hakubai — Restaurant in New York

We came, we saw, we kaiseki-ed.

You can scroll to the bottom of my review to see what we got. Suffice it to say, I've been searching for a kaiseki spot as wonderful as the now-decreased Sugiyama that used to exist in NYC. But with omakase hogging all the Japanese spotlight (why?), there's little incentive in the restaurant world to open places dedicated to this highest style of Japanese cuisine.

Thank you Hakubai for being the maverick, for renovating to new levels of elegance, and for showcasing Japanese haute cuisine at a time when too many sheeple are paying inflated prices for nigiri and thinking THAT is Japanese fine dining.

The classic Japanese traits of craftsmanship, perfectionism and attention to detail are on full display here. Sit at the bar or don't even bother coming. Try one of their inventive cocktails ($22+) such as the Kiku, which is made with chrysanthemum rum, orange, honey, lemon, seedlip grove, and milk.

And come before they realize that $195 for 11 courses (for a KAISEKI!) is actually really low and start hiking up their prices.

.................................................. Our winter menu:

Sakizuke: crab miso Zensai: ezo awabi, komochi kombu, ankimo Mushimono: uni chawan-mushi Otsukuri: sashimi Takiawase: winter vegetables, chrysanthemum dashi Onsai: kinmedai kenchin Yakimono: A5 wagyu, tamamiso Oshokuji: hitsumabushi, ochazuke, akadashi, pickles Mizugashi: yogurt sorbet, shiso jelly, buddha's hand Omokashi: strawberry shortcake Ocha: dorayaki, bonbon,...

Hakubai is as close as one can get to Japan in New York City. The atmosphere, the service, and the decor are understated in a way that feels very Japanese. And of course, the food is excellent.

The sushi comes out at the right temperature and the rice to fish ratio is ideal (not too much rice). The fatty tuna was my favorite of the evening.

The wagyu fillet is the best steak I’ve had in NYC. It’s both lean and tender. I wouldn’t describe it as “melt in your mouth”, but a comfortable and gentle chew is all you need to get it down. It comes paired with ponzu. We requested wasabi + soy sauce, which we prefer.

The service staff were very thoughtful. We ordered the assorted seafood and vegetable tempura under the impression that it came with matsutake mushrooms. When it didn’t come out with the mushrooms, they offered us a complimentary serving of them.

The service structure feels a bit odd, in that we watch the sushi chef prepare our order in front of us at the counter, but instead of handing it right over to the customer, they set it behind the counter until a server is available to bring it over. The short wait time certainly didn’t affect the quality of the meal. However, I think this system could be refined such that the customer isn’t left watching their prepared food sit 3 yards away from them until someone...

We had the kaiseki set. Food was okay but service is super slow. We sat down at 6:15 but didn’t finish until almost 10pm. The dining room was empty prob only like three tables and nobody at the counter. No server was on the floor half the time took them long time to clear plates and had to flag them down to get their attention. Also make sure to double check your receipt before you give them your card because I gave them my card to pay and they charged me for five glasses of champagne when I only ordered three. I wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t double check the receipt. It started out good but the slow service/attention and overcharging definitely ruined the whole experience for us. The server was also inexperienced don’t really know about the menu, it was surf clams on the dish but server said it was abalone. The manager had the nerve to tell the cc company to charge us the tip we wrote for the original bill instead of giving us the new bill to write the new tip amount, had to let them know to put 20% of the new bill. Went happy left...