iyasare

i've fallen madly in love with  iyasare .   have you ever had a dining experience where your head nods up and down, bite after bite, and your mouth longingly goes "ooh" and "mmm" throughout an entire dinner? that was my experience at iyasare during my first visit and not too far from that, my second visit, too.  on my first visit, i went with my friends sandy ( foodhoe ), christina ( east bay dish ), and ben ( focus:snap:eat ). our evening started with thin slices of gorgeously marbled ocean trout, plated beautifully with compressed asparagus, english peas, snow peas and sugar snaps underneath an avocado puree, topped with ikura. the ocean trout crudo ($16) set high expectations for the rest of dinner and iyasare delivered with the brightest of flying colors. each dish after the next continued to impress us, both visually and through taste.  a few weeks go by and i'm back. this time i took my sister, her partner and my niece out for dinner, already knowing that they'd love the food. one bite of the ocean umami and i fell in love all over again. the dish screams out vibrant colors. the fresh, tender sashimi scallops sitting over nori-infused ponzu were topped with santa barbara sea urchin and salty soy-marinated ikura that bursts in my mouth, leaving a rich and pleasant ocean taste.  this is not your typical japanese restaurant. chef shotaro kamio has redefined modern japanese cuisine using the flavors, textures and cooking techniques from the tohoku region, a rural area in northeastern japan where he grew up. after spending six years at ozumo and seven at yoshi's in oakland and san francisco, kamio launched iyasare on fourth street in berkeley. iyasare is focused on simple, yet inventive japanese-california dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients.  simply put, the food is sublime and full of umami from beginning to end.   you'll want to slow down and savor each tantalizing bite. here's a look at each dish during my last two visits, a few of which were ordered a

i met my blogger friends ...for dinner at iyasare recently to check out chef shotaro kamio’s restaurant that replaced o-chame when it closed two years ago...i kind of missed the lovely hand made wall art, but was looking forward to exploring the menu of chef kamio which is inspired by his native tohoku region, a rural area in northeastern japan.

iyasare took over the spot of o chame restaurant in berkeley’s fourth street shopping district, and is the personal project of chef shotaro kamio, formerly of yoshi’s. the sophisticated japanese restaurant features the cooking style of kamio’s native tohoku in japan. the spot was the latest gathering for our regular food bloggers’ dinner with the usual suspects: sandy of foodhoe’s foraging , christina of east bay dish , and brenda of bites and bourbon . christina and i were running late because of rush hour traffic, but when we finally arrived it was nice to sit in the large patio where sandy and brenda were already enjoying some drinks and the cool spring evening. castle in the sky ($10), shochu cocktail with cucumber, shiso, mint and sparkling sake the vibe: iyasare retains the lay out of o chame, which was successful in that spot for many years. but while o chame was warm and cozy, iyasare is bright and sophisticated. the tiny dining room was bustling but with a calm that continued into the patio, where it was relaxing. the servers were all charming and personable, which added to the welcoming vibe. the elegant indoor space

among the best!. imagine a most perfect meal, totally inspired and amazing food, and would have iyasare. though we would need to add impeccable and fun, very unstuffy, service. all so welcoming--staff and food. stellar experience!!

already one of berkeley's best. we went to iyasare on back-to-back nights last week (sunday and monday). on both occasions, the front and back of the house were hitting on all cylinders.

we were greeted by niall cantwell, manager and co-owner (with chef sho kamio), and showed to our table with an introduction to the menu and drink list. the wines are limited but carefully selected for the cuisine (in fact, we were told the wine list will track changes to the menu). over the course of our meals, we had several of the house cocktails (delicious) and several additional white wines (especially liked the alto adige).

of the food items, everything was fantastic. for appetizers, we particularly enjoyed the brussel sprouts with bacon, the grilled octopus, and the off-the-charts eggplant (one member of our party, never a fan of eggplant, gobbled down four or five bites); for a middle course, the restaurant’s version of tempura is to die for (light, crispy, with an assortment of veggies and shrimp as an option); as for the mains, you can’t go wrong with the sea bass (perhaps the best item on the menu) or the cedar plank salmon; and on one evening we indulged in the very tasty parfait for dessert.

overall, we had a wonderful experience. the place has a very comfortable feel to it, more like a long-established and well-respected restaurant rather than one that opened just a few weeks ago. the interior is soft, warm, and welcoming. moreover, the staff is courteous, professional, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. also, the attention to detail(s) is much appreciated (such as when the floor staff replaces soiled small plates or silverware between courses or the cute bill/credit card holder that is brought out to the table at the end of the meal). we will be back again and again. in short order, iyasare is already one of the best restaurants in berkeley