Maison An Omakase is a singular addition to Montréal's dining scene — the city's first omakase led by a female chef, and a refined expression of Japanese–Vietnamese fusion. True to the spirit of omakase, which means "I leave it up to the chef," the experience unfolds at an intimate eight-seat counter, by reservation only, where each course is carefully orchestrated around the finest seasonal Canadian ingredients. There is no menu to choose from and nothing to decide: you simply place yourself in Chef An's hands and let a personal, ever-evolving tasting journey reveal itself, course by course. With so few seats and fixed seatings, every guest becomes part of a single, shared story — a quiet dialogue between chef and diner that can never be repeated in quite the same way twice.
What makes the cooking here so distinctive is the meeting of two worlds. Chef An's story doesn't begin in a kitchen but at home, in the quiet rhythm of Vietnamese family meals, where she learned early that flavour carries emotion and that hospitality is a language of its own. That intuition eventually led her to sushi, and to more than twelve years devoted to the craft — embracing the philosophy of the shokunin, a way of life built on repetition, restraint, and the endless pursuit of a perfection that can only be refined, never reached. Her path took her to Japan for two formative years of traditional training, where she absorbed not only technique but silence: the space between movements, the respect for each ingredient, the weight of simplicity. Yet Vietnam never left her — present softly, in memory and instinct, in the way she understands balance. Her cuisine became a conversation between the discipline of Japanese tradition and the warmth of Vietnamese cooking, and Maison An was born from a single idea: that food should not only be tasted, but felt.
The experience comes in two forms, each served Tuesday to Saturday at the counter. The Omakase Lunch is a twelve-course journey (around CA$109 per person, 11:30am–2:30pm), while the Omakase Dinner extends the story to sixteen courses (around CA$179 per person, 5:00–10:00pm). Both can be elevated with a thoughtful drinks pairing — a Discovery Pairing of white wine and premium sake, or a Signature Pairing that adds a sparkling wine to the progression — each chosen to complement the menu with elegance and balance. A few practical notes: reservations are confirmed with a credit card, cancellations require 48 hours' notice, and given the intimate nature of the room, the experience isn't suited to children; groups of five or more and any questions are best handled by email, as the small team is often on the floor. Honest, deeply personal, and quietly virtuosic, Maison An Omakase is less a meal than a moment in time — a rare and memorable table where technique, memory, and presence come together in the heart of Montréal.