Is anyone able to tell me how Ki compares to Kinn? I liked but didn’t love Kinn, but I’m tempted to give Chef Ki another chance to see what he’s doing after working under Jordan Kahn for a bit and now presumably having more resources (and less diners to serve) at his disposal.
On the one hand the food is similar as it is the same chef. On the other it is much different in that he is aiming higher, smaller portions with many more courses. Small serene space with more of a Japanese sushi counter feel. The food is intricate and thoughtfully composed. If you liked Kinn I think you will like Ki and depending on the way you like to eat you might love it.
For what it is worth he has worked at so many great restaurants Benu / Atomix / Jungskik / Blanca etc. I don’t think a few months working at Meteora really changed his cooking.
Hope that helps!
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Hit Baroo again last night. Same menu as last time with a few add on dishes they prepared for us. Stunning as usual!
Anajak tonight with a great crew! Been along week so can’t wait!!!
And tomorrow Alto.
he worked at meteora for quite awhile - almost a full year. Probably his longest stint in fine dining, especially since he was the CDC at Meteora it was a lot more training for what prepared him for Ki.
he told me that working under Jordan Kahn @ Meteora changed the way he approached cooking and professionalism in the kitchen.
You can see the transformation of his cooking at Kinn then Ki post Meteora. Even when he was doing a elongated menu for us at Kinn none of the dishes had the detail of the food he has now.
Ki is significantly more refined and precise than Kinn was. Very different experiences.
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Alright westsiders, here’s a restaurant for you
Kojima on Sawtelle
Located above the Daiso is a hidden omakase. 12-14 courses, $200. Chef just moved to america a few months ago, speaks very little english. But he has able helpers to help interpret.
We don’t really have anything like this in Los Angeles. It’s ultra elevated Izikaya put into a tasting menu format. You are meant to spend time drinking and chatting with your friends in between bites.
The real special part of this restaurant is the constant changing of dishes. He changes a couple courses daily but does an almost full menu change almost on a weekly basis.
Between yesterday and last month, we only had one dish duplicate, which is his signature dish, grilled chicken hearts.
Caveat: he uses Astrea Caviar occasionally.
They went off menu for a few of the dishes as well as the order. Pics below are the order everything was served.
Female Hokkaido snow crab with Tosazu Jelly & Persimmon
Generous amount of roe - full of savory bursts of deliciousness.
Fried Taro simmered in borth topped with Cod Milt
incredible. I want this to cum more often. lethal combo that worked fantastic together.
Sea Bream
simple prep, lightly salted, herbs, perfect couple bites
caviar and toast
Big dallop of kaluga caviar, baguette, butter. Simple and one of my favorite ways to eat caviar.
Monkfish liver “kojima style”
served with a mixture of his own balsamic vinegar concoction. Sweet and acid driven sauce helps cut the rich monkfish.
Grilled chicken heart
The best chicken heart ever continues being the best china heart ever. We ordered a second serving ($6 more)
Grilled chicken heart
The best chicken heart ever continues being the best china heart ever. We ordered a second serving ($6 more)
simmered eggplant with Myoga & Shiso in dried sardine broth
Sharpness of the myoga contrasts the savoriness of the eggplant and sardine broth, excellent bit
white tilefish and leek in dashi
huge tile fish fillet, ultra tender with a balanced and ethereal dashi.
grilled eel with leeks
umami laden with the rich shoyu he covers the eel in.
Tempura of spiny lobster and snap pea
ffffffffff so good.
miso soup
warming soup - had two
Chef Hayato joining us for wine.
**hokkaido salmon roe with rice **
Tuna don
Kajiya beef hamburger with brocolini
cooked rare with a hard sear. Sweet umami from the marinade and beefy chew on the meat. So good we had it prepared to ways (additional $38)
Kajiya beef Hamburger with salad
Kudzu “somen”
chewy with a strong bite, filled with herbs and an aromatic dashi. incredible end to the savory ($12 extra)
Whole Plum
Cheesecake
Top tier night hanging with good friends, enjoying amazing wines and eating amazing food. Mimi led the conversation between us and the chef. Chef Hayato joined us for plenty of wine and laughs as the night went on and he was finishing up the dishes . His english is getting better but still a little shy. Him and my friend Aaron serenaded each other during the end of the evening.
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It seemed shorter than a year. Interesting that he said that. I have eaten at all of the restaurants he has worked at and most of them several times and I would not say that his food is similar to Jordan’s. I would say Atomix. That is not to say that he did not learn how to be a better Chef.
Your take on Ki is consistent with mine.
it’s not about similarities in flavor, it’s about the work in the kitchen and the focus on the craft changed. His effort and understanding in the kitchen improved significantly.
You grow way more as a CDC of a restaurant than as a line cook / stage.
Lol, once got served shirako blind at Go’s Mart. Unsure why I was able to call it never having had it before 
Familiar flavors 
Lmao, it was delicious ngl
Hit two new spots:
Komal - two chefs that worked at Holbox opened up across from them. I thought it was very good. The Flautas were excellent and our favorite along with the Mole and Tortillas. I wished I had brought some riesling!
For dinner we hit Alto. Overall excellent. The Turbot was excellent. You need to order it three days in advance. The hospitality was great. The wine list was a bit hard for me but they are very corkage friendly ($35). We brought three bottles and bought one a Phelan Farms red which was excellent and paired wonderfully with the food. Given the seriousness of the food and price point I was surprised at how big the place is given how LA is struggling. We had an early resy (5:45) and by the time we left around 8 the placed was absolutely packed inside, bar, outside. I look forward to going back.
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Good to know! We have reservations at Alto one day after Sober October ends and I Can’t Remember November begins.
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My wife and I moved to LA a couple months ago and have started making a dent in the food scene, with lots of guidance from this forum…
We had an incredible meal at Firstborn last night. We went with a big group so ordered most of the menu, and there wasn’t a bad bite. Highlights were the corn congee, egg custard, duck sausage, fried chicken, salt and pepper squid, and BBQ cabbage. We brought some champagne and Riesling to enjoy with the food. We will be back soon!
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Finally hit Cannonball last weekend. Lovely spot. Fantastic hospitality. Perfect Sunday night with chicken, fries, celery salad and a beautiful bottle of Burgundy. It was absolutely packed on a Sunday night which was great to see.
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Tried Super Peach, and I think it’ll be a welcome addition to the west side. Not sure how it’ll fare at the location but I hope it succeeds. The tallow fried sweet potatoes were the highlight for me.
Did you get the shrimp starter? To me, that was divine in its simplicity.
Just got back from our 4 night trip to LA. We did all the dining with our 7-months old daughter. Here’s my quick impression:
Republique: This was a fantastic experience! Excellent food, very friendly staff, surprisingly reasonably priced and quite deep wine list. I’d go back in a heartbeat!
Majordomo: We’ve been a few times now and the food is still very good. The wine list isn’t close to what it used to be, though, and my wife had a somewhat poor experience with the somm, who completely ignored her existence (other than pouring her a glass)…
Anajak Thai: The food is as good as ever and it’s nice to see that they were able to expand the place. Wine list is still great but perhaps slightly pricier than in the past. The whole experience was a lot less memorable than the first couple of times, though. It felt very rushed (both ordering and pacing of dishes) and they didn’t have a single dessert item on the menu (I get that mango is out of season, but what?!) We were in-and-out in about 75 minutes. This used to be our one must-go-to place when in LA and I would still love go back, but maybe no longer a must.
Roberta’s: Hit this for a quick lunch on our way to LAX, mostly due to proximity. Great pizza and nice little area to stroll around (wish we had more time). Highly recommended! We also went to L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Hollywood with a bigger group for dinner (which was also good), but the pizza at Roberta’s was superior…
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Seems like a one off since I have been three times since Anajak reopened and each has been a lovely, leisurely paced evening. We were there opening night and Justin gave us the full tour and spent a lot of time with us. I was just there last week and one of our guests was very late so we keep a table for 6 from 6 until 10 clock with no stress.
This one was worth the wait. I’ll be going soon.
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Went to the new Monsieur Dior restaurant by Dominque Crenn. Really good. Very surprised how elegant and clean the food was. Excellent lunch spot imo