Just came back from a kaiseki dinner at Hamasushi, on Stevens Creek between De Anza and Wolfe in Cupertino. Very pleased at the quality. They offer kaiseki starting at $50 per head. When I made the reservation, I gave a limit of $90. The meal started with a glass with jello and shrimp at the bottom. Second course was a combination of abalone in shell cooked with miso paste, shrimp with a bit of caviar, small pieces of duck and some fish paste. Third course was suimono, clear soup with veggies and a fish/shrimp ball. Sashimi combination included three buttery pieces of toro. Wafu beef wasn't beef from Japan, probably; tasted like teriyaki beef though quality was pretty good. Other courses included a sticky rice ball wrapped in sakura leave with some fish called "amada," standard tempura though batter was better than most places, rice with salmon, eel, salmon egg on top cooked kamameshi style (complete with pot), and small bits of fruits at the end. Much better than kaiseki at Kitahama I had a few years back. And overall bang-for-the-bucks higher than Fuki Sushi. Huge tatami room, nice atmosphere. I kept thinking how much something at this level would cost back in Asia--under $100? No way. And I didn't have to pay. That's the nicest part. ;P Tried Sanraku at Sony Metreon yesterday. Not bad but nothing outstanding enough for me to go back. I asked for fresh wasabi but the Cantonese chef didn't know what I was talking about. A Japanese chef finally gave me what I wanted, you know the secret stuff they don't usually give out. The $25 sashimi dinner didn't have hamachi, which looked quite enticing inside the fridge. I was pleasantly surprised they had Bishonen for sake, one of my top favorites (only $7.50 per masu). Vincent Lo [email removed]
San Francisco Bay Area, CA