A Celebrated Tokyo Restaurant Opens Asakura, a High-End Kaiseki Destination in LA | Eater LA
"A near-hidden strip-mall kaiseki counter that opened in the former Yamakase space on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles on February 6, 2025, from Tokyo chef Makoto Okamoto, offering a multi-course tasting experience at the counter or at a few tables with most of the former restaurant’s wood block–themed decor essentially held over. Named after the Japanese word for hemp, the restaurant will be helmed by Takumi Nakamura, who “worked at La Bombance with Okamoto for eight years before relocating to Los Angeles,” and Nakamura and his sous chef work quietly and quickly to plate the courses; Okamoto will drop by every few months. The meal format emphasizes composed, multi-faceted dishes (fewer courses than a sushi omakase) and sources produce from the Santa Monica farmers market so ingredients are at their peak, while cooking techniques are “rooted in Japanese traditions.” Meal sets begin with a luxurious duet: steamed spinach topped with snow crab and julienned pickled daikon next to a fatty chunk of wagyu crowned with uni, then dusted with black truffle shavings; that’s followed by a nugget of cooked Japanese eggplant covered with more uni and ginger gelée. A woven basket course presents six bites: bluefin tuna nigiri; Japanese white strawberry slices with a soft brie cheese; a white bean soup; more tuna sashimi; and surf clam with sliced steamed greens. Later courses include lobster chawanmushi with shaved truffle, yellowtail soup with daikon radish with shredded aromatics, homemade tofu with ground sesame seeds, seared ground wagyu tartare over brioche, and smoked caviar over cold noodles. Across the board, expect luxury ingredients arranged in artistic, detailed forms; service is personalized and warm and the meal moves relatively swiftly in just under two hours. The chef says he aspires for the team and diners to “feel a sense of purpose and pride.” The restaurant offers a shorter six-course tasting for $200 and a longer eight-course dinner for $300; it is open Tuesday through Saturday, reservations are available on Tock, and times may be adjusted in the coming weeks (check the website for updates). Time Out Los Angeles has already given the place a four-star review, describing the approach as a more “native Japanese chef’s interpretation of modern kaiseki.”" - Matthew Kang
