Little Lotus Omakase Opens in New Haven

There’s a new hot spot in New Haven, but you might drive past it without blinking.

This small, waterside gem is located within the Pequonnock Yacht Club in the tranquil City Point neighborhood of New Haven. It’s housed in the building that was formerly City Point Kitchen, just in front of Shell & Bones, and is the pride and joy of restaurateur couple Larry Wang and Bilian “Nia” Chen.

Despite having what may be the most progressive omakase menu in the state, Little Lotus is deeply rooted in history.  So, if you enjoy things delicacies like sea urchin, O-toro, A5 Japanese wagyu beef, foie gras…and blow torches… keep on reading.

Preserving History & Securing the Future

Larry and Nia hail from New York City, where in 1965, Larry’s father opened the first Lotus restaurant on 23rd Street and 5th Avenue. It served upscale Asian food centering on Szechuan and Cantonese cuisine. In 2013, Larry would follow in his father’s footsteps by opening Red Lotus, a beloved spot for locals seeking higher-end Asian cuisine in Shelton, Connecticut.

The newest flower in the family to bloom, Little Lotus, has been in the works for years. As Larry notes, “The historic waterfront community traces its roots back to the 1800s, and by the end of the Civil War, Chistian abolitionists, newly freed descendants of the war, decommissioned soldiers and immigrants would wade into the tranquil waters of the natural beaches to be baptized, gather oysters and come together to form a community and thriving maritime industry. To this day, remnants of those oysters still dot the beachfront adjacent to Little Lotus.” With a respect for this history, the couple worked with the New Haven Historic Commission to meticulously restore their site. 

Where Omakase Meets Fusion

The bright and open spaces of white and cool blue reflect the maritime tradition and provide a clean backdrop for the main event: the inventive and mouthwatering food.

The main event at Little Lotus is the omakase menu. The Japanese word omakase (お任せ) is derived from the verb makaseru (任せる), meaning “to trust.” In essence, it means the guest gives over control of their menu selections to the chef. At Little Lotus, this means it will be a wild ride, but one that you’ll want to take (again and again).

The 17-course menu is $120, which is extremely affordable for the experience afforded, especially when comparing to similar meals in NYC or other larger cities. It includes sashimi, cooked courses, sushi (of course…but not only fish!) and dessert. Much of the fish is flown in fresh from Japan, but local ingredients are also highlighted. 

It’s a little different than a traditional omakase menu because the food reflects the influences of its small brigade of chefs. You’ll likely see Chef de Cuisine Daniel Lin behind the bar, expertly preparing the sashimi and sushi. Chef David Eccleston is from Jamaica and infuses both American and Caribbean flavors into the menu. Executive Chef Russ Camolli (a local from Wallingford who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park) brings his own knowledge of traditional French and Italian cuisine to bear on the menu as well.

It's worth nothing that there is also an à la carte menu featuring a wide range of appetizers, meats (Larry says the Caribbean-Asian Spiced Braised Short Rib is a must), sushi/sashimi, cooked fish and seafood, plus poultry and vegetarian options.

There are also a good sake menu and a small but well-chosen selection of wines. Especially good for sushi would be whites like the Dry Riesling from Dr. Konstantin Frank in the Finger Lakes and the Tuscan Vermentino from Castello Banfi plus Albariño from Rías Baixas, Pinot Bianco from northern Italy and Sancerre from France’s Loire Valley. We opted for the light and crisp Heaven Sake, Azur Label (Junmai Ginjo), which paired well with the omakase menu.

All Creatures, Great and Small

It’s hard to pick out highlights from a menu that’s fully lit, but here we go. One of the first courses was raw kanpachi (yellow tail) was topped with golden uni (sea urchin) from Hokkaido, edible flowers and citrus zest. It was a remarkable balancing act, where the textures complemented and the complex medley of flavors somehow all shone through clearly.

Although the seaweed dish (artfully presented in a cocktail glass with greens, flowers and fish roe) and the deftly cooked oyster course were delectable, the next thing that stands out in my mind was the jumbo scallop. A seemingly dead-simple dish with the scallop perched upon a purée of beni azuma (Japanese sweet potato), it was cooked to glistening perfection and extremely memorable.

After a final cooked dish of delicious Icelandic Cod, it was onto the sushi, and boy was it good. Particularly fine was the shima aji (striped jack) that was lightly seared with a blow torch, then serrated perfectly into distinct ridges for extra flair. Also excellent was the kinmedai (aka splendid alfonsino), which was delicate yet rich in umami with a slightly fatty texture. Both the chu-toro (medium fatty) and o-toro (the fattiest and most prized) bluefin tuna sushi were sublime, with the latter melting away in the mouth.

Speaking of melting away, the blow torch came back out for the last sushi course, in order to sear the A5 beef (the highest grade of wagyu beef in Japan, renowned for its marbling and texture) that was topped with a lob of unctuous foie gras. This a firework of flavor and the perfect (petite) size for something so rich.

Desserts were a beautiful baked tomago (omelet) that had a lovely, springy, sponge-cake-like texture and was just barely sweet, which suited it perfectly. The final course was a significant slice of a matcha mille crêpes cake, like those made viral by Lady M.

If you can’t tell already, it’s high time you make your way to Little Lotus, whether for a special occasion omakase dinner or just some delicious dishes from the main menu.

Little Lotus
Open Tue-Sat from 4:00pm-9:30pm
98 South Water Street
New Haven, CT 06519
(475) 224-5738
Reservations available via RESY