I've known about Kaygetsu since it opened, the latest restaurant endeavor of Toshio Sakuma (of Toshi's Sushi-ya). One of the only Japanese restaurants in the area offering the experience of Kaiseki course meals, it's been one of those meals that I've been saving for a special occassion (at $95 for a course meal, it's an experience that's meant to be shared with others as well), so today's review is not about Kaiseki, but their Lunch offerings.
One of the Top 10 Restaurants of the Bay Area of 2006 (as given by the San Francisco Chronicle), Kaygetsu is hidden away in a strip mall in Menlo Park, but the parking lot around the restaurant is always full. The sign on the front of the restaurant says "Reservations Strongly Recommended", and it's no lie -- having a reservation opens up the option of kaiseki (kaiseki must be made in advance), and lunch is very busy, filled mostly with businessmen having business lunches. I ended up taking a seat at the sushi bar. The sushi bar has only 6 seats, and gives a view of master sushi chef Toshi's handiwork and his wonderful creations.
I ordered a simple lunch set of Tempura Moriawase ($14) which consisted of tempura battered shrimp with rice crackers, the standard assortment of vegetable tempura, rice, miso soup, and a small bowl of sunomono as a salad. Kirin is available on tap ($7), as well as a selection of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
I also ordered some pieces of nigiri (mainly because I can't go to a Japanese restaurant, see uni and amaebi sitting in the case in front of me and not order). The sushi here is charged Japanese-style -- in single pieces. The amaebi is a bargain at $3.50 for a piece, but the Uni is a bit on the expensive side at $7 for a piece. Kaygetsu's reputation for having excellent quality sushi doesn't disappoint.
Overall, lunch is quite good, on par with Naminami, but my general feeling is that the kaiseki course offering is likely what can set it apart from other Japanese restaurants in the area.
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