Hayato is the Japanese restaurant of Chef Brandon Hayato Go, where 7 lucky diners are served at a counter 5 nights a week.   The Kaiseki meal of seafood and vegetables was served by Chef himself with a couple of helpers.  The light wood counter faces the cooking area which has a number of options for finishing the dishes.  Well lit with no music it is a peaceful, calm place offering much interaction with the chef.  The menu is a surprise as Chef shops for unique ingredients with impeccable quality to craft the evening’s dinner.  “Less is more”  could be a description because you won’t find fancy sauces and decorations here.  Instead, the ingredients are so pristine that they stand on their own with elegance.  Those who follow me know I’m a flavor junky but this place moves flavor to a different dimension.  Time passed quickly, as there was no lag in service and conversations flowed easily between guests and the chef.  The meal does take 2.5-3  hours and you receive a beautiful menu at the end written in Japanese and English on elegant parchment.  Service was fabulous and it’s easy to see why Michelin has awarded the restaurant 2 stars.  The price is steep for some at $350 per person but if you can get a reservation I urge you to go.  Be aware that these reservations are in such demand that they are being re-sold but that’s a scam, just be persistent and and try and try again when reservations are released on the first of the month.  It’s a fabulous experience.

Set-Up

 

Food

The meal starts with Sakizuke, which tonight was a saki often served at celebrations.  I’m sorry I didn’t get a photo of the bottle.

California Spiny Lobster was seared and warmed in a thickened dashi.  The yellow portions were made from lobster brain and some female roe was also in the bowl.  The lobster had an amazing texture in the viscous broth.  Warm enough to feel like luxurious comfort food.

 

Hokkaido Hairy Crab was steamed in the shell then chilled to serve.  Mixed with the fat from the crab head to make a dressing of sorts.  Chef said he’d tried to find a “pretty” way to serve it but found this simplicity to be best.  He was right – it was fabulous.  They brought out a Hairy Crab to show me as I was unfamiliar with this variety.

 

Kobashira and sweet potato tempura.  The sweet potato had been cooked long and slow and was plated with Kobashira which is the adductor muscle of the surf clam.  The potato was very sweet and cooked to perfection then intensified with a delicate tempura batter.   The clam had an intense flavor and a chewy texture.  A bit of salt was on the plate if you wished to add it.  These were both wonderful.

 

Seared Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) was with Toza Zu jelly.  Kinmedai is a bright red fish with large eyes which this presentation loosely resembled.  The dashi sauce had some vinegar in it and then it was jellied.   The fish was lightly seasoned and then the sauce perfectly accented its natural mild flavor.

 

Shinogi:  Sekogani rice porridge was made from female snow crabs with roe caught off the Japanese coast west of Honshu.   There are 2 types of eggs, the red from the immature ovaries and the brown are the more mature eggs.  All was mixed with rice to make a porridge.  Delicious.

 

Seared surf clam “Nuta ae” (miso and vinegar dressing) was with yuzu jus and long white radish.  The Hokkkaido artic surf clams turn red when you cook them.

 

Owan: Shiro Amadai was a clear dashi with fresh bamboo shoots.  The fish was grilled then steamed.  The rich fat content and strong umami of this fish, White Horsehead, is considered the finest of the amadai family.  The fish was indeed exceptional but I was blown by the bamboo shoots.  I don’t think I’ve ever had it taste so good.  The difference between what you usually get in a restaurant and this was as big as the difference in canned and fresh asparagus.

 

Otsukuri was a course of sashimi containing pieces of Japanese Sea Bream and Akagai(red clam).   The sea bream was killed in the Japanese style Ike Jime which enhances and prolongs its flavor.  Both seafood were plated with nori, ginger, wasabi, and sides of soy sauce and salt.  The fish was tender as the clam was chewy both with an ultra fresh essence.

 

Steamed abalone was with liver sauce on the side.  The abalone was steamed with saki and water and then presented with a cube of abalone stock in gel form.  The liver sauce was seasoned with wasabi and made from the stomach.  The abalone was wonderful and the cube full of umami.

 

Charcoal grilled Kinki was with roasted onion.  The Kinki fish is exceptionally fatty and juicy with flesh that melts in your mouth.  It is sometimes called Thornyhead and found off the coast of Hokkaido and known for its sweetness.  This piece had been grilled and served with a salt-cured caramelized onion brushed with soy sauce.  They both were explosions of flavor and texture in the mouth.  My notes said it made me think of eating roast chicken skin.  I’ll watch for this fish in the future.

 

Seared duck breast and Silver Ankake was seared duck breast with turnip in kombu dashi.  The duck was tender and lovely with perfectly seared skin.  The turnip was soft with no hint of bitterness and wonderful.

 

Mizore Nabe meant we moved to hot pot cooking.  Ebi Shinjo, shiitake, and komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) had a daikon purée in the soup.  The Ebi Shinjo was a shrimp cake and the pinkish item in the bowl.  This was timeless cooking with few but great ingredients for a fantastic outcome.

 

Chinmi means “rare taste” in Japanese.  In this instance, it referred to grilled karasumi which was a bottarga made in-house by salting the mullet roe pouch and drying it in sunlight.  It had a soft middle with a dense exterior and was not my favorite dish.

 

Winter Buri and ginko nut rice pot was the final savory dish of the evening.  Buri is Winter Yellowtail caught in the cold water of winter.  With it were pickles, cucumbers and miso.  Chef presented the large pot and dished it out for each of us.  You were free to have seconds if you desired.  The fish was perfect as was the rice.  The vegetables on the side presented a nice contrast.  A cup of roasted green tea was also poured.

 

Mizu Mono was Asian Pear with sake jelly.  The pieces of pear were tossed with sake and sea salt jelly.  It was served with a cup of the same green tea as the last course but his one was not roasted.  The fruit was lovely and just a nice amount of sweetness to end the meal.  You could have seconds on this one too, if desired.

 

Afterwards, there was a cup of Ceremonial Matcha tea from Kyoto, ground fresh.  The tea is traditionally whisked and served in a bowl.  It came with a red bean candy.