Cuisine:

• Japanese
• Sushi bar

Hakobe Japanese Restaurant Description:
Giant pine trunk logs, stone, rich leather and bamboo morph perfectly into the Japanese aesthetic of this former steakhouse, but the quirky charisma of this restaurant is created by owner Asako, a former supermodel, and gregarious chef Kenny Yamada. Yamada hails from Takami---he also boasts Puck and Katsuya pedigrees---and his creations are inventive and artfully presented. Straight up traditional sushi (which is generally as fresh as it comes) shines in items like amberjack sashimi with fresh jalapeño and peach. But presentation here is part of the fun and Yamada's signature dishes can be real scene-stealers. Rock shrimp tempura is dramatically wrapped in a diaphanous Japanese pancake "purse." Likewise, a tasty deep-fried uni tucked into seaweed with shiso is light and long on flavor. A salad of seared tuna with seaweed pops with crispy onions, while the red snapper carpaccio is harmonized with seasonal vegetables and yuzu ponzu. While it's easy---if not inevitable---to be jaded by L.A.'s ubiquitous rolls, the Hakobe Roll mixes up a provocative mélange of spicy tuna, fresh crab, asparagus, albacore and fruit-infused ponzu. Diners, which sometimes include celebs and hip hop stars, are greeted personally by the vivacious kimono-clad Asako, and if you're lucky chef Yamada will also show you a magic trick or two.


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