For Chef Nguyễn Đăng Kỷ Cương, better known as Chef Eddie, omakase is more than a tasting menu, it is a relationship built on trust. Blending Japanese precision with Vietnamese memory, his quietly confident cuisine transforms familiar flavours into deeply personal expressions of craftsmanship, culture and contemporary fine dining.
© Omakase by Eddie
Q. Omakase literally means “I leave it up to you.” That’s an extraordinary amount of trust to ask of your guests.
Chef Eddie: It is. When someone takes a seat at my counter, they are entrusting me with their entire evening, including what they will eat, the order of the courses, the rhythm of the experience, and even the emotions they will take away. There is no printed menu. There is only trust, and my responsibility is to honour it with every dish I serve.
Q. Your culinary journey didn’t begin in Japan, but in Australia in 2006. How did that experience shape the chef you are today?
Chef Eddie: Australia was where I truly discovered Japanese cuisine for the first time. What captivated me wasn’t the ritual or ceremony. It was its honesty. I realised that exceptional ingredients, treated with respect, precision and restraint, require very little else. That philosophy has stayed with me ever since, and I’ve spent the years trying to live up to that standard.
© Omakase by Eddie
Q. Your signature tasting experience is called the “2006 Menu.” Why is that year so significant?
Chef Eddie: Because that was the year everything changed for me. The 2006 Menu is my most personal expression as a chef. Across twenty one courses, it tells the story of my journey and where my two culinary identities meet, Japanese discipline and Vietnamese soul.
Q. Is there one dish that best represents that meeting of cultures?
Chef Eddie: There are several. My sashimi course is served in four different expressions, and one of them introduces the Vietnamese way of enjoying raw seafood alongside the Japanese tradition. I use fish sauce, but reinterpret it as a delicate sorbet. It surprises people, yet it feels familiar at the same time. Another favourite is my chawanmushi inspired by phở. In Vietnam, many people enjoy adding a poached egg to their bowl of phở. That everyday memory became the starting point for a Japanese savoury custard, which I elevate with A5 Wagyu and caviar. It’s comfort, nostalgia and refinement served together.
© Omakase by Eddie
Q. There is also a sense of humour hidden within your menu.
Chef Eddie: Always. Food should make people feel something. Sometimes it’s nostalgia, sometimes it’s curiosity, and sometimes it’s simply a smile of recognition. My puffer fish soup is inspired by bánh canh cá nóc, with a little play on words that only Vietnamese diners immediately understand. Those subtle moments create a deeper connection with the guest.
Q. Many chefs today rely on theatrical presentations. Your approach feels remarkably restrained.
Chef Eddie: Technique should never become the performance. It exists to honour the ingredient and enhance the flavour. It should never distract from it. If guests remember the food rather than the tricks, then I’ve done my job.
© Omakase by Eddie
Q. So there are no magic tricks behind your omakase?
Chef Eddie: (Laughs.) No magic tricks. Just honest food, guided by the chef. If, by the end of the evening, I’ve earned my guests’ trust, then that’s the greatest compliment I could receive.