The year’s most highly-anticipated Bay Area Japanese restaurant opens tomorrow
After 20-plus years at Sanraku in San Jose and San Francisco, Chef Koji Murakami is opening his own restaurant, Hana Izumi.
Hana Izumi, a kaiseki restaurant that seeks to bring inclusivity to the high-end, tasting menu-style of Japanese cuisine, is nearing its Peninsula opening.
Restaurateurs Miyuki and Koji Murakami are ready to debut their new restaurant inside the historic Massolo building at 293 El Camino Real in Millbrae, so you can add it to the list of the Bay Area’s most exciting winter openings. It joins Kaiseki Saryo Hachi in Burlingame, Ranzan in Redwood City and Michelin-starred Wakuriya in San Mateo in cementing San Mateo County as the hot spot for kaiseki cuisine.
Chef Koji brings two decades of experience as executive chef and general manager at Sanraku, the well-respected sushi restaurant in San Francisco and San Jose, to restaurant ownership and the intimate, 30-seat eatery. The soft opening is Tuesday, with a grand opening on Jan. 17. Hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, with dinner seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Kaiseki dining “tells a story using local ingredients to create colorful and textural dishes,” from sashimi to steamed, braised or grilled dishes and a dessert, “that represent and honor each season,” Miyaki says. Because it is typically a set menu, it can be limiting to guests, either from a cost perspective or due to food allergies, she adds. Hana Izumi will change that.
“I want to allow customers to pick and choose what they want,” says Koji, who honed his skills at Kitcho, a celebrated Tokyo restaurant, and also worked as a private chef for Japan’s ambassador in Washington D.C. “Lunch with a smaller menu, dinner with full courses, and a la carte if they want seconds, to try something different or because they only want specific items.”
If you caught last month’s sold-out preview pop-up, you know what to expect: Five or six dinner courses ($95/person), like amuse bouche of garlic octopus carpaccio or slow-cooked duck breast; succulent braised yellowtail collar in ginger soy; chawanmushi, or shrimp and scallop in steamed egg custard; and crab risotto in dashi broth.
Hana Izumi will be reservation-only with dinner service to start. Lunch service, including a condensed kaiseki menu ($40), sashimi tasting menu ($65) and a la carte items, starts Jan. 17. To make a reservation, text 650-302-3012. Details: http://hana-izumi.com.