They also have to accommodate all the pandemic cancellations last year. Those folks get first dibs before the rest of us. Who knows what kind of inventory they had available.
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I kept refreshing from 9:59 through 10:00 and it immediately said sold out. Tried ten or so refreshes then went to tock in a new tab and it showed all the available spots. I saw maybe 10 or so spots open but I was too late and clicking any said sold out.
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I felt lucky to snag one. FWIW, I’ve found being on mobile somewhere with a strong LTE signal (wifi turned off), refreshing right at 10am, and letting Jesus take the wheel (ie my finger) choosing a date to work best.
This definitely seemed like the fastest it has gone though–even for the bentos I’ll still notice a couple available dates a minute or two past 10am.
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Wifi ruined my life
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This is a statement to define our year and decade!!! Love it.
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after 15 long months hayato 2.0 is back and bigger, better, and longer than ever. just like with their bento box, chef go, hiro, bethany, yuki, and richard haven’t missed a step. their dinner service just gets better and better.
(new) sakizuke - chilled torigai, binchotan charred eggplant marinated in kombu dashi, ginger juice, junsai
a nice cold refreshing start on this day of oppressive heat. loved the smokiness from the eggplant. the torigai was a sweet spring treat.
agemono - kakiage tempura, brentwood corn, hokkaido scallop, mitsuba
crunchy, sweet, salty, delicious. highlight.
the notorious b.h.g
binchotan roasted live santa barbara spot prawns, okra, tosazu jelly, shiso blossoms
roasted in its shell to a perfect doneness so that it’s still firm with a slight chew. the tosazu jelly was a great acidic complement to the incredibly sweet prawns. highlight.
shinogi - aji (hyogo prefecture) bozushi, chive, fresh ginger
fatty and sweet, another highlight bite.
owan - dungeness crab, baby kabu , suimono
the light clear broth showcases the sweet golf-ball sized lump of dungeness crab held together only by its kanimiso. highlight.
sashimi - tennen tai (wild) , farmed tai. nori, myoga, shiso
this was a study in texture. served side by side you’re able to appreciate the difference in taste and texture. the wild tai, aged two days and killed ikijime, was very clean tasting and was firm with a nice chew. the farmed tai was softer and oilier, not bad, just different. chef go explains the wild tai gets its firm texture by having to swim in strong currents instead of having spa days in fish pens its entire life.
sake steamed abalone, abalone stock cubes, abalone liver sauce, wasabi
classic, so much umami in each bite. highlight. only thing I need was a ball of rice or piece of scarpetta (a la ishikawa) to sop up the stomach sauce.
binchotan grilled nodoguro, lotus root
smoke, salt, fat. possibly the highlight of the night. the lotus root itself was another highlight, roasted over binchotan for 45 minutes and brushed with dark soy, it became chewy and perfectly caramelized.
bethany presenting the udo
(new) nuta-ae, raw udo, hokkigai
this hokkigai was another surprise, I don’t think I’ve ever had this fresh in the states. it was insanely sweet with the texture of tender calamari, nothing like the frozen pieces of insipid rubber you find at many places. highlight.
(new) amadai, ankake, tokyo negi
I love crispy amadai and this one was stellar. the texture of the scales were like lay’s potato chips, classic not kettle. highlight.
(new) hokkaido uni tsukudani
I call this candy uni. the hokkaido uni is cooked in sake, sugar, soy sauce and mirin which shrinks it and concentrates the uni flavor. highlight.
shabu shabu - komatsuna, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, a5 miyazaki wagyu, kinome leaves
meltingly tender beef, loved the little kinome leaves for a hit of mint and citrus flavor.
karasumi
soft and chewy with a deep flavor of the ocean, served slightly warmed from the binchotan. great pairing with sake. highlight.
gohan - kinmedai, mitsuba
the best rice course in the city or the greatest rice course in the city? highlight.
miso soup, toasted tofu
pickled cucumbers and kabu
double serving x3
I think chef go is trying to fatten me up. you will not leave hungry.
harry’s berries gaviota, kinako infused whipped cream
can’t get any better.
bonus harry’s and ken’s top notch white nectarines
yuki-san preparing the matcha
matcha green tea
fin - wasanbon made by yuki-san
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Fantastic report! Can’t wait for my turn because it seems like Chef Go is coming out of the pandemic firing.
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one of my fav things
so hard to find in LA
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Not if you eat it with your favorite - hotaru ika 
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Warrior: that rice looks delicious! it’s nice that he is serving flavored rice now instead of plain rice. If I recall correctly it was plain rice the first time we went, which is not uncommon for kaiseki in Japan but disappoints me every time.
not sure what you mean by plain rice, from day one their gohan has always been cooked in dashi and light soy and mixed with some kind of fish or crab.
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Warrior: I meant plain white rice with nothing added. So I must be misremembering. It always seems so austere and disappointing, at least to me, when you get served plain white rice, pickles, and miso soup at the end of the meal.
The rice course at Hayato is quite memorable, especially for the presentation.
Seems an odd thing to misremember.
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Kaneyoshi served a hotaru “tartare” that was about the best-in-class for that shite that I ever ate - but I still wouldn’t cross the street for it.
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Austere? Interesting take. IMO, if the rice is of excellent quality and prepared correctly, it has tons of character even plain. Eating plain rice in Japan prompted me to improve my own rice-making skills because it was so much better (texture, flavor) that what I’d been eating (or making) in the U.S. I’m sure that even if Hayato DID serve plain steamed rice, it would be lovely, in a Platonic Ideal sort of way.
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Totally agree. Rice has complexity and cooking it properly is an art.
Hangry cranky this morning and was sorely tempted to write “bread served on it’s own with just butter or olive oil at the beginning of a western meal is so disappointing.” 
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I’ve really enjoyed the Matcha service at the end, but i also realized all that tea that late in the evening results in me sleeping at 2am.
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I’ll be honest, I love bread, but, at least w/ a plain sourdough, I actually find it really boring on its own. I like to think of it as a supporting vehicle for great butter or EVOO.
Perhaps I just have not had amazing plain white rice, but I think I’d find that pretty boring, too, w/o a tiny amount of vinegar or… something.
Just my $0.02. ::shrug::
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Amazing plain white rice has a surprising amount of umami and sweetness, and of course a toothsome texture, but I have to admit it’s kind of a contemplative experience–a whisper, not a shout, and you may need to pay closer attention to it than dining circumstances allow. But as part of the typical set of rice-soup-pickle, you’re alternating mouthfuls, which should mitigate the plainness of the rice.
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I’m actually quite fond of really good bread as a vehicle for EVOO and AOC butter.
Been testing/tasting great butter all pandemic. 
Although not AOC, for domestic, there’s Amish butter that’s quite delicious.