After a few weeks of invite-only dinner service and a heavily-trafficked contest for staff and guests to score a sneak preview, Paradise Cove Resort in the Yasawa’s has opened its much-awaited Omakase sushi restaurant.

The resort’s new Fijian and Japanese fusion restaurant, Donu markets itself as Fiji’s first omakase sushi bar, a term that refers to a Japanese dining style in which customers entrust the ingredients of their meal to the sushi chef.

Paradise Cove co-owner Nick Wood says the idea is to give guests a different choice for dinner while they are on their vacation.

“And the great part is that it is showcasing the talent of local staff. Everybody in the kitchen is Fijian, there is no Japanese people, we haven’t been to Japan-nobody came to train us. The staff learned to do all this all by themselves and it’s their experience in the kitchen that is shining through.”

Paradise Cove co-owner Nick Wood. 

Wood adds that the resort wants dinner to be approachable in both price and style, with meals starting at $149.

He states that the resort invested about $5000 to create this new restaurant structure.

The omakase menu is crafted by two local chefs, Tuimasi Goneyali and Saveen Raj.

Chef Tuimasi Goneyali. 

Chef Saveen Raj.

Wood states that the resort chefs have been preparing traditional sushi for the past few years and earlier this year, they took the time to hone their technical skills and cultivate their knowledge of traditional cuisine at some of San Francisco’s most highly respected Japanese restaurants.

The dinner menu consists of 18-20 small plates and bites of what is in the season combined with fresh fish and other available proteins.

Donu restaurant will have three sittings per night.