A Japanese chef known for a viral omelet performance will bring his signature dish to Los Angeles Monday as part of a limited U.S. pop-up tour.
Chef Motokichi Yukimura, whose Kyoto restaurant Kichi Kichi has drawn a global following, is scheduled to appear at Budonoki in East Hollywood for a two-day event featuring his theatrical “omurice” preparation.
The dish — a combination of chicken fried rice topped with a soft omelet and demi-glace — is elevated by Yukimura’s performance, which includes singing, dancing and a dramatic presentation in which the omelet is sliced open to spill over the rice.
“Omurice was on the menu, right from the beginning,” Yukimura told SBS Food, an Australian digital outlet.
“My first restaurant was near Toei Kyoto Studio Park in Uzumasa, so actors would often come by. One of them asked me to make an omelet and crack it open over chicken rice,” he added.
The Los Angeles pop-up, set for Monday and Tuesday, quickly sold out, reflecting strong demand from fans familiar with the chef’s widely shared social media videos.
Yukimura’s appearance in Los Angeles follows stops in Miami and New York as part of a collaboration with Spicy Hospitality Group and the reservation platform Dorsia.
Kichi Kichi has become a destination for visitors seeking both the food and the performance, with reservations often difficult to obtain.
The Los Angeles engagement marks the chef’s first U.S. tour stop on the West Coast.