japanese fusion above hollywood

This is the week of birthday dinners for me. Yay! Starting on Saturday night (aka my actual birthday), three friends took me out to Yamashiro (aka "The Mountain Palace), which sits up on the Hollywood side of the hill, above The Magic Castle, off of Fountain. 

View of "The Mountain Palace" from across the driveway

I'd added Yamashiro to my list of places I want to eat in LA a year ago when I read about it in the food issue of Los Angeles Magazine, which mostly commented on its amazing view of LA. But I had no idea until we got there how big it was. It must seat 150+ people in the dining rooms that wrap around the outside of the building, and the inside garden, complete with koi pond and heat lamps. I also had no idea just how great the view was. It was like being at Runyon on a very clear, beautiful night (which isn't allowed since Runyon closes at sundown), with views east to Dodger Stadium, south downtown and west to Century City.

Hollywood at night, as seen from the Yamashiro driveway,
with the Downtown LA skyline way in the distance

But the size of the place and the view are only part of the experience. Overall, the food here, while pricey, is amaze-balls! A delicious series of surprises for your tastebuds, that -- best of all -- left me feeling satisfied but not stuffed/in a food coma, so I still had room for birthday cupcakes later that evening :) Here's what we ate, detailed photographically so you can drool along...

Drinkie-Drinks

 Only two of us had cocktails but they both got high marks. I LOVED this Basil Berry cocktail, which was sweet, but not too sweet and very refreshing thanks to the basil and soda. Also, I could barely taste the vodka, which can be good or bad, depending on how many you order ;) (I only had one. Seriously.)

Norman's Mai Tai
light rum, dark rum, passion fruit
and a secret ingredient

Basil Berry
vodka, muddled strawberry, basil,
lemon juice and soda

Appetizers

Pan Seared Crab Cakes (no photo -- we ate them too fast)

The crab cakes come two to a plate, but are big enough that you can cut them in half and share amongst four people. They were really good, served with a great cracked pepper aioli sauce and a pico de gallo-ish garnish of seasoned tomatoes and onions.

and 

Seafood Tempura (shrimp, scallops, cod, zucchini, onion)

The seafood tempura was also really good. It was a mix of seafood (shrimp, cod, scallops) and tempura battered veggies like zucchini and onion rings, that tasted great when dipped in the sake-ponzu sauce.

My Dinner 

Black Forbidden Rice Roll

(spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, tobiko, spicy mayo)

Everyone on Yelp was raving about this roll, so I made that my first choice off the menu. It was very good... slightly crunchy thanks to the cucumber and rice, and spicy thanks to the tuna and mayo sauce. I had one slice dipped in soy sauce, but then realized you don't need it at all. At first we also thought that there was caviar on top, but upon rechecking the menu realized it was tobiko (roe), likely died black with squid ink or something to make it no longer red/orange like normal smelt eggs. All in all, this was a good, very filling roll, but it is not the most amazing roll they have. (Keep reading....)

Spicy Lobster Roll 

(lobster, avocado, cucumber, bacon, basil-artichoke sauce)

This roll is quite possibly one of the most amazing things in the world. The roll itself is lobster, cucumber and avocado. But it's sitting on a really yummy basil-artichoke sauce. And on top of the roll is a lightly-cooked, thick sliver of smokey, amazingly delicious BACON! This goes in your mouth and you are automatically happy. Then, after a few seconds, you get a spicy after-kick to make it even better. I was going to let people try this off my plate, but they wisely chose to order their own plate of it. Yes, four of us ate 12 slices of this roll. And, quite honestly, if I could've, I would have traded in that Black Forbidden Rice roll I'd already eaten for more of this. 

It's SO GOOD!!!!

My Friends' Dinners

Asian BBQ Baby Back Ribs 

w/ mashed yams, sauteed kale, and asian five-spice cornbread

These were amazing! I only had a bite, but the meat was melt-in-your-mouth delish, with a sweet BBQ sauce. The people at the table who eat yams (ie: not me) said those were also great, as was the kale and cornbread. I might have to get this next time I go. (minus the yams ;)

Shoyu Glazed Black Cod 

w/ wasabi mashed potatoes, sauteed mustard greens and maitake mushrooms

I didn't try this, but my friend who ordered it was the first one to clean his plate, so it must've been good. The cod was grilled and the glaze smelled really good. 

Loch Duart Salmon 

w/ roasted asparagus, cured lemon smashed potatoes

This is another one I might have to try when I go again. I had a bite of the salmon, which was moist and well seasoned, with just a hint of crispiness on the edges. And you can't go wrong with asparagus and smashed potatoes.