Healthy and Delicious Dining at Kiyokawa
Kiyokawa
Natural & Organic Japanese Restaurant
265 S. Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 598-1587
The din of the automobile traffic was just dying down on Robertson Boulevard when I stopped my car in front of the glass door. An inconspicuous sign nonetheless drew my eye strangely to the words, Natural & Organic. In these times in Beverly Hills, this kind of restaurant touting Japanese food is rare. I had high expectations, but at the same time, somehow, thoughts of hospital cafeteria food plagued me as I made my way through the doors.
Just as I saw the chef at the counter, who seemed to be enjoying conversation with the customers as he served them, a hot blaze of flames shot up to obscure him. While the foot traffic of customers was still slight, the restaurant was bursting with activity. The culinary powerhouse behind the operation is Kiyokawa Satoshi, 32 years old.
On the board with the daily specials, there was Live Sweet Shrimp, Blue Fin Super Toro and King Crab, a luxurious array of items that instantly dissipated the small indecisiveness I had felt a moment before. Until he was 21, Kiyokawa trained in Japan. After that, he worked at the related Bishamonten in San Dimas. At 30, he decided to go on his own and had the strong-willed determination to open Kiyokawa, which he did in May of 2005. His words give one a good feeling since they humbly credit the people who have supported him all along as he began his rise.
When I mentioned that I was there specially for a sake tasting dinner, he cocked his head and recommended the Chef’s Selection $120 Omakase Course. Besides this, there are $50 and $80 Omakase Courses.
Dish 1: (Appetizer) Matsuba Crab and Okura in Dashi Jelly. This is a cool and soothing appetizer that one cannot do without in the hot summer season. The luxurious Matsuba crab is combined with the simple okra, which is common in many dishes and, with the jelly, altogether it makes for an elegant dish. The full heaping portion also serves as a welcome appetizer for the meal to follow.
Best pairing: Tokubetsu Honjozo “Tsukiyo”
Next best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Mune no Uchi”
Dish 2: (Second course, five items)
1) Spinach with Black Sesame Seed Sauce
This dish, made with black sesame seeds, is called “yogoshi” (“dirty”). If white sesame seeds are substituted for the black, it is called, “goma-ae.” In a playful spirit, ancestral Japanese dubbed this dish with that name and because of that, one feels that although it is a simple dish, it has a depth and elegance that makes it more than just the staple that it is.
Best pairing: Junmai Genshu “Akita Issui”
Next best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Mune no Uchi”
2) Stripped Mountain Yam in Dashi Broth
Delicate, thin strips of mountain yam are beautifully arrayed in a glass container the color of young grass. It is a wonderful thrill to have mountain yam noodles slip down the throat. This exquisite dish is so delicious, one doesn’t want a single drop to be wasted.
Best pairing: Ginjo “Akita Toji”
Next best pairing: Tokubetsu Honjozo “Tsukiyo”
3) New Zealand Red Sea Bream Flavored with Konbu On a bed of konbu seaweed, lie two fillet of sea bream. The portion is small, but it leaves one impressed with the dignity of the sea bream as one eats it.
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”
Next best pairing: Junmai Daiginjo “Kimura”
4) Braised Ankimo (Monk Fish Liver Pate) A mellow and sweet liver pate of soft ankimo monk fish seems to melt in the mouth.
Best pairing: Daiginjo Genshu “Bissuikan”
Next best pairing: Junmai Genshu “Akita Issui”
5) Kinpira Gobo Subtle flavor and delicate. The kinpira has a beautiful yellowish brown color.
Best pairing: Ginjo “Akita Toji”
Next best pairing: Junmai Daiginjo “Kimura”
Dish 3: Sashimi (three items) Sweet shrimp, hamachi yellowtail imported from Japan and samma mackerel. Placed on top of ice, the freshness sparkles, a treat for the eye of the delicacies of sweet shrimp and hamachi yellowtail. Fresh wasabi is prepared for a luxurious extra. The sweet shrimp is luscious and the hamachi is mild with a nice amount of fat, while the early season samma mackerel is spicy, so each have their own rich flavors and feeling on the palate.
Sweet Shrimp Hamachi Samma
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi” Tokubetsu Junmai “Mune no Uchi”, Ginjo “Akita Toji”
Next best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”
Dish 4: Three items lightly grilled
Otoro fatty tuna, samma mackerel entrails and matsutake mushrooms. The otoro seems to melt in the mouth, reminding one of shimo-furi style lightly grilled Kobe beef. Then the samma entrails are served. The samma entrails are not bitter, but have just the right spice that even have a sweetness in this chic dish. The seasonal matsutake mushrooms from Mexico have the aroma of the autumn. A charcoal brazier on the table allows one to “cook to taste,” perfect for an enjoyable sake tasting.
Dai-Toro Samma Matsutake
Best pairing: Daiginjo Genshu “Bissuikan” Daiginjo Genshu “Bissuikan” Daiginjo Genshu “Bissuikan”
Next best pairing: Ginjo “Akita Toji”, Junmai Genshu “Akita Issui”, Junmai Genshu “Akita Issui”
Dish 5: Bowl dish Renkon Manju Lotus Dumpling. Crisp lotus root is paired with fluffy light manju dumpling, the high quality lotus wrapped carefully in the dumpling to bring out all of its flavor.
Best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Mune no Uchi”
Next best pairing: Tokubetsu Honjozo “Tsukiyo”
Dish 6: Steamed dish
Taro yam, daikon radish and snow peas. In order to prevent the loss of any of its sweetness, the skin of the taro yam is just roughly shaved on the outside. The flavor of the piping hot taro yam is to be savored. The daikon radish is mild after a thorough drenching in high quality dashi broth and the snow peas have a degree of freshness of 120%. Packed with natural goodness.
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”
Next best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Mune no Uchi”
Dish 7: Deep fried dish
Tempura of Sweet Shrimp Head, Myoga (Ginger Bud) and Gobo Burdock Root. Yuzu citron salt and matcha tea salt are used as garnishments to double the pleasure of this tempura. The elegant flavor of the myoga and the earthy freshness of the gobo are joined in this natural tempura. The gobo has the sensation of chips and could probably just be snacked on.
Myoga Gobo
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”, Ginjo “Akita Toji”
Dish 8: Rolled Egg Omelet. Real bonito dashi broth is used to make this authentic rolled egg omelet. It is fluffy and warms the spirit.
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”
Next best pairing: Junmai Daiginjo “Kimura”
Dish 9: Vegetable Sushi with Genmai Unpolished Rice and Anago Eel Sushi. A round, wood-grained bowl has white rice placed in it and on top are piled darling looking miniature vegetables to make vegetable sushi with genmai unpolished rice. Asparagus and okra match the genmai rice well. It was explained that the genmai rice is tender and without an unpleasant feeling due to having been prepared with yogurt. Thick slices of cucumber have artful carving in their surface and have been pickled to be packed with spiciness and consistent with the course. After having my palate cleansed with the kanpyo gourd wrap, I indulged myself with a heaping portion of anago eel. Also satisfying was the feeling one got from the high quality shoga ginger which was handmade.
Asparagus Okra Cucumber
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”, Junmai Daiginjo “Kimura, Junmai Daiginjo “Kimura”
Next best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Mune no Uchi”, Tokubetsu Honjozo “Tsukiyo” Daiginjo Genshu “Bissuikan”
Kanpyo Wrap Anago
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”, Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”
Next best pairing: Ginjo “Akita Toji”
Dish 10: Chawanmushi Egg Custard Steamed in a Teacup. Steamed carefully with real bonito broth is this chawanmushi egg custard in a teacup. As if to highlight the dignity of the dish, there are no other items in it. Below the luster of the surface is an exquisite smoothness.
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fuku Komachi”
Next best pairing: Tokubetsu Honjozo “Tsukiyo”
Dish 11: Matcha Tea Tiramisu. This seems to be the only item not made by the hand of Kiyokawa, but comes from the patisserie of one of his friends. Putting one’s spoon into the fluffy light mascarpone cheese, matcha sponge cake appears containing small granules of the tea. It is a satisfying conclusion to all the courses that came before.
It was in the middle of the week on a Wednesday, but by 8:00 pm the restaurant was full. Including Kiyokawa, there were people taking care of the kitchen. Despite the brisk activity, the expression on Kiyokawa’s face was relaxed and “Natural.” While enjoying the interaction with old customers smiling at the counter, on the other hand, he would direct things in the kitchen in a suitable way with a perfect display of relay motion. There was a group of customers celebrating a birthday and candle service was provided smoothly, making for a warm atmosphere within the restaurant. The speed of the dishes served matched my sake tasting, so the meal proceeded with good timing. Because of that, from first to last the luxurious meal could be enjoyed naturally.
Dish after dish, the enthusiasm and sincerity of Kiyokawa’s food came across. No effort is spared and the energy never flags. Every day, he goes to the fish market and organic market to personally pick up his ingredients carefully. He single-mindedly aims to make people pleased with his food and earnestly devotes himself to its preparation. It goes without saying that the hurdles to acquiring the ingredients are great, but starting with the soy sauce, all of the basic ingredients are used by Kiyokawa to demonstrate his skill. The wasabi that he uses does not contain additives, either. The gari ginger is soaked in hot water to make for a mellow taste. It is also necessary to be conscious of the quality and naturalness and the high price of the ingredients. Kiyokawa devotes tremendous energy to ensuring that his Omakase Courses delight his customers.
Kiyokawa’s spirit is dedicated to Natural and Organic food that starts at reasonable prices and can reach the stratosphere ($$$$), but all come with Kiyokawa’s brand of guarantee. Everyone always comes for that same thing, the chic and authentic Kiyokawa brand that is permeated with things that many people feel a kinship with and extol him for.
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