reservations are released at midnight, i believe 28 days in advance.
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Totally agree with the kinki being the highlight of the night.
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Forgot to mention chef go is thinking of adding a meat course, perhaps shabu shabu.
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no issues with the rice.
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Fan-fucking-tastic.
Letās book that tatami room when it opensā¦
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Glad to see Hayato evolving nicely, looks like he is getting booked out.
Iām hoping to catch the end of the winter menu by February but looks like I will definitely have to book early since I may only have a few days in LA.
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I finally went to Hayato on December 28th after reading so many glorious pictorial essays on FTC.
My meal was pretty much identical to @PorkyBelly ās except for the swap of shiitake in place of matsutake in the Alaskan king crab nabe. Also, right before the final savory course of rice with buri fish, Chef Brandon served slices of homemade karasumi (aka Japanese bottarga). It was oh, so delicious! The chefās father happened to be there that night and as someone whoās fond of karasumi, his sonās version met his approval. Hereās a screenshot of what I posted to IG:
I loved every dish, especially the rice course at the end ā cooked perfectly with a beautiful sheen, aroma, depth of flavor and texture. I asked the chef if he used Koda rice or something else and he said it was āUonumaā rice from Niigata prefecture ā the āRolls Royceā of rice. He mentioned how he had to experiment with the grains; early on he tried cooking the rice grains with bottled water, but wasnāt satisfied with the result. After changing the water filtration system in his restaurant kitchen, he used it to finally attain the desired consistency.
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Cannot wait to return.
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Hi @foodshutterbug,
So glad you enjoyed your meal at Hayato! 
Sounds like a lovely meal. Love Hayato!
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Hi @Chowseeker1999 ā it really was, thanks!
The last time I had a Kaiseki meal was at Michelin-starred Jimbocho Den in Tokyo and Iād say the quality at Hayato was more than comparable.
Funny how Hayato was omitted from EaterLAās āhypothetical Michelinā list, but then again that list is pretend anyway.
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Iād say that list got about 50% right
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Estimate looks like June, at the earliest (and even this is not set in stone)ā¦
not sure what the advantage is sitting in the tatami room vs at the counter. kind of like sitting at a table in a sushi restaurant.
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As an FTCer, Iād rather sit at the bar, too, but sometimes larger parties dine out and prefer face-to-face table dynamics, rather than shouting at a friend sitting 4 seats away down the bar all dinner long.
Also, Chef Go is only breaking even right now at Hayato without the tatami table. The table will finally allow him to start eeking out a profit, so thereās that aspect as well. I want Hayato to survive.
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bout time! I also think that each course should be a little bigger.
Did you get any shabu shabu?
Nope, no shabu shabu . He didnāt mention it for the future either, at least not to us
I didnāt see any meat shabu either but did get some great Spanish Mackerel (Aji?) bozushi and Hokkaido Uni in my recent meal.
FYI, the tatami room is looking great and seats are out. Iād guess that the June estimate is solid but then again you never knowā¦
By the way, Tartine, at least a portion of it, is open for post-dinner if youāre not full (closes at 11 PM). I definitely was stuffed but gave the bar a try anyways since Iām seldom in the area. I know itās not gotten the greatest reviews in the other thread but I enjoyed my cocktail, ham and honey flatbread, and a great dessert vermouth. Was bursting at the seams at the end though. Props to you guys who can keep goingā¦
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