works so well.

Imagine light and crispy kropek (prawn crackers) dusted with togarashi and aonori and served with tangy truffle aioli. It has no business being so good, yet here we are. The creaminess and tanginess of the aioli with the subtle truffle flavor somehow accents the mild heat of this street food favorite. I guess it makes sense that aonori (seaweed powder) goes well with Kewpie mayonnaise, but truffles? Truffles?! I will forever wonder why and how it works.

As yummy as it was, I feel like this pairing would’ve worked better as the first course or as a “while waiting for your food” snack. Because it was so light, it doesn’t feel like a complete course. Nonetheless, I know I could easily finish at least five plates of Truffled Kropek.

It was paired with Gin Aperitif (another reason why it would’ve worked better at the beginning of the dinner) with fruity notes of pineapple and lemon.

Hefty in size and in flavor, the Crab & Corn Toast felt like it was making up for the lightness of the previous course.

Reminiscent of the restaurant’s signature Chilli Crab Buns (as well as Chef Pat’s bao dishes from Black Sheep), the toast made of deep fried mantou is working hard to hold the generous serving of blue crab meat topped with torched corn and shiitake. It’s slight heat works well with their version of Whiskey Sour made with calamansi and ginger.

The fifth and last course was a crowd favorite (well, based on our table).

The Pork Chasyu Tostada features ridiculously tender pork chasyu, torched for a bit of smokiness. Then they tossed the torched and cubed chasyu in tangy aioli with a dash of togarashi. The smokey bitterness of the pork and the tanginess of the aioli work together to counter the richness of the fatty pork. And by the way, you barely need jaw strength to chew this dish. The chasyu was so tender that it was almost melting in my mouth. The addition of the crunchy wanton tostada is so smart, a nice contrast to the softness of the chasyu.

The dish is nicely paired with Whiskey Garam, whose spicy warmth accents the dish well.

The cocktail servings are toned down, just enough to give you a nice buzz. Remember: the goal is to enjoy the pairings, not to get slobbered drunk. All the dishes are also meant to be small — perfect bite-sized portions between glorious alcoholic interludes. So in my head, this means you can order something for dinner (maybe their signature Salmon Donburi or maybe a Chilli Crab Bun or two), then keep the night going with the Cocktail Omakase (especially if you choose the later seating time).

And before I forget, I am fervently hoping a dessert course with its own paired cocktail is in the near future. I'm sure Chef Pat and his team (and maybe with dessert magician Chef Sonny Mariano?) are more than capable of bringing this to reality.

The five-course Cocktail Omakase will set you back ₱1,900 per person (minimum of two persons per booking) plus a 10% service charge.

The two-night-only Cocktail Omakase dinner is happening on November 3 and 4, 2022 with two seating times (6pm-8pm and 8:30-10:30pm). Seats are limited, so reservations are highly encouraged at tasteless.ph.

Your Local is located at 106 Esteban Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. For updates, follow Your Local on Facebook and Instagram.