Karai de Mitsuharu, a leading name in Nikkei cuisine in Santiago

After six years in operation, Karai occupies the fourth floor of the W Hotel. Its omakase concept is based on trust in the chef, who serves a selection of small bites that covers the entire menu and includes improvisations depending on the available ingredients.

Behind the project is a young team, led by Gerson Céspedes and Gerson Espinosa, both trained at Maido. The influence of Mitsuharu Tsumura is evident, although the restaurant is beginning to find its own identity and fuse Chilean soul with Nikkei cuisine.

The tasting begins with a kazoku tiradito, made with tender trout from Parral, a citrusy green sauce, and a creamy chickpea texture. A touch of smoked chorizo ​​from Chillán crowns the dish, which could very well be one of the best on the menu.

Xiaolong bao is one of the dishes that best showcases the kitchen's technical skill. Its dough, dyed with squid ink, is very thin yet sturdy enough to withstand baking. The filling always includes broth; in Karai's version, it's seafood and served with a fresh salsa.

The menu alternates Japanese dishes with traditional Peruvian recipes. One example is the grilled octopus, brought from northern Chile, with anticuchera sauce, Chilote potatoes, pebre, and rocoto chili uchucopa. The creamy seafood rice, finished with katsuobushi, is another standout dish.

The desserts, created by Sebastián Araya, include a financier made with corn, miso, and sourdough, topped with a crispy topping of chuchoca, tender corn cooked and sun-dried. It's accompanied by a pineapple and chamomile sorbet with a herbal touch.

Among the areas for improvement, the truffle oil, advertised in several dishes, comes across as pretentious. The wine list is somewhat weak and limited, with few fresh reds to complement the intense flavors, and the cocktails could benefit from more careful use of sugar.