A local legend for his Japanese cuisine on Buford Highway, Chef Atsushi Hayakawa has begun a new chapter in West Midtown. Located in a sparkling office structure, the slick lair hosts a mere handful of diners per seating. His stage is a backdrop of dark-streaked stone and a silken wood counter; and the use of a microphone to banter with guests amplifies Hayakawa's buoyant personality.
The meal is a procession of small courses and hews toward the structure of kaiseki. After items such as an appetizer trio with clear fish soup, scallop sashimi with miso-mustard sauce and simmered monkfish, it's time for sushi. The chef crafts nigiri from imported fish that needs little embellishment and is amply sized in the tradition of Hokkaido style in deference to the chef's hometown.