|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Mountain View resident Daiji Uehara is no stranger to Japanese fine-dining. He’s the founder of Daiji Yacht Club, a luxury omakase experience on a yacht, and the chef-owner of Hiroshi, an eight-seat omakase restaurant in downtown Los Altos.
But later this month, he’s debuting a casual, more affordable concept: a Japanese cafe in downtown Palo Alto.
Specializing in matcha, sandos and chirashi, Rikyu aims to be a third place with high-quality food and beverage options. Hiroshi will act as Rikyu’s central kitchen, with the fish at the cafe the same as that served in the high-end omakase restaurant. Located in the former space of TOMO Tea House, Rikyu plans to soft open in mid-February.
“I’m a big cafe enthusiast,” Uehara said. “I don’t think there’s anything like this in Palo Alto. And if there’s something like this, I would personally enjoy it.”
Rikyu is named after Sen no Rikyu, a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the Japanese tea ceremony. The matcha program at Rikyu is focused on the purity of matcha, Uehara said, noting that the cafe won’t offer boba or artificial syrups.
Matcha will be sourced from Shizuoka, Japan, with culinary-grade matcha used for most beverages and ceremonial grade available for those who want to enjoy matcha in its purest form, just whisked with water. A variety of matcha lattes will be available, including those made with housemade blueberry sauce, strawberry sauce and banana bread sauce, all made with real fruit.
“We don’t serve fake stuff,” Uehara said.
The menu will also feature matcha desserts, including matcha panna cotta and matcha shiratama (a type of mochi), both served at Hiroshi. In addition to matcha, Rikyu will also have espresso options as well as hojicha.
“I want this place to be a place to really slow down,” Uehara said. “So it’s actually the place to have a nice cup of matcha and actually slow down, not just a place to grab matcha (and go).”
Masakazu Nonomura, the executive chef at Hiroshi, is also the executive chef at Rikyu. Japanese sandos will be made to order, with most built on brioche buns, a departure from the more typical milk bread.
The chicken sando will feature katsu-style chicken with a sweet and tangy yuzu chili sauce and crunchy coleslaw. For a more decadent, and slightly pricier, option, the wagyu sando will be made with Japanese A5 wagyu beef chopped into a patty, coated in panko bread crumbs and deep-fried. It’s served with coleslaw and your choice of black truffle, Japanese katsu or yuzu chili sauce. Inspired by Japanese McDonald’s Ebi Filet-O, Rikyu will also offer a shrimp katsu sando. And for those with a sweet tooth, a traditional strawberry fruit sando on milk bread will also be available.
Chirashi is a Japanese dish of sushi rice topped with raw fish, cooked seafood, egg omelet, mushrooms and pickled vegetables. Rikyu will sell various chirashi bowls for about $15-$20, Uehara said.
The 1,000-square-foot space will have a sleek, minimalist interior and a calm ambiance. The centerpiece is a large counter made of green quartzite. The cafe will seat around 25 people, with about another 25 on the outdoor patio. Free WiFi and outlets will be available.
Uehara emphasized that he wants Rikyu’s current menu to be just a starting point, and that Rikyu will evolve to best fit the needs of the Palo Alto community.
“All we care about is a good vibe. I want to bring some positive vibe to Palo Alto,” he said.
Rikyu, 121 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto; Instagram: @rikyupaloalto. Beginning mid-February, open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dig into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter to get insights on the latest openings and closings, learn what the Foodist is excited about eating, read exclusive interviews and keep up on the trends affecting local restaurants.
