One of Houston’s most prestigious sushi counters has a new chef leading its kitchen. Marcos Juarez is the new leader at Hidden Omakase, the 18-seat, Galleria-area restaurant known for its luxurious, multi-course meals.
Before discussing Juarez’s plans for his new role, let’s acknowledge the contributions of his predecessor Niki Vongthong. A veteran of Aqui and Uchi, Vongthong began working at Hidden Omakase three years ago. She earned nominations for Chef of the Year in both the 2022 and 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards and recently took home first place at the annual Truffle Masters competition for her Caramelized Wagyu Tapioca Dumplings.
Turning to Juarez, the chef came to Hidden in November 2022 after working at Uchi. He tells CultureMap he plans to update the restaurant’s offerings by swapping out some of the 15-course menu’s current sushi offerings for more composed plates.
“I want to bring in more vegetables and seasonality instead of having a very heavy sushi menu,” Juarez says. “We do around 10 pieces of sushi. I want to break it down to six pieces.”
Specifically, Juarez has plans to serve dishes such as broccoli chawanmushi with romesco sauce, burrata toast with peach kimchi, and beet and carrot crudo. He also plans to streamline the a la carte menu that diners can use to supplement their meals.
“Our [a la carte] menu is kind of basic. It has sea urchin, A5, otoro, caviar. To me, I don’t want to sell that,” he says.
Instead, he plans to create dishes that better utilize the products the restaurant already serves. Diners can look for a tuna jerky made with trimmings from the sushi courses and more tartares. He plans to introduce other new dishes including a smoked salmon hand roll with yuzu creme fraiche and everything bagel seasoning and tuna that’s confit in chili oil with fried potatoes.
Juarez also plans to increase his interaction with diners to give them a more memorable experience. He’s telling diners where the various ingredients he uses come from and displays them.
“We show whole fish of exactly what you’re eating, the actual squid instead of cuts of meat,” he says.
As for Vongthong, the chef tells CultureMap she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family and traveling. Before that, she’ll hold a pop-up at Mèo, the speakeasy-style bar inside of Asian fusion restaurant Wokker. The menu will include her award-winning dumplings as well as her signature wagyu brisket boat noodles.
Niki Vongthong recently left Hidden Omakase.
Courtesy of Hidden Omakase
“Chef Marcos is incredibly talented; and we know he will bring unique, forward-thinking dishes to this menu,” Hidden Omakase co-owners Tuan and Thy Tran said in a statement. “Chef Niki Vongthong made the decision to step back to spend more time with family, and we wish her all the best on her next endeavor. We are incredibly proud of this restaurant and excited for this next chapter with Chef Marcos.”
Located at 5353 West Alabama, Hidden Omakase is open for dinner Thursday-Sunday. Reservations are released at midnight two weeks in advance. See the restaurant’s website for more details.
Veterans will receive a 30-percent discount at Phat Eatery.
Photo by Dragana Harris