Down on B Street, Kansai Hayward is not just a Japanese restaurant—it crafts experiences on every plate, blending tradition with a spark of modern flair. The kitchen plays 2010’s music which can be heard in the dining area.
There are usually one to two servers running the floor when you enter. The staff are patient and kind to their guests. Guests are given time to settle in and look over the menu before ordering. There is an estimated 10-minute wait for appetizers and entrees to arrive.
Service staff bring self-refillable water and complimentary miso soup for the table. The soup broth had a surprisingly accurate miso flavor for being powder-based, which is uncommon for soups not consisting of a traditional miso paste.
We decided upon the agedashi tofu ($8.95), rainbow roll ($16.45), Go-Go roll ($17.45), Lion King roll ($15.45), and the chicken katsu plate ($18.25). The rolls came with eight to ten pieces.
Agedashi tofu is one of my many favorite tofu dishes. And to be honest, I was not expecting to like this restaurant’s tofu, but I was wrong. The dashi broth in the tofu tasted rich like genuine dashi broth. The fried tofu was not oily, garnished with green onion, seaweed, and shougyo flakes. A stellar presentation and preparation of one of my dearest dishes.
The chicken katsu was well prepared: several strips of chicken, a serving of salad and rice. The entire plate was larger than my head! This dish seemed to carry a more Hawaiian style of katsu than Japanese.
“It’s very crispy,” said senior Co-Editor Sofia Cordoba. “But some parts are dry. Some parts are very juicy. So I guess I just have to be lucky.”
While the fish was fresh and had a smooth texture, senior Editor-in-Chief Kaylyn Nguyen had a bone to pick. Literally. In one of the pieces of the Rainbow roll, there was still a bone attached to the meat. Not unnatural, but a bit unappealing.
“I get this every time and it never misses,” Nguyen said on behalf of the Lion King roll.
I was duly impressed with this American-style roll. It’s a baked California roll with a layer of creamy cheese on top. Very creative.
The price of all dishes are affordable, appetizers up to $15, sushi rolls up to $20, and entrees are at most $25.
