LA’s Best New Restaurants Of 2021
"What was once an obscure, pandemic-era chirashi pop-up is now thriving as a half-Thai, half-Japanese fine dining experience in Virgil Village. It’s a place that’s so special, you’ll feel the urge to book it for every anniversary, graduation, and random celebration you can think of. All the gauche rituals restaurants usually perform—taking orders, forcing you to pay at the end of the night—are handled beforehand through an online reservation system. There are three distinct dining options here, ranging from sashimi to-go boxes, to a full-blown sushi omakase, but the creme de la creme, Kinkan’s magnum opus, is the Homage to Grandmother. It’s a ten-course set meal described as “Japanese-inspired, Thai reflected” and involves a mind-melding mix of seared fish shaped into roses, crab curry served two ways, and teacups filled with ikura. It’s a restaurant reimagined, a lovely experience that feels more like an intimate night with friends than a transaction between human and business." - brant cox, kat hong, arden shore
