Open fireplace - A favorite among Hayama regulars
Welcome to my world - Bar Hayama on Sawtelle Blvd
The food is classic Californian-Japanese with all the funky American rolls and a never ending range of sakes and wines. Hey, you have to enjoy your sashimi and drink like a fish here you know. T’s been in this business for ages and the food is already renowned but the fireplace in Bar Hayama right in the heart of the restaurant has won numerous rave reviews even among the critics in L.A. It was a bold, unique, statement-making feature – something no diner can miss while entering the restaurant. On a cool autumn night, this is definitely the place to cuddle up with friends or loved ones. During my brief stay in L.A it’s easy to spot couples on their first dates. Hey, I think this is a definitely a place you want to be on a first date and hands-down THE place to impress your date. Yummy food, a nice place and ambience for the evening is a fail-proof way to help to set any guy up for a good conversation with the gal of their dream.
T is known among the L.A food circle. He’s been in L.A for ages and he caters to many of the stars, celebrities, producers and sports personalities counted among his regulars. One of my nights there, I met a UCLA professor whose dad invented bar coding technology (that means he’s super wealthy!) and when Shaq was a Lakers several years back, he gave one of his autographed giantic sneakers (size 28 or soemthing) to T and till today I still see it on the wall of the restuarant. So cool! I’m starting to remember some of the stories and gossips the old kitchen staff and chefs used to tell us. Haha. Sure brings back memory!
The fireplace by day
The main entrance. Come on in!
As much as everything was prefect in Bar Hayama, I admit I still miss the old days at Hama. I truly enjoyed my time there. The people, the customers, the food, the music, that’s what dining out is all about. The crew here are no longer the same people. I still wonder where they are now. I asked T about it and the few he still keeps in contact are everywhere now. It’ll be so nice to see them again I thought. We had such great times together. Even the people running the office are no longer here. Now we have a totally different gang in place. For me, someone who’s been here before, I just wish I can have some old friends to drink with me now. The only guys I know that are still around are just T, C and Y. Meeting Y again after all these years is quite a highlight of my visit this time, he has not change a bit, his warm smile and glorious shiny white hair, exuberates his “zeness” as the master of the Hayama’s kitchen. Besides C and me, he’s the guy who’s been around T the longest. And it’s soooo cool of him to even remember J and I after all these years. Simply quite amazing, Y, you are definitely the coolest!
With all of T’s connections, Bar Hayama also runs a sushi bar at the Intercontinental hotel where I’m putting up during my visit in L.A. Lots of the Hollywood industry people hang out here if you read my earlier post. For the good the restaurant and T has done for Japanese food in America and what this place meant to all its diners (on their first date), it deserves an award. So it comes as no surprise Hayama was voted a top L.A restaurant to visit by Los Angeles Magazine and rated on the prestigious Michelle Guide L.A.
All good conversations start here by the sake bar
So yes I am here finally. It’s almost almost surreal. A phone call from T 3 years ago was all it took for T to convince me this will be a winner and it truly is. I’m proud of what’s happening here. I’m just happy after numerous invitations and attempts to visit later, I made it here.
It sure took me awhile to finally be here to see and experience all these again but still better late then never. My 18-hour flight sounds faint in comparison to my journey to Bar Hayama that took me 3 years but hey what’s good food without good company to keep. I can only look in envy at the happy smiley couples around me and think to myself it’ll be real cool if I can enjoy this wonderful evening with some of the old friends at Hayama.
