Kinme Restaurant Opens in Bankers Hill With Omakase Japanese Kaiseki Dinners | Eater San Diego

"On the corner of 5th and Laurel in Bankers Hill, I discovered a new kaiseki stage created by Azuki Sushi owner Shihomi Borillo in the former Hachi Ramen space: an elegant, transportive 10-seat restaurant that requires reservations and offers two seatings nightly (5 p.m. and 8 p.m.) Wednesday through Sunday. In its hushed open kitchen, a 10-course, $175 dinner is prepared and presented by executive sushi chef/partner Nao Ichimura of Azuki Sushi, leading a trio of chefs including chef de cuisine Kevin Alvarado, in a thoughtfully choreographed progression showcasing pristine seafood from Tokyo’s Toyosu wholesale fish market alongside seasonal Southern California ingredients. The meal mixes raw and cooked items—from sashimi barely seared over binchotan charcoal to a simmered course and a soup—and closes the savory portion with grilled slices of ultra-rich Miyazaki A5 wagyu. Opening courses include an oyster topped with caviar and blood orange pearls, white asparagus served with miso from local fermenter West Coast Koji, and a custardy chawanmushi with morels and Dungeness crab; sashimi and nigiri will change almost daily and the whole menu shifts monthly. Beverage pairings are tailored from select sake, natural wine, and Japanese whisky, and every meal ends with traditional matcha service." - Candice Woo