Hanazen

One of the best quiet places to have edo mae sushi. This is not an Americanize sushi restaurant and most people will be confused when they come here if they have not experienced sushi in this traditional form. It is art. You watch the chef prepare pieces that will delight your taste buds. It is a beautiful dance bouncing from taste bud to taste bud. Sit at the bar if you can, don't sit at the table. You're going to be paying this much money, get the full experience.

Fantastic experience. Our personal chef.

We went there for dinner tonight because I wanted high class sushi for my Christmas gift. Made the reservation a week ago and were there on time. I didn't notice there was an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant in Orinda even I passed by there many times. From my experience, good restaurants are always hidden somewhere.

The restaurant was incredibly clean, neat and cozy, it makes you comfortable. The chef greeted us and then started to prepare the 12-piece sushi omasake menu.

The sushis were all fresh, delicious, authentic and devine! After the 12 piece sushi from the omasake menu, we ordered 8 more pieces. Each of us had altogether 3 pieces of uni sushis, 3 pieces of fluke fish sushi and 2 pieces of pike fish sushi. As someone who have been to Japan 7 times and have always had the finest sushi in Hongkong, I can tell Hanazen is one of the best in the East Bay. My taste buds were pampered and satisfied.

Last but not least, I will recommend the sampler sake meun which comes with 3 different types of Japanese sake. The sake was presented nicely in 3 delicate glasses.

I'm looking forward to dine at Hanazen once again!

*Won't leave this review on Yelp because Yelp is extorting business owners who do not buy for an ad space. Yelp does not deserve a review from me.*

Best sushi ever

Hanazen is a true hidden gem. I didn't discover this place until 5 years into living in the Bay Area, and I make it my mission to find the best high-end sushi places. Tucked away in Orinda, the last place you'd expect authentic edomae sushi, Hanazen is run by a husband-wife duo. The restaurant is reservation only, and is never packed.

What impresses me about Hanazen is the attention to detail and education of the customer. Japanese people have a certain "kodawari" (commitment to a special way of doing something) with everything, so it's no different with sushi. You have to read a placard that explains how much soy sauce to put in your dish, how to hold the sushi and dip into the soy sauce, etc. There is a certain way to enjoy sushi in an optimal way. And if you're paying your hard earned money to eat luxuriously, why not do it the right way?

The omakase is top notch, and also reasonably priced. For 20 pieces, it ended up being around $100 per person. You'll be asked around 12 pieces whether you want to continue. There is no rush, of course. You can just keep enjoying each unique piece until you want to stop eating, which admittedly, is truly difficult.

My favorite pieces at Hanazen, now that I've been 3 times are:
- Smoked salmon with yuzu gelee: The acidity of the yuzu keeps it light but accentuates the savoriness and umami of the smoked salmon.
- Baby sea bream: I've had sea bream but not baby sea bream. And the slight char over the skin side really brings out the surprisingly rich flavor of this white fish.
- Mackerel (saba) with marinated kelp: Usually saba is served with a vinegar brine. But the marinated kelp has a slight sweetness to it, in addition to the rice vinegar. It's a different play to an otherwise typical piece.
- Albacore tuna with garlic and red chili pepper: I don't particularly like albacore tuna typically, but this piece was amazing, because of the toppings. I'm not joking, but it tasted like Korean barbecue!
- Anago with sansho pepper: I love anago. But this is a twist on an already delicious fish. The sauce is made from the anago bones after it has been chargrilled and made into the sauce, which is lighter than the typical sweet sauce you get. Additionally, the sansho was a bomb of a topping - it's not spicy so much as numbing. Really jolts you when you eat it.

If you love sushi and love exploring what's not typically available, Hanazen is a treasure. Just don't tell too many people about it!