The Thrilling Japanese-Italian Fusion of Oise, in Five Dishes
At first glance, Japanese and Italian cuisines might not come across as a natural pairing, but itameshi — a natural fusion from Japan that blends technique and ingredients from the two — proves otherwise by showcasing each cuisine’s love for umami and, thus, how effortlessly they blend.
Chef Brad Kilgore has been cooking itameshi-style dishes for years, always adding red miso and white soy sauce to his pomodoro. It isn’t a new concept; other chefs, like David Chang and Christine Lau, have embraced itameshi, but Kilgore might be the first to bring it to Miami with Oise, his newest restaurant in Wynwood. “I don’t think I’ve had more fun with flavors than with the itameshi at Oise,” he says.
The James Beard-nominated chef says the underlying umami in the cuisines ties them together. So, what is umami? Kilgore explains it like this: in the Western world, we’re taught flavors are sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy. Just like you can’t teach someone what blue looks like, you can’t teach someone what sour is. You’re just told to bite that lemon, and that reaction is called sour. It’s a sensation, and we happen to name our sensations flavors. For Eastern cultures, umami is as ingrained in their minds as red, blue, and yellow.
Oise shares its space with Miss Crispy Rice and Poke OG and will start its delivery service next month. It’s also participating in Miami Spice (which runs August 1 through September 31) and Resy’s 10th anniversary celebrations at the end of August, where Kilgore will send his golden potatoes for guests to enjoy on the house. He says they are one of the most delicious items on the menu, and he’s excited to share them with diners.
Oise (pronounced oy-sea) loosely translates to a Japanese slang expression for delicious. Here’s a breakdown of five dishes that reflect Oise’s bright itameshi flavors. Which bites will make you exclaim oise? Find out below.
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1. Tuna Nigiri
Shiso leaf, Calabrian chile ponzu
“It’s my absolute favorite way to start the meal,” Kilgore says. Tuna is wrapped in a shiso leaf and served with a Calabrian chile ponzu. The chef’s choice of a shiso leaf, which is in the same mint family as basil, and swapping out a Japanese chile for a southern Italian counterpart is his way of introducing a nod to Italian cuisine in this dish. Kilgore also quickly adds that he encourages guests to do a full dunk into the tangy ponzu, another way to celebrate Italy’s southern citrus region subtly.
2. Caramelized Meatball
Parmigiano-Reggiano espuma, red miso tomato sauce
“I’ve been daydreaming about making this meatball for years but never had an Italian restaurant where putting a giant meatball made any sense.” The dish may sound rustic, but Kilgore admits he tapped into all his culinary knowledge to pull it off. Instead of searing (and possibly overcooking) the meat to get that bronze caramel color, he cooks his blend of Wagyu beef, ground pork shoulder, and a super-secret sausage on low heat. The result is a perfectly cooked moist ball that doesn’t necessarily have the most appealing color, so he wraps it in a Parmigiano-Reggiano espuma that he torches and then places it in a red miso-tomato sauce. It’s served with sesame bread from James Beard-nominated Caracas Bakery. “If I had to choose one dish, it’s this one that everyone should order. It’s great for sharing.”
3. Truffle Udon Carbonara
Black sesame, black truffle purée, jidori egg yolk
In this creative riff on the classic Roman pasta, wide handmade hanayama udon noodles mimic pappardelle and are coated in a dashi-infused sauce that brings in a smokey aromatic to pair with the crispy smoked bacon lardons. “As I was tasting it in my mind before we made it, I wanted to play off that toasted smokiness with toasted sesame.” Kilgore uses black sesame in the sauce for its toasted nutty flavor, finishes it with a muted black truffle purée, and folds in a rich Japanese jidori egg yolk at the end.
4. The Brad Kilgore Handroll
Crispy pork belly, toro tartare, truffle caviar, banana miso cream
Kilgore actually created this namesake dish for a chef collaboration dinner long before conceptualizing Oise. Andrew Mayer, his Oise partner and OG Hospitality founder, never forgot it and urged Kilgore to add it to this menu. The opulent, over-the-top dish has crispy, smokey pork belly on top of warm rice, and is topped with toro tartare and truffle caviar. But what people love the most is the banana miso cream in the center of it all, he says. “It’s just one of those bites that you’ve never had anything like it before.”
5. Kakigori
Pistachio gelato, salted yuzu whipped cream, cherry lychee shaved ice
This playful dish is the perfect summer dessert. It’s also a true marriage of the two cuisines. It starts with pistachio gelato, layered with salted yuzu whipped cream, and then topped with cherry lychee shaved ice — a wonderfully light end to an exhilarating meal here.
Oise is open for dinner Thursday through Friday from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.
