YESS — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Update:

YES to YESS!Even though we loved it the first time, we almost canceled our res after I saw their Insta post 2 days before saying they were switching to a tasting menu. That would have been a terrible decision. The tasting menu is generous with about 6-8 fixed starters, followed by your choice from about 5 highly diverse mains. There were 3 supplements including their famous local line caught Blue Fin tuna Akami and Toro, Foraged Porcini w cured egg yolk, and what turned out to be the best cooked tuna dish I have ever had in my life. We had pre-reserved one of two available portions of tuna collars, and it was prepared on the binchotan in a manner that brought out the best possible flavor and texture. Now remember, we are all already full from all the other brilliant and delectable courses when they bring out this monster the size of the table. The meat was so tender and flavorful, not fishy, not hard and weird like cooked tuna can get. Even the next day the leftovers were still a treat. The tasting menu is only $110, crazy good deal. Biggest complaint? Way too much food and they only have 4 tops at the moment. With Japanese restaurants at this level, maybe I don’t need to rush back to Japan anytime soon. Chef Giles and chef Junya nailed it!! #thefoodietraveler

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Segoi! (Wow) New Japanese Restaurant flying well under the radar. Joint Japanese and British project (it started as a pandemic food truck) - their first Brick and Mortar. The quality of the food was top of the line: Farmers Market produce, Peads and Barnett pork, EIGHT year aged grass-fed beef typically only available in Europe on South America, line caught local Blue FIn tuna that is very difficult to obtain even in Japan. Kind of a cross between Izakaya and Kappo, the menu includes a nice selection of small and large plates. Like we always do, we pretty much ordered the entire menu. We were amazed at the great quality and simply how delicious we found each dish. Unlike most of the newer pseudo-Japanese places popping up, there were no heavy, sticky, greasy sauces, just great ingredients with delicate enhancements to show them at their best. Beyond the food, all the servers and chefs were friendly and delightful and accommodated our requests with grace. Chef Junya and Chef Giles excitedly shared descriptions of the dishes and posed for photos with us, Most of the employees were brought in from Asia or UK, we only noted 1 or 2 line chefs from LA. They gave us a private table in the corner, adjusted the lighting for us, brought the food at the pace we requested, and allowed us to open 4 bottles. $50 corkage. Some may say the prices seem a bit high, but if you take into consideration the top of the line expensive ingredients and the fact that each item is highly complex to prep and execute (and made to order) I think it offers great value. I am actually worried their operation is not sustainable as it is so difficult to run a restaurant like this in LA. People are going to complain that $28 for vegetables and $90 for a whole fish is untenable, and they will be wrong. Only minor nit (besides the neighborhood lol) is some of the items needed salt. Note they only have 4 tops. Menu changes frequently with the season. I suggest if this place sounds good you go soon and show them your support on SMM as I am really worried that to make it financially they may have to dumb it down. ...

I seem to be in the same boat as some of the other disappointed but optimistic diners who were fans of the Yess Aquatic truck. I had been so excited for the restaurant to open and couldn’t wait to get back to LA to finally try the upgraded version of what I already loved so much. I ordered vermillion rockfish sashimi, monks chirashi, marinated mushrooms, miso cod, and the salt chicken with mala sauce. Sashimi was great, very fresh tasting and simple. The marinated mushrooms were good, but shouldn’t be a dish on their own. Flavor was very bright and acidic, and didn’t have another note to serve as a ballast. Felt quite unbalanced. I think they’d be great as a complement to something else or for cutting a fat, but I felt like the marinade completely covered the flavor of the mushrooms. They felt like a snack someone would make at home when they’re craving something sour and juicy, not what you order at a nice restaurant. Next, the monks chirashi came out. This one was a huge hit for me. My boyfriend thought it was too plain but I think it really let the natural flavors and textures of the veggies shine, the rice was seasoned perfectly and a very good temperature, every bite was good, balanced, and never felt heavy or too much. I could eat it every day. The miso cod might’ve just been a bad choice from me, because the preparation of the trout looked a bit more intentional from what i could see from the counter. The cod was both too salty and too sweet, and the rhubarb it came with wasn’t prepared in a way where you could layer the flavors easily. I think it’s meant to be a cleansing bite after you’ve coated your mouth with the fatty salty sweet fish. Great idea in theory but it just wasn’t very pleasant in practice. I just felt like I was taking turns being overwhelmed by the salty sweetness of the fish, and the astringent pickled flavor of the rhubarb. Never felt like it was meshing well. Lastly, the mala chicken was cooked really well. I was a bit scared because of how pink it was but i trust the chefs and the texture was very nice and juicy. This dish is meant to be salty so I don’t necessarily see that as an issue with the dish itself, but having it right after the cod made it way too overwhelming. The mala sauce was very nice. Good ratios in whatever their recipe is. I don’t think i’d order it again because it wasn’t mind blowing, and for over $60 it would require a bit more uniqueness for me to justify it. Aside from the food, service was great and the space is beautiful. I know the chefs and a lot of the staff are very serious about their craft and the philosophy behind food making as a whole, so I still support them steadfastly and hope for the best. I think the food and juices (god, those juices!!!) from the truck were some of the most unique, nuanced, and memorable casual meals I’ve ever had. I completely understand people who take such pride in their work wanting to distance themselves from that casual endeavor, but man it hurts seeing such a...

New Japanese place right across from Guerilla Tacos in the arts district. I am hopeful this restaurant can figure it out as the inside is nice and some of the chefs from the open kitchen seem to be very dedicated to their craft. The problem lies in menu creation and front of house service. We arrived 25 min early on Saturday May 6 and unfortunately they don’t have a bar or waiting area so we went across the street and came back at our reservation time. It would be useful for the restaurant to figure out where to squeeze a bar with a few stools for customers to hang out before dinner. We were led to our table and already figured it was going to be a rough night as the couples next to us were complaining about the slow service and tiny portions. We are very forgiving on new restaurants and proceeded to order the sashimi platter, the fish katsu and the miso Cod. Our sake came quickly but after 40 minutes we received our first dish the Katsu which were 5 small fried nuggets of fish with tartar sauce. The fish was fried perfectly but at over $20 it left a lot to be desired. We then ordered a second round of sake which was served to the couple next to us. After they questioned it the glasses were then moved to our table, again lack of communication by front of house. About 25 minutes later the cod came out which were 5 small pieces of Cod in a miso sauce. Very skimpy portion for what was supposed to be a main dish. We then told our server to skip the sashimi as it had never arrived and after seeing what $50 dollars got you at other tables we opted to skip. After 2 hours and 5 bites of food each the bill was $170. In all honesty I was expecting problems with service during an opening weekend but the quality and value proposition is off. We have just returned from a 2 week trip in Japan where this style of food is common as part of a Kaiseki meal. The problem is that the restaurant is large, about 60 people size and the staff and cooks can’t keep up or make the experience warm and intimate which is required when the flavors are so subdued. Opening a restaurant is never easy and I hope this place survives long enough to figure it...