Hayato
Chef Hayato prepares a Spring time focused Kaiseki at his seven seat counter top, two Michelin star, restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles.
Chef Hayato prepares Tai sashimi
Review
Located in The Row DTLA, two Michelin star Hayato elevates dining to an art form. This small seven seat counter restaurant serves an intimate and traditional Kaiseki meal with a strong focus on seasonal ingredients. Hayato only has one seating per night with a total of seven patrons gathered at a beautiful countertop overlooking the kitchen. It is immediately obvious that Chef Brandon Hayato Go has a keen eye for visual aesthetics and design. From the hand craft ceramics to the beautiful kitchen space designed from the ground up, every detail is taken into consideration to make any visit an experience.
It is extremely difficult to secure a reservation at Hayato due to the vast attention garnered through wining two Michelin stars while only serving seven guests per night. However, once you walk through the door, you are guaranteed a one-of-a-kind experience. The outside of the restaurant has no English signage, and is only recognizable by its logoed noren in front of its entrance. The inside of the restaurant features seven seats in a line at a long wooden counter top. This counter overlooks the chef’s area, featuring a large stove, tempura friers, and a charcoal grill. Off to the side is a four seat horigotatsu that remains unused during the dinner service.
I want to take a moment to commend Chef Hayato’s attention to detail. Throughout the meal, every single detail is considered. The restaurant layout and kitchen is thoughtfully designed from the ground up to allow for an engaging dining experience. There is ample counter space in the kitchen for all of the preparation and plating to occur right before our eyes, even allowing for multiple sous-chefs to assist side-by-side without crowding the kitchen.
Every single dish is plated on a different hand crafted ceramic. In a kaiseki, special attention is given to the dishware in an attempt to best complement the food and ingredients. The designs of the dishes range from colorful hand painted ceramics to oddly shaped earthenware bowls. For some courses, all seven dishes served are a matching set, while other times, two different types of dishes are used and served in an alternating pattern between the seven guests.
Whenever a guest orders a sake, they get to choose their sake glass from a selection of about 24 different ceramic and glass pieces in all different shapes and sizes. Every single glass is different -- as a result, each guest chooses a sake glass with an art style unique to them. Going even further, after a party has selected their glasses, the empty spaces are replenished with additional choices to allow for the next guest to select from a full array.
Throughout the meal, extra ingredients were prepared specifically for the purpose of allowing the chef to select from the most aesthetically pleasing pieces. While assembling the ingredients, Chef Hayato carefully looks over each step with a careful eye and corrects any imperfections. He constantly expresses an active attention to detail that I have never witnessed in a restaurant to this degree. I believe that this attention to detail is only possible by serving a small group of seven people.
Upon entry, we are welcomed by our friendly host, Yuki-san, dressed in a full kimono. Each guest is served a welcome sake when they get seated. An aspect that I appreciated that makes this dinner special is the small communal feeling gained through sharing a 4.5 hour dinner experience together with the other guests, Chef Hayato, and our host Yuki. Anyone who battles for months trying to secure a reservation at Hayato is certainly bound to be a foodie who shares at least one common interest. Furthermore, Chef Hayato’s relaxed nature and casual conversation allows this meal to feel like a gathering of close acquaintances, rather than a scripted performance between the chef and the audience.
This meal consisted of 15 courses that are designed to showcase everything that Hayato has to offer. Every element of this meal is carefully calculated, from the combination of ingredients, to the order of dishes served.
Santa Barbara spot prawn
Dashi and vinegar jelly sauce topped with shisho flowers
The first dish of tonight is a grilled spot prawn from Santa Barbara. They are skewered and grilled over charcoal before being sliced, plated, and topped with a jelly sauce made from dashi and vinegar. From the first dish, it is immediately apparent that Chef Hayato pays special attention to the plating and presentation. In this dish, four evenly cut pieces are positioned in a pyramid like shape. I watched as he rearranged different pieces to produce the most balanced tower, then gave each of the seven dishes a close inspection before moving on to the next step. Over the course of the meal, you can see this pattern regularly repeat itself -- each dish is treated with utmost care during plating and must pass Chef Hayato’s inspection before being served.
The dashi and vinegar jelly sauce has a consistency midway between apple sauce and fruit jam. The acidity from the vinegar complemented the mild prawn flavor, combined with a subtle smokiness from the charcoal grill and shisho flowers. The shisho flowers resemble the taste of shisho leaves and also adds a decorative spring-time touch.
In the name of attention to detail, I witnessed Chef Hayato remove a shisho flower stem from one of the dishes, as it would not match the taste and texture of the surrounding flower petals.
Kakiage tempura
Corn and Hokkaido scallop
This next dish is a kakiage tempura fried and prepared in front of the guests. Kakiage tempura is a type of tempura made from small vegetables -- in this case, corn, Hokkaido scallops, and some greens.
Chef Hayato then carefully separates and divides the larger pieces into appropriately sized portions and determines the best orientation to arrange them on the plate.
The tempura is also served with salt to dip or sprinkle on top. The salt helps to accentuate the sweetness of the corn and scallops, and also the richness of the tempura batter.
Hamaguri clam
Poached in kombu dashi, served with fish sauce made from fish bones and pea leaves
The next dish is a hamaguri clam, which is a large, soft, and tender clam. It is separated, then sliced and plated. It is served with a thickened fish sauce made from simmered fish bones, accompanied with leaves from the pea plant. The clam is mild in flavor compared to your regular manila clam, and is much softer. The meat still has some firmness to it, but it doesn’t strongly resist your bite like a rubber band would. There is no unpleasant salty or bitterness that you may sometimes taste in a regular clam or mussel.
Fresh bamboo shoot from Kyushu
Simmered in dashi and soy sauce, then charred over charcoal grill
Fresh bamboo shoots from Kyushu are cut in half lengthwise, then grilled over a charcoal grill. After grilling, these sections are then cut into fourths and sliced to serve. I think that eating this bamboo shoot resembles eating an artichoke in many ways. Like an artichoke, the outside layers are fibrous and inedible, while the inside is softer and edible.
The bamboo shoot is cut lengthwise, carving out the softest and most tender center. This center slice is then cut into thirds to produce bite sized triangles of grilled bamboo shoot. The bamboo has a bit of bitterness to it, but it also has a vegetable like creamy flavor very similar to an artichoke.
Salt is provided to sprinkle on top to accentuate the flavor.
Aji sushi
Round cut sushi over sushi rice mixed with chives, topped with fresh ginger
With the intent of serving a small rice based dish, Chef Hayato prepares a round cut Aji Spanish mackerel sushi roll. Instead of other rice based dishes, he chooses to prepare a sushi dish as a callback to his previous experiences as a sushi chef.
Prepared slices of Aji are layered on top of sushi rice mixed with chives, then pressed into shape. The ends are cut off and discarded leaving only the perfectly shaped and symmetric center cuts. Finally, the fish is topped with grated ginger.
Even a small bite like this makes me wish I could experience a full sushi course prepared by Chef Hayato. High quality Aji is fantastic, and that is exactly what this was. The fish is mild in flavor and goes well with the rice, accented by the ginger. It is difficult to explain the taste and experience, so you must trust me when I claim that this was a very well prepared and high quality Aji sushi.
Vegetable suimono
Vegetable dashi stock broth, sesame seed nut milk, fava beans, yama udo
Throughout the dinner, Chef Hayato states multiple times that his various dashi broths are what define his dining experience. A suimono, which is a clear soup made with dashi broth and a few accompaniments, is the ultimate display of a dashi broth. This suimono is entirely vegetable based.
The dashi broth is made from vegetables and kombu. The soup itself features three main ingredients. In the center is a white ball made from sesame seed nut milk. The texture is similar to a coconut milk pudding or a very soft tofu. The flavor, while generally light and airy, did resemble roasted sesame. Also included are fava beans and Japanese Yama udo, also known as spikenard. The udo is a white crunchy spring-time vegetable that has a distinct aromatic bitterness to it.
These vegetables together are supposed to strongly represent the season of Spring.
Sashimi
Wild Tai Japanese sea bream, farm raised Tai, Tairagai
This dish is a selection of sashimi. Stacked in the center is wild Tai, also known as Japanese sea bream. Careful care is given by the fish mongers to keep the fish alive and fresh up until the moment it is loaded on the plane and flown to the US. The freshness helps preserve a characteristic firmness in the Tai’s texture.
To the left is a farm raised Tai. In comparison to the wild Tai, this farm raised Tai is much fattier and softer in texture. This gives the fish an increased flavor due to the additional fat, but in my opinion, I like the wild Tai better due to its unique firm texture.
On the right is a Tairagai, also known as a comb pen shellfish. It is similar to a giant scallop or geoduck. While it looks similar in appearance to a scallop, it is much larger and more firm in texture. It is almost, but not quite, crunchy with a less buttery flavor than hotate scallop.
In the back from left to right is nori, myoga, shisho, and wasabi.
Abalone
Steamed in sake water, paired with light soy sauce, Abalone stock jelly, and Abalone stomach sauce
I was so invested in this dish that I unfortunately forgot to take a picture when it was first served. This dish was prepared with three large cuts of abalone with a very light soy sauce. Also provided were two jelly like cubes made from abalone stock. Finally a dipping sauce was provided, made from blended abalone stomach.
This abalone has a very firm texture which was emphasized by the thick cuts. I have never been served abalone cut this thick, so at first I was taken aback by how firm the texture is. The jelly cubes made from abalone stock melt in your mouth and provide a wonderfully rich umami flavor, like a more potent dashi broth.
An abalone sauce was provided to dip the abalone meat in. It has a distinctive green color due to the kelp diet of the abalone. I was recommended to request a small amount of rice to mix in with the abalone sauce, as this is a common way to enjoy every last bit. An excellent recommendation!
Nodoguru blackthroat seaperch from Nagasaki
Paired with Maui onion roasted for two hours and brushed with soy sauce
It is very rare that I will give any dish a 10/10 rating. But when I do, it is for very special moments like this. On my rating scale, to receive a 10/10 rating, a dish or ingredient must be so beyond mind blowing, that it changes my perception on food. This Nodoguru had an incredibly rich flavor that I didn’t even know was possible.
Nodoguru is a rare fish that has a naturally high fat content. Taking it a step further, Chef Hayato is after an ultra premium selection of Nodoguru. Only 1/200 fish have a high enough fat content to achieve the flavor that I experienced tonight.
The Nodoguru produces such a rich, fatty, and savory flavor that in my opinion, resembles an A5 Wagyu. The flavor is so rich that I had a hard time believing that this is a fish, rather than a super fatty beef. Every single bite was exploding with flavor that makes you question if this is even real. This was by far the most powerful and captivating flavor of the entire meal.
Chef Hayato remarked that all of the prior dishes that were served are designed to have a mild flavor profile with minimal fatty richness, so that when a guest experiences this dish, they are blown away by the immense richness.
The fish is paired with a maui onion which was roasted for over two hours to caramelize it, giving it an incredible sweetness.
Tempura fried Anago sea eel
Bonito dashi thickened with starch and ginger
This next dish is a tempura fried Anago sea eel. This tempura batter is specially prepared to maintain its crispy texture when served in a bonito dashi broth. The dashi broth itself was thickens with starch and mixed with ginger to enhance its flavor.
The tempura offered a fantastic crispy texture to complete the buttery eel and rich tempura batter.
Amadai tilefish
Served with bamboo shoot, wakame seaweed, and kinome leaf
The Amadai fish is prepared by grilling it, then steaming it, and then serving it in dashi along with other spring vegetables. The Amadai has a very subtle flavor, yielding to the other flavors in this dish.
The fish is paired with a soft bamboo shoot, wakame seaweed, and kinome leaf. Unlike the charcoal grilled bamboo shoot, this bamboo is much softer. The dashi broth is strongly flavored by the wakame, which together reminds me of a Korean seaweed soup. The kinome leaf has a strong herbal flavor that also causes a short lasting numbness in the mouth, which was a fun experience.
Karasumi salted roe
Salt packed mullet roe, brushed with sake, dehydrated then grilled
These are slices of karasumi which is a salted and dehydrated mullet roe. When prepared, it is brushed with sake, then grilled, and sliced. It is a salty snack that is often paired with rice and sake.
The flavor and appearance strongly resemble a mimolette cheese. Although the texture is much grainier due to the tiny fish roe, it does not maintain the popping texture of fresh roe.
I am astounded by how similar the taste is to a salty and pungent cheese. I saved a few bites for the next dish, as it pairs very well with the crab rice.
Dungeness crab rice
Pickled vegetables, Miso soup, home roasted Hojicha tea
This Dungeness crab rice is prepared by mixing 6 crabs worth of meat with a pot of rice. It is then garnished and seasoned before being served. It is served with some picked vegetables, a small miso soup with fried tofu, and some home roasted Hojicha.
I call this dish the “shut up and eat” dish. Often times, people think that they will go to an expensive restaurant only to be served dainty portions and still leave hungry. This is the dish that will tell those people to shut up and eat, because this dish ensures that you will never leave hungry.
Each guest is given a serving of crab rice, but they are able to ask for as many refills as they want. As the last savory dish of the night, this is your opportunity to satisfy any remaining hunger.
A substantial amount of crab is used to ensure that the crab rice maintains a good flavor and ratio, rather than being predominantly rice. I liken this dish to a non-fried fried rice. It delivers the same comfort food vibe as a fried rice, but with a much less salt and fat.
The miso soup and picked vegetables are a nice touch of variety, but my favorite item on this tray is actually the hojicha.
Hojicha is a roasted green tea and is my favorite type of Japanese tea. Our host, Yuki-san, roasts her own hojicha every morning to prepare this tea. It has a strongly aromatic fragrance, with strong nutty notes similar to a barley tea, but still has a rich complexity unique to a Japanese green tea. I prefer hojicha over sencha, as I think that sencha green tea is too strongly bitter and vegetal for my preference. I really like this tea due to the home roasted preparation, and its savory roasted notes.
Fresh strawberry dessert
Strawberries from Oxnard, California, topped with Kinako roasted soy bean cream, served with sencha green tea
The main dessert for tonight features fresh strawberries from Oxnard, topped with kinako cream. Kinako is the roasted soy bean powder that is often used to coat mochi. Together, this dish forms a refreshing Spring time dessert. Even the cream is light and airy, yet has a light milky and nutty flavor which complements the sweetness of the strawberries. I love this dessert, not only because I love strawberries, but because it doesn’t leave you feeling sickened by sugar and fat at the end of a meal.
The strawberries are also served with a sencha green tea. As I mentioned before and also in my tea reviews, I am not a fan of Japanese sencha because it is overwhelmingly bitter in my opinion. This tea was no exception.
Homemade Wasanbon Japanese candy
Also home made by Yuki-san, guests are treated to some homemade Wasanbon Japanese candy. This is a candy made from ground sugar and compressed into shapes. The smell is very similar to a container of brown sugar, and has a taste that is similar to brown sugar and cake icing.
Matcha green tea
Before a final goodbye, each guest is treated to a serving of matcha, prepared similar to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The matcha powder is vibrantly green, characteristic of a high quality matcha. Each guest is served their own matcha whisked with a bamboo whisk and served in a unique hand crafted chawan tea bowl.
The taste is initially bitter, but revels a wonderful complexity of earthy and grassy notes unique to a matcha. My only fear was that I would be up all night due to all the caffeine in the matcha powder.
Chef Hayato has a keen eye for visual aesthetic and an attention to detail unmatched by any other restaurant I have visited thus far. The entire meal is designed to treat the seven guests of the night to the best dining experience possible. There is no back-to-back seating which allows everyone to take their time and relax. Chef Hayato strives to create a dining experience that does not feel scripted, but feels genuine and is written on his own terms.
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