Omakase club
WEI CHEN • Omawei
WORK • Thursday Routine
WEI CHEN • chef/owner • Omawei
Neighborhood you work in: Miami Beach
Neighborhood you live in: Miami Shores
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I am Wei, owner and operator of Omawei, an omakase concept at The Bath Club that opened in October. On Thursday mornings, depending on reservations, my team and I prepare everything needed for service. I don’t like using day-old products, so we tend to prep exactly how much we need. Any chives, scallions, sauces, seafood not used and exposed to oxidation would be discarded, so everything is as fresh as possible for service. I like to think of the omakase counter as a Broadway show, each seating is a fresh start, a new show.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today is one of the main days for Japanese fish deliveries. We have about 50 lbs of bluefin tuna coming from Japan that needs to be sectioned off, several snappers, yellowtails, plus some local stone crab that needs to be processed. I’m also working on changing the menu slightly, starting with the wagyu katsu dish. It’s currently being served with charred green onions and finished with an au poivre sauce. I’m planning to change that to a charred shishito chimichurri in the very near future.
Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Definitely would like to have a drink after service if time permits. We typically finish around 1a, so it’s tough to go anywhere that late and I’m pretty tired at that point. A good compromise is an ice-cold martini with Grey Goose, in-and-out vermouth and a twist at home. I will, however, probably go to Fiorito at some point this weekend as that is one of my favorite local spots in Miami.
How about a little leisure or culture?
My idea of leisure is working out in the morning — I’m a member at Legacy in Little River — then maybe some tennis in the afternoon with a little beach time afterwards. On my days off, I like to decompress by myself since most of the time I’m around people all day. I absolutely love being in the industry, but I love being alone, as well.
Any weekend getaways?
Weekend getaways are quick trips to my beloved hometown, NYC. I’ll do my round of restaurant/bar stops that include (but aren’t limited to) Ernesto’s, Don Angie, Attaboy, Dante’s (on Perry St.), Penny, Dame — the list is really infinite and depends on my mood.
What was your last great vacation?
Croatia. Driving into Dubrovnik, seeing the old city wall, which is featured in Game of Thrones as Kings Landing, all I could hear was the theme song playing through my head; it was stunning. I also visited some of the islands and cruised around eating some of the freshest seafood from the Adriatic Sea. I highly recommend taking a trip to Hvar and trying the local restaurants. Definitely charter a boat if possible to see all that each island can offer.