Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Bar Hayama









1803 Sawtelle Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 235-2000

My bf, kid and I came here on 7/24/08 for dinner and I was quite impressed. It's really 4.5 stars, but since the service was so good, I'll give them a glowing review.We sat outside right in front of the fire pit. The weather was perfect and the fire really gave that special ambience. We ordered 8 different kozara plates and he had an order of salmon sushi. His review on the sushi "amazing, tastes like butter, just melts in your mouth". Damn! I should have tried a bite!

On to the food:

MASHED POTATOES CIGAR fried mashed potatoes and seaweed spring roll skin with wasabi soy sauce- This was just okay. I didnt really care for the mashed potato, but ordered it cuz the server HIGHLY recommended it.

AGE DASHI TOFU fried tofu with tempura sauce- OMG. I loved this dish! The sauce that came with it was soooooo good, and perfect over steamed white rice. My kid liked it alot too. Perfect texture and flavor. BF did not like it.

FRIED MILLET & VEGETABLES DUMPLING (MACROBIOTIC) with ponzu sauce - YUM!! This was really good, no idea what Millet is but the flavor was perfect, not too sure about the fried part, but still yum!

SCALLOP DYNAMITE shiitake oyster and french mushrooms with mayonnaise sauce o'gratin- I didn't care for this dish at all. The sauce was gross and too creamy for me. BF ate it the whole thing cuz he loved it.

SHRIMP CIGAR fried shrimp spring roll skin with spicy apricot sauce- YUM!! Loved this one. The crispy roll and shrimp inside was perfectly done. Loved the sauce too.

CRISPY RICE AND SPICY TUNA WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR SAUCE spicy tuna on fried sushi rice- Another winner! How can you say no to crispy rice with spicy tuna?

BLUE FIN TUNA TARTAR spicy tuna with crispy wonton skins- OMFG.. This dish was the best IMO. We all loved it. Presentation was beautiful as well. My kid loved it too. What kid loves tuna tartar?

JUMBO SHRIMP TEMPURA - Mmmm... eh. I ordered this for my kid and she didnt really like it. She said it was too chewy.. I agree. Not as good as regular shrimp tempura. Maybe cuz the shrimp were more like prawns. Hefty portion, 8 pieces. Overall, I had a great experience. Good company, food, service and the Hana Lychee Sake was freakin AMAZING. I think this alcoholic has found a new fave drink! It was sweet, but it packed a good punch! =)Dinner was$102 before tip. And so worth it.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

mmm dang girl! im so down to try this place out. i have so many places to try all from your past reviews and you telling me via verbal. too many places to eat, too little time and only 1 stomach. ; )

Pandalicious said...

next time you come to see me, we can go! its right down the street.. wait till you see the pix.

Daniel S. said...

I've been trying to convince myself to give this place a second try after our first visit, for it was not a good one to say the least. They messed up our reservation, the service was cold, and--wait for it--the room-temperature food came out very late.

Nonetheless, this was back in mid 2007, about when they first opened, and so I'm near certain they've worked out the knots. I believe a second visit is in order, yeah?.

Your pics of the crispy rice tuna, and of the blue-fin tuna tartar have just about erased any memories of that ill-fated first visit. And, ultimately that is what a good review with convincing pics can do for a place that made a bad impression on a fellow foodie. Excellent work, Amy.

Pandalicious said...

Daniel- thanks! yea, i had a great experience, and i'm sorry to hear about your shitty time.. boo.. i'd give it a try again. it's kinda pricey, so def wait for a special occasion. :)