Dinner at Hakobe, Beverly Hills
Posted on Aug 20, 2009 under Archives | No Comment
Hakobe restaurant
Last night my friend Dalbert and I travelled over the hill to the new Hakobe restaurant on restaurant row (La Cienega) just east of Wilshire. Residing in the old Lodge Steakhouse, the new Japanese eatery looks the same (tables made from trees remain) with an addition of a sushi bar. The seating is divided into two sections, a busier indoor with the sushi bar and a nice adjacent area with intimate booths.
sushi bar
We were greeted by owner Asako Batten, who was dressed in a full komono. She looked lovely – Batten is a former model and owner of Asuki, a very succesful restaurant in Osaka – but was shy so we couldn’t snap a pic. The extensive Asian fusion menu included many fish, meat, and of course sushi and rolls to choose from. The bar menu is fantastic, so even just making a visit for a drink and sushi at the sushi bar is worth a visit. Here is what we sampled:
Dalbert, with dirty geisha
Dalbert had the dirty geisha (really good with a strong punch) and I had the raspberry mojito. Both very good.
raspberry mojito
Our waitress recommended the almond crusted shrimp tempura with lemon and salt. We were glad we got to sample it – shrimp covered with a thick crunchy almond coating.
almond crusted shrimp
We both were craving sushi when we arrived, so the chef provided a sample platter of sushi and then a very spicy salmon cut roll with fresh salsa on top. All of it was delicious.
Sushi
spicy roll with fresh salsa
We stopped by the sushi bar to say hello to the chef.
Sushi chef
Next came our entrees, I had the wagyu beef with came with a peppercorn and truffle sauce. Dalbert opted for the salmon with sweet wine sauce. Both were cooked perfectly and included a pretty arrangement of colorful fresh vegetables.
salmon with sweet wine
Wagyu with truffle sauce
For dessert, we both love mochi so we ordered a mochi sampler which came with Kona coffee mochi (our fave of the three), strawberry and green tea. It came with a tasty blood orange.
yummy mochi
The entire dinner was beautifully plated and delicious, definitely worth a trip over the hill either for sushi and sake at the bar or for entrees.
Hakobe Restaurant
14 N. La Cienega Blvd., 310/652-0007