Los Angeles New Kaiseki | The Real Deal Kaiseki Motoishi 🍶

The legendary invitation-only kaiseki has just opened! They've invited a head chef who trained at Kyoto's famed Arashiyama Kitcho. Currently, they're doing pop-ups every Sunday and Monday at Sushi Yamamoto in Beverly Hills. These past two months, they finally opened public reservations on Tock! 📅 My overall impression: it's definitely a very standard kaiseki meal, but perhaps my expectations were too high—the final presentation fell a bit short. The sweet shrimp in the first course (Sakizuke) didn't taste sweet or fresh enough, and the fish and meat in later courses felt slightly off in terms of doneness. Some seasonings were also either too sour or too salty. I was really looking forward to the Yama-gaki North American alternative egg yolk rice bowl, but the strong flavor of the beef and enoki mushrooms made the combination feel quite mismatched. I couldn't resist giving some feedback to the restaurant. 😅 However, the strengths are still quite clear! The service attitude was excellent—when they realized they missed the sweet potato in the first course, they compensated with two extra servings of matsutake mushroom and snow crab rice, which was generous and fragrant—the highlight of the night! ✨ I also really enjoyed both desserts. The staff found it interesting when they saw we brought a bottle of the new sake, and we had a pleasant chat. For Beverly Hills, the price is quite reasonable. Not sure if it's because the restaurant is still in a trial phase, but my experience felt quite different from what my friends had when they went right after the opening. Let's just hope they continue to improve! 📈 Have you ever tried a kaiseki meal? What's the most memorable Japanese dining experience you've had in LA? Share your thoughts below! 👇🍱 #JapaneseCuisine #Kaiseki #LAFood #LALife #LADining #BeverlyHillsEats #FineDiningLA #SushiYamamoto #KaisekiMotoishi #FoodReview #Omakase