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Mon-Thu. 6:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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LAYelpReviewLA22500YelpReview
Bar Hayama1985Sawtelle
NijiyaUCLA
Ba Hayama3
NijiyaNippon MedicalTempura HouseSanta Monica Blvd.Irasshaimase
Open hearth.
6
(^_^)
Been here a couple of times. The difference between being on a budget and not is amazing. I was disappointed that a large party was sitting at the outdoor firepit, but our table inside was nice. We started off with a cold, dry sake and lobster miso. Miso in itself is good, but the touch of lobster flavor really complimented the opener. We ordered several different dishes, and after eating at Orris the week before the meal dimmed a little in comparison. The tapas dishes are not as unique as the ones at Orris. The yellowtail sashimi was perfection as was the other sushi dishes we had.
Next time I plan on ordering more of the sushi and less of the specials.
Bar Hayama is kind of tucked away on Sawtelle. It is in a little house among apartment complexes and has an entrance that feels like you are entering someone's backyard BBQ (which you kind of do). Upon entering, you walk into an outdoor patio that is dominated by a square communal table with a large (and somewhat mesmerizing) fire pit. It was slightly chilly that night, but the fire pit provided more than enough heat. Unfortunately, it was also one of the few sources of light. It was hard to see anything (and I enjoy looking at food presentations).
Inside the house, there was also a small dining area with regular tables and a sushi bar.
The menu was pretty overwhelming. There was a 4 page menu of specials. There was another menu for special sushi rolls (with a state theme as in Washington sushi roll). There was also their regular menu with cold appetizers, hot appetizers/tapas, sushi, sashimi, sushi combinations meals, salads, soups, and main dishes. The menu was all-over-the-place (kind of reminded me of the menu at The Cheesecake Factory). I've always found with menus like that, there are going to be a lot of mediocre dishes. How can a kitchen really be expected to prepare all these different dishes? So finding a good dish could be a real chore.
We did have a variety of dishes. If you are looking for variety, Bar Hayama may be what you want.
--Garlic edamame. Warm edamame served with a garlic soy sauce (very, very strong on the garlic). This was good. If edamame has felt bland to you in the past, you may want to give this variation a try.
--Sunomono salad. Thinly sliced cucumber with vinegar. This is offered at many sushi restaurants. Okay--similar to what you would get elsewhere.
--Miso soup. Good but (once again) nothing that makes it better than other Japanese places.
--Sushi combination. This was a generous portion of sushi including tuna, yellowtail, salmon, red snapper, and albacore. The fish was nice and fresh. My friend mentioned that the rice was overdone. She was right--kind of ruined the sushi. It also came with cut spicy tuna and california rolls, which were just okay.
--Sauteed lobster with vegetables. Served on a sizzling hot plate (like fajitas--that's how the waiter described it) was a medley of lobster, sweet onions, mushrooms, and some kind of potato (maybe sweet potato). The dish was made a little too sweet by the overabundance of sweet onions. The lobster was not the best quality. Despite the sweetness of the onions, the dish was a little bland. It kind of reminded me of the lobster and hibachi vegetables you would get at a Benihana. Overall, a disappointing dish.
--The lamb chops in a spicy sauce. As soon as I started to cut into the lamb chops, I could tell the meat was overcooked. It was tough. Topped with a a spicy crust and sauce, the lamb was not that good. The meat was too dry and the spiciness of it was a little off-putting. It was served with (just okay) bok choy.
We passed on dessert. Nothing on the dessert menu really stood out (which is common with Japanese restaurants). They did serve complimentary candy with the check (actually they forgot it, but I picked some up at the front desk). One piece of candy was a marshmallow in a Halloween wrapper. I wish I had a long stick so I could have toasted the marshmallow in the fire pit.
The staff was friendly, but service was a little slow at first. The restaurant was doing pretty good business, and it appeared that there was not enough staff (they were working hard, but service seemed a little disorganized). The prices (especially if you get one of their combination meals) were reasonable (though not exactly cheap).
Overall, I've been to much better Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles. I'm sure there are a few good dishes in the hundreds that they offer, but I don't think I will want to come back again and again to find them.
Parking is available on the street by meter.
Bar Hayama is such a cool little cozy spot! I came here for a friend's bday dinner party and the staff was very accommodating and double checking with us to make sure everything was ok. I love how they have an outdoor fire pit where people could sit around at night time to cozy up to that special someone and enjoying the nice California nights.
I love the interior also. It reminds me as if I was stepping into someone's house having dinner. Super clean and simple.
A little pricey but really good food. Lobster bisque is great. Their sushi is always on point too. Take out or sit at the fire pit, the food is the same, good.
Came here for the first time last night and had very high expectations. We sat outside at the fire pit, which was awesome for atmosphere. I never get cold so don't care for the heat. The inside was lovely also, and the staff is helpful, friendly, and very hardworking considering the layout of the restaurant makes it hard to get around if you are covering both inside and outside tables. Anyway, unfortunately the food was disappointing. We had garlic edamame (pretty good due to the sauce,) sushi plate (ok fish, but way too soft rice,) lobster stir fry dish (generous portion, but not that tasty,) and lamb chops (nice presentation along with bok choy, but was just ok tasting) I would come back and try other items.
This is one of my favorite places to eat for lunch. I love the bento boxes (especially saiko). You get a variety of food - the main entree (sea bass for me), tempura, sashimi, a "macrobiotic" item, and dessert. It is a bit pricey for lunch (for me anyway) at $16, but so worth it!
The people are always friendly and nice - and I've been here countless times.
This will be my new favorite place to eat sushi. I am conservative when it comes to sushi: I never believed a trendy setting is conducive to enjoy true sushi. Well, Hayama proved me wrong. I loved their food and decor. (A cute patio with a large fire pit.) I may be exaggerating a bit but their Ikura was the best I had in years. Too bad I don't drink alcohol. They have great sake selections as well and flawless service.
SAKE. Like, 100 kinds of sake. Every kind imaginable. It's like a sake wonderland.
Seriously, if you have a craving for sake and are on the west side, want to try to high end or rare stuff, etc etc-- SIT AT THE BAR!!!!
They have sake flights, sake tasters, and are more than willing to let you sample the sake before you buy a cup/carafe/bottle.
They even give you snacks with wasabi peas in them (I love those things)!!!!
Food is pretty good, too...
Bar Hayama is like a hidden gem on the Sawtelle strip. I used to live around the corner, and never… Read more »
I love the outdoor seating around the fireplace!
The lobster roll, spicy tuna on cripsy rice, and yellowtail roll were flavorful, fresh and light.
What a cute sushi place set in a conspicuous location! This restaurant sits out by itself alongside apartment buildings off Sawtelle.
The inside decor of this place is very West L.A./WeHo chic; which you wouldn't expect considering the location.
Went here on a Wednesday evening for dinner and was not disappointed. The menu and list of specials were extensive. You're juggling three pamphlets while trying to figure out what to order.
Luckily, we get a tip from the waitress to order the fatty salmon belly (shining star of the evening and not on the menu!), toro (good), hamachi with ponzu (solid), and sashimi combination (solid). They also had a Wagyu beef carpaccio/sashimi as a special, which I want to try next time.
Service was prompt and friendly. There were 1-2 waiters and waitresses who looked like they came out of the Genetic Lottery as winners.
For a weekday night, diners were dressed either very casual in jeans and t-shirts while others had more after-work/cocktail attire with collared shirts.
A great choice if you find yourself wanting to avoid the hub bub of Hollywood sushi, but want good sush with ambiance.
The fireplace was charming, the food was delicious, the waitstaff was attentive and made excellent recommendations based on what we said we did/did not like.
The winner was the Bleu Cheese Tuna Shasimi - it was excellent! They also allowed us to sample the diffent saki's before commiting to a bottle, which we found to be very helpful since their saki menu was so large.
You'll drop over a hundred bucks a couple here, but it's worth it to get something different and be away from the crowd.
"Poker Face" was playing over the concealed sound system as I walked in. Who's bluffing?
Wow, cute bar tender. I swear she smiled.
You gotta mix things up when you come here. Order from the daily specials. Don't go straight for the sushi. The waitress knew her favorites and made good recommendations.
She also gave us samples of sa-ke (Hiroki tokubetsu junmai) before allowing us to order a bottle. Very cool.
Bar Hayama could be a hidden gem if you hit the place at the right time.
The place has been described well by the other reviewers, it's just off Sawtelle in Santa Monica and looks like a non-descript residential house with a smaller-ish sign and one big China ball lighting the front entrance. Very understated.
The rest of the experience, however, is not understated.
You enter the restaurant tot he outdoor seating area with bonfire, a large bar where mostly couples sit outside. We opted to go inside as we were having a 'birthday dinner' so we got a 2-top near the bar.
This place has a great selection of items, and being as how I've only been here once I'm going to have to return many, many times to truly understand how amazing the food is.
This night we were in the mood for sushi, so we got started quickly.
We skipped the sake and went for the Sapporo this time, and the incredibly cute waitress (with an especially strong Australian accent, HAWT) recommended the Garlic Edamame. We were all over it (and wanted to be all over this amazing waitress too), and signed up for a nice big plate of Salmon and Tuna sashimi. After that we hit a Spicy Tuna cut roll and another more creatively flavored roll that I can't recall.
All of them were amazing. The rolls did take a little while to appear, but between our confusion at the table and the multiple waves in which we ordered I'm willing to give a free pass on that one.
As far as the experience goes, it's 100% A+++ all around.
The previous reviewers talking about how this place is more about traditional "un-creative" sushi is sort of right, however I found the sashimi to be the freshest I've tasted since being in San Fran.
No complaints at any time.
I think this spot would be ideal for dates as there is a semi-social bar setting complete with bonfire and complimentary blankets (in case you/your date gets cold), or a nice indoor zone to kick.
The bar area inside and out is perfect for the person who is eating solo as well. I may honestly go in there solo to try to catch another glimpse of the amazing waitress before she hooks up with some old rich Jewish guy in a Porsche and stops working.
Cheers!
This is a total date spot! My girl friend and I went here to have some girl talk and the fire pit seating area was filled with couples! It was an unusual abundance of a white male and Asian female dates. I felt like I was in a twilight zone. There was about 5 couples like this seating around us.
Besides this, the food was good, ambiance was warm. The cool thing I liked was that they made my roll with brown rice. Since I'm on this healthy kick...had to eat brown rice instead of the usual oh so delicious sticky white rice. Sigh...
Go if you want to take someone for a date... good date spot for sure. (ps. reading that camera stealing review...makes me think twice about going back tho...LOL)
This place is a nice place with really good ambiance. HOWEVER its super duper expensive.
Their dinner bento is really good, but it costs an arm n leg.
If you really want to eat here, go for their lunch specials much more affordable.
As a child of beach citites, I have a serious love affair with bonfires. As an indirect child of Los Angeles, I have a natural love of sushi. So who forgot to tell me I could eat sushi around a fire pit with 20 people I've never met before? Um, everyone who has NOT written a review of this place yet, of course.
I blame you.
But it's okay, because now I know. And now my tummy is filled with all the wonders of scallop dynamite, tuna and crispy rice, lobster miso, and banana tempura. And it's a shame I'm not a sake fan, because when you sit down they hand you an entire three ring binder filled with potential sake selections. Four beers (sorry beer fans), but eight bajillion sakes. Oh, and there's a whole macrobiotic theme - primarily with the lunch menu, I think. Just one more thing that scores major points on the V scale.
Although the food is a bit on the pricier side, for dinner at least, the service was stellar and every dish came out at lightning speed. In fact, I almost wish my visit had been one of those nervous first dates where you're looking to talk about anything and everything, but somehow you probably end up just staring into the fire pit. At least then it would have lasted longer. But the longtime bf and I were so hungry and the food was so good (and hey, we can always talk later right?), we might have clocked in under 30 minutes.... Hardly enough time to toast your buns to the full potential here.
But that's ok. Bar Hayama is a secret no longer. And the pleasure of knowing is all mine.
This place really isn't so great. The best thing about it is the firepit outside. As far as food is concerned, it is kind of a mixed bag. First of all, everything is jacked up to the usual Westside ripoff prices. I'm talking about prices like $45 for their Wagyu Steak, which is not really even worth $25 in my opinion. The sushi did not taste fresh AT ALL & I realized this immediately and had the waiter remove it from my face. The shrimp tempura was delicious but then again how hard is it to make shrimp tempura?
They seem to have quite the Sake selection but I cannot speak on that since neither me nor anyone I was with tried any.
I don't think I would come back to Bar Hayama, even if there is a nice ambiance. If I were rating is strictly on sushi though, it would score abysmally low. I don't understand where some of these restaurants get their audacity to serve sub-par sushi, ESPECIALLY when the prices are as high as you're going to find!
I don't know, I was just pretty disappointed with this place.
I'll get straight to it.
RECAP: Great sushi, decent prices, awesome patio. Perfect date place. They even have blankets for people (aka THE GIIIIIRLS) who are cold.
They're more about the serious sushi than the creative rolls, which is sort of weaksauce, but I'm down. I'm all about the non-authentic rolls, but they have to be all authentic on us. Cool.
The appetizers were pretty good and unique too. The fried zucchini with dipping sauces was great (though last time it was a little under cooked).
They just have beer, wine and sake on the drinks menu.
Go.
Are you a bit awkward when you're dry? Head to Bar Hayama. Need some sauce to spice up the night? Head to Bar Hayama. Just finished dinner at Orris? Head to Bar Hayama.
I don't know my sake but the server was helpful. She suggested Momo, an unfiltered sake that comes in a pink bottle. A bit creamy from being unfiltered and a bit fruity and best of all, the sake is pink too! The bottle was only $15. Actually, the best thing is seeing your date squirm because he has to drink a pink drink. But there were definitely other bottles that were premium sake with a premium price.
I stopped by on a Tuesday night so the crowd was date-ish or family-ish so it wasn't rowdy. I appreciated that.
The fire pit really does add to the charm of the place. It really can get your face feeling like it's burning a bit, so make sure you move your seat back a bit after some beer or sake or both!
Like others have said, the ambience makes for a great date spot. And reservations are a must to sit by the firepit -- you're SOL otherwise. I had to play a little bit of voicemail / phone tag since they're a dinner only place.
They do have a bar area with a small tv - which of course had the Lakers playoff game on. My Lakers buddies would gave me major static for missing a game, but she was worth it. :) Besides, it was only the first round. I was not concerned. Nonetheless, major props for having the game on!
We wound up waiting more than 30 mins for our reservation. And much to our surprise, they comped our sake bottle as a result! After all the saccharine sweet or crappy service I've gotten from low to high end joints, Bar Hayama really set the bar on making up for a misstep in service. They would have gotten a 3 star for me, but they got bumped to 4.
I only wish I could have liked the food more, we tried the tapas style and I was mostly unimpressed. Perhaps I should have ordered a regular entree instead?
I took my friends from NYC here... and loved it so much that I came back again.
The sushi is good. The sashimi is better. But sake selection is really great. And the bartender had a smoldering Angelina Jolie thing going on... but with dreads. (smokin')
Add fire pit, and it's really a swank place to bring friends from out of town or go out on a date... but none of the pretense.
Before you know it, you'll be stumbling out of the restaurant buzzed and happy.
This is the perfect spot for a date. The atmosphere is great, the food is great, and the staff is very helpful. The outside patio is great, but you sit around an open fire so it can get a little hot unless you are sitting towards one of the corners although it's perfect for a brisk night.
Bar Hayama has that certain L.A. look but it also has substance. It's not just another pretty face. The food is excellent. That is another reason I recommend it for a date spot. Even the most hard to please date will find something delicious. And if the date isn't going well you can always make them sit right in front of the fire to teach them a lesson.
I've wanted to try this place out for a while as I've passed by a few times.
The food was good, but what I was really impressed by was the service. My dad was craving udon and calamari - the udon is not on their dinner menu, and the calamari isn't on their menu at all. However, the waiter offered to ask the chef if he could make us those dishes, and the chef said yes. That's great customer service!
The calamari was lightly fried and delicious. I think it's one of the better places that I've gotten the plate, which is impressive since they typically don't serve it. I didn't try the udon, but my dad finished the bowl, which is offered during lunch.
We also got the bbq short ribs and caterpillar roll, which were both standard - not bad, but not out of the world. My only complaint during the night is that my caterpillar roll took too long to come out. We were full from all the other food that we were able to finish already by the time we got the plate.
My dad also got the dry house saki which he thought was quite yummy. I didn't have any, but he got tipsy off it.
All and all, I think this place is great. A little pricey, but the service is definitely worth it.
Thanks to
everyone that
attended the Bar Hayama
Sake Tasting Party held here Sat Feb. 28th
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
It was Off The Hook!
The Place was Totally
Jammed and we had a Great Experience here.
And Got Drunk!
Look at all this Sake! Pic=
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We Had 6 Fantastic Sake's with a Special Tasting Menu
The tasting menu was
#1 Canadian Scallop Cerviche
#2 Vietnamese Spring Roll
#3 Cubed Tuna Sashimi with Brie,and a Honey balsamic Walnut Sauce (GOOD!)
#4 Shrimp Dumplings with Burdock (Burdock was Great)
#5 Waygu Beef Tartar (Yummy)
#6 Trio of Nigiri Sushi
This last Dish had the Best Sake Pairing the Syunyozakura
Sake in the Pink bottle
(This Sake was one of the Best I Have ever Had)
Bar Hayama is Really
Nice with a Cool Outdoor Patio Area with Firepit
They had 3 Sake Someliers
here and Representatives from
Japan With Very Fine & Rare Sake's
This is one of the Best Places
In All Of Southern California for Sake
If you missed this Sake Tasting
event there will be another one Coming up!
I Uploaded Pics!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I had high hopes for Bar Hayama, I heard all the hype about the fire pit, the décor, and the food. Everything I experienced there was fantastic, except the food.
Last Saturday night, five of us sat outside under a nice heat lamp, next to the giant fire pit. The ambiance of this place would be hard to top. The fiancée and I ordered a small set of plates to still our hunger; monkfish liver pate, beef tartar, a Philadelphia roll, scallop sashimi, and a potato/lobster croquette. Beside the raw beef, all of it was a big letdown.
I'm a huge fan of ankimo, or any liver for that matter, so I couldn't pass up a chance to try an ankimo pate. What we got was completely devoid of the creamy richness that is monkfish liver. The texture and taste were almost exactly what you'd get from a cheap chicken liver pate. It was a complete waste of a good ingredient.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The beef tartar was the only dish that delivered. It was a very generous portion, served with a raw egg atop the meat, little crustinies on the side, and three small piles of diced tomato, onions and capers on the side. After mixing the raw egg into the raw beef, and taking a bite, I was ready to go on a raw food diet! (ZING!)
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The hotate shashimi was another big letdown. The thin slices were served lukewarm with the abductor muscle still attached. The texture of partially cooked scallops was a huge turn off. I had a hard time eating it all.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
While Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities outside California, the Philly roll here was one of my least favorites. There was an unholy amount of cream cheese slathered on each piece in great disproportion to the salmon. Each bite contained not even a hint that there was any fish in it. So sad.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Last up was something I thought would be impossible to mess up, a potato croquette with lobster and cabbage. Somehow the crispy lump of fried goodness was filled with bland, unidentifiable lumps of food.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
What vexed me the most was when I took the pics, I caught glimmers of pure blue something, inside the croquette! What kind of food item is blue!? It must have been the cabbage, or an unfortunate Muppet.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
While Bar Hayama may be a cool place to chill and drink sake, the food was so lame that I'll never be going back.
This place makes Katsuya taste like Taco Bell. They have a fire pit table and the food is fantastic. Well worth the trip to the Westside across the 10 and 405 freeway.
Always down to try some new sushi.
I met up with a friend today for dinner near his hood and what was supposed to be a trip to Curry House - ended up being Hayama.
The first thing I noticed as we walk on the premises was a huge outdoor firepit with tables all around. Nice decor.
We were seated immediately at the sushi bar and I started ordering my usual fare:
Yellow tail - Fresh. Not spectacular, nothing out of the ordinary, but good. Nicely cut, good construction.
Salmon - I liked the salmon very much! He served it in an interesting way (secret!) and asked that I eat with no soy sauce. Happy to oblige, I could taste a hint of tang, with a nice little sprinkle of sea salt. On top was also a paper thing slice of lemon with a little peel and a sprinkling of sesame seed. Normally I don't like all the fru-fru.... but the different textures, along with the tangy / salty flavors actually complimented each other quite well.
Monkfish Liver - for some reason, I was in the mood for some ankimo. Served sushi style, it came wrapped in nori. Very creamy... I loved it!
Disappointed that they were out of Uni, I ended with some unagi.
The unagi was a good peice of eel, but again... nothing really out of the ordinary.
So summary:
Cool decor. Cool chef. Sushi was comparable to other places and a few peices had a special twist to it that made it unique! Not bad at all...
I'm going against the grain here - this place is whack.
Had dinner here tonight with an old high school friend. Outdoor patio rocks but I wasn't digging the communal style seating, all sitting around the pit makes for strange, unintentional eavesdropping, hot faces (if you sit too close to the fire), and cramped seating. Reminded me of Beachwood with sushi instead of sweet potato fries.
Food was mediocre at best - you don't come here to chow down on the best sushi, you come here to take your hot date (mind you, it was 100% couples..all around that kumbaya pit).
We ordered the cod (tasted like cheese, weird), scallop dynamite (i like creamy but this was WAY too creamy, easy on the mayo boys!), lobster miso soup (delicious but hard to eat, should have figured, had legs and all), garlic clams (not that strong tasting), yellow tuna roll (could have been from mitsuwa), albacore sashimi (not the highest quality) and fried oysters with guac (their saving grace). Even the plum wine tasted like Robitussin. 'Tussin, I say!
If you need a place to take a date and you want to be amongst people (ehem, eHarmonites/Matchers) - go here. If you want mackin' food - take that benjamin you're gonna spend on the two of you elsewhere.
Great place Collin my favorite waiter. Same cost as Chaya Venice but so laid back. Second time and it kicked ass again...
Went to this place last week, it's a nice place very cool patio area. I had two items off the… Read more »
Me and dp [did I ever clarify that this meant dining partner and not raging double penetration? Ok just wanted to be sure] went to Bar Hayama last night and I think I found another place to add to my hoe-tation. The place is was awkwardly cute. Like date cute. Like romantic cute.
We've actually been on a winning streak with restaurants [totally cuz I have uber good taste and intuition] and Bar Hayama was no exception. Reservations were easy by phone AND I realized they are on OpenTable [rack up those points yo]. We got a table for 8:30 Monday and I made sure we got seats at the fire pit. Yes it's totally scene of me but whatevs. It was misting earlier and I thought my plans were ruined but luckily jesus loves me and made it stop.
The fire pit is awesome! I wonder if they have any freak accidents. I mean, a slightly heavier wind, a lone flame, flammable hair and it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Anyway, even though the fire pit is 'communal', I didn't feel crowded or invaded. Each party seemed to be in their own little world [aww.gag]
We decided to order a sushi platter and a couple of tapas to start.
The Hayama Sushi Platter consisted of tuna, yellowtail, salmon, red snapper, shrimp, king crab, albacore, ikura, unagi, spicy tuna & cal roll. And it came with miso soup and sunomono. I'm fairly certain that they substituted the king crab with something else but ehh. It was plentiful and the fish was yummy.
Off the tapas menu we got:
Lobster Dynamite: This was the first thing to come out and it set the bar ridiculously high. Made with "shiitake oyster and french mushrooms with mayonnaise sauce o'gratin" the dish was briming with lobster. The sauce was light but had a spicy aftertaste. Get. This. Now. Trust me. I will naked tango with you if you decide you hate it.
Spicy Tuna on fried rice: Ehh. This was ok. The people next to us got two freakin orders. I mean, really? It was kinda tasteless :-/
Stuffed Shiitake mushrooms with clam and shrimp: This sounds good in theory right? Wrong. The clam and shrimp mixture tasted like ground pork which would have been totally fine if it was ground pork. Next.
Sauteed Garlic Shrimp: it's our fault we let this get cold but this was pretty tasty. They took off half the shell for you so it was easy to peel. The juices in the head was so good. [no jokes please.]
I personally thought it was just the right amount of food. I think if I wanted to be an impulsive fattie, I could have gotten one more dish like get the lobster again but we decided against it.
Total bill + tip was just under 90. It may be a bit steep for what we ordered but it's been agreed. Next time we're just getting 10 lobster dynamites. Word to your mother.
Love the fireplace and enjoy the food. I would say it is a very good date place and especially good if you're first trying izkaya.
For starters, how can you say "no" to sake flights?! Over and over again, I mean how can you not at least attempt to drink every sake flight on the menu? They're delicious and make the food that much better.
I like the dynamites here, they're not overly mayonaissy and pretty flavorful, but very rich, I think that they sneak some booze into this dish too. The mushrooms that they use are pretty tasty. The fried tuna balls are pretty good too, and I generally stay away from those kinds of dishes. the meatballs also good. Everything that the waitstaff recommends is pretty good, so that's the way I usually end up going. Beef tartar very good.
The place confirmed my only rule. Never order sushi or sashimi at a izkaya spot (unless its ikko). Very disappointing, cold and bland fish. The marinated sashimi dishes aren't bad though, so don't let that try to steer you into ordering sashimi like it did me.
Fan of the place, miss the old sasabune before it went south both literally and metaphorically.
Not open until like 5 or 6. brought the kid once and they were accomodating. noticed that we weren't the only one. of course, this was right at 5 or 6, whenever it opened. i wouldn't normally call it kid friendly.
This place is pretty decent, it has a very nice outdoor fireplace bar, as many other Yelpers have pointed out, and dining indoors is equally pleasant.
I've been here twice, the first time had mostly hot small dishes, some were better than others, but all mostly good, except the fried chicken, which tasted like it was coated in flour (which did not cook fully) and no other spices.
The second time, we had sushi- which was pretty good, a respectable 3 stars, but nothing memorable. My only disappointment was the tuna tartar on crispy rice, plating was awkward with giant, phallic, orange medicinal tasting radish sticking straight up and huge slice of jalapeno.
Buzzy, fun sushi bar can be romantic especially by the open outside fire pit (but doesn't have to be) . Friendly service. Good sushi but need to stick to the more traditional as they like to Americanize some of it with mayo :( so be warned! The rest is very good as is the sashimi and good sakes too!
Overall I would go back again for both the ambiance and the food!
nasty sushi rice. It was too sweet. The combo was 21$ and came with shrimp, albacore, tuna, salmon, ikura, yellowtail, unagi, 3 spicy tuna and cali cut rolls, king crab...
the tuna tartare it was very un fresh and of craptacular quality. And the beef carpaccio was watevers, not great. And the crabcake was nothing special. . .summary: nothing special for high prices.
By recommendation we decided to try this place out. Driving by...from the outside...it seemed questionable, but we headed in anyways. It's located in a residential-ish area. We've been big sushi fans lately, so why not!
Good thing we did as the set up was pretty nice. There's a large fire pit surrounded by a black granite bar-seating, neato!
The sashimi was of good quality and service was up there as well.
We ordered:
Hamachi sashimi - yum
Toro - expensive but yumx2, melt-in-your-mouth
California roll - I think they used real crabmeat and not the imitation stuff!
Hayama Crunch roll - good contrast in texture, good roll
Spicy Tuna roll - decent but not great, it wasn't even spicy!
Soft Shell Crab roll - good but hard to fit one piece in your mouth, it's big!
Garlic Edamame - typical
Potato Cigars - Interesting appetizer with mashed potatoes rolled up in a thin skin and fried.
Good date place! =D
I got to come here again but this time with the boyfriend! This place was still wonderful! The boyfriend and I decided to go on a date since that's something we haven't done for a loooooooooong time! So where else better to go to get good sushi and have a romantic atmosphere?! Bar Hayama!
We started off with
Calamari - You can pass on this, nothing too special about it
Mashed Potatoes Cigars - Still yummy and still so creamy!
Organic Beef Tartar - This i must say is the best! I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out so well!
Sashimi
Hamachi - mmmmmmmmm totally delicious and melts in your mouth yummy!
Tasmanian Salmon - This was good and we got it by recommendation since they ran out of toro! This was a great choice because like the hamachi, this really had that melt in your mouth feeling and it tasted so fresh!
Roll
Hayama Crunch Roll - Again, wasn't too wonderful, the spicy tuna wasn't too spicy
Shrimp Tempura Roll - Good but not WOW good
Sake
Both the boyfriend and I decided to do the Muse sake sampler. It came with one rich and savory, one aromatic and dainty and one crisp and clean. Honestly, I don't think we are both sake people because it was a little too strong on the alcohol side for us. I think we are more of the SAKE BOMB SAKE BOMB SAKE BOMB type!
The service was great! The staff was very attentive! Our waiter even gave us complimentary lychee sake! That was pretty good! Our bill did come out to a great grand total of $110 before tip! That's one thing you do gotta be careful of when going to Japanese restaurants! But here, I would say it was worth it! This place is more of a splurge!
As my cousins and I are driving down the street to get here, we thought we were going the wrong way… Read more »
Great place for a date and would definitely come again
Ambience- 5 stars. Soooo romantic. There's a large fire pit in the garden that's so nice to sit around under the stars on a cold night. Plenty of room too.
Food- 3 stars. Sashimi was excellent, but sushi was so-so. I've definitely had better at half the cost.
Service- 4 stars. Waitstaff was very attentive, but im not a fan of staff who can't say the names of the menu items properly. Call me a snob, but i think it's important.
Not the best place to go if you're on a budget, but if you want to impress a date definitely bring her (or him) here!
This elegantly decorated sushi bar is tucked away in the corner of a residential neighborhood. We came here on a Monday night, and was amazed by the outdoor fire pit (!) patio seating. There was no excessive loud music so I was able to have a good conversation with friends. Note: suitable for a nice date.
We noticed most of our fellow fire pit patio diners were there before we were seated and were still there when we left, sake was to be had, so they were probably going to have a nice evening afterward.
Anyways. Sushi! The Hayama sushi set was really good. For the price the quality was really great, the salmon melted in my mouth and even the california rolls were made of out *real* crab! Had the crispy rice spicy tuna appetizer, which was bite-sized and delicious.
And to wash all the sushi noms, they had an excellent sake menu. We had a carafe of Hakkaisan, which my friend recommended. I also overheard the waitresses later recommend it as well. Like what my friend said, like crisp refreshing water. Smooth. It's like the real meaning of a Sierra Mist commercial.
So yeah, I'm glad I found this gem of a sushi bar. :)
Driving down Sawtelle Blvd as frequently as I do I've noticed this restaurant on several occasions and have always been Curious. From the outside it looks pretty simple but secluded since is a a bit fare from where all of the other shops are.
Once inside I was pleasantly surprised of the romantic yet modern Japaneses inspired architecture with large fire pit surrounded by black granite tabletop bar seating as the focal point. The first time I sat there I felt that the heat from the pit was a little too much for me to handle. But there are individual tables inside as well as outside. The table I like best is one inside that over looks the outside through French doors.
This a great place to bring a date to. Prices are not outrageous but defiantly not cheap. I would suggest to stay away from PEPPER STEAK FILET-MIGNON which is quite overpriced. There was barely any meat and it was bland and dry.
MY YUMMY LIST:
CALAMARI, ASPARAGUS AND TOMATO SALAD
POACHED SALMON
MARINATED CHILEAN SEA BASS
LOBSTER DYNAMITE
POPCORN SHRIMP
SHRIMP CIGAR
BANG 4THE BUCK:
HANA LYCHEE or RASPBERRY bottle $20
(The bottle is the same size as a wine bottle versus a traditional sake as well as tastes more like a Riesling)
All Drinks Half Price Thu. &…
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Happy Hour and Tapas Menu
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
Category: Sushi Bars
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Japanese
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![lychee sake! $20 [photos courtesy of jules]](http://static4.px.yelp.com/bphoto/IwRvXo0UpOrEP-ZCXg6NBw/xss){kind=small}
