Cheateau Hanare opened quietly but smoothly earlier this month with all the self-assuredness of a restaurant well aware of its allure. Of course restaurateur Reika Alexander’s decade of planning didn’t hurt, either.
Hemmed in by a black wooden fence off the Sunset Strip and sitting just within the property line of the famed Chateau Marmont, the Japanese restaurant feels part of West Hollywood and the hotel’s fashionable orbit, while providing a relaxed vibe removed from it all—fitting, given the rough translation of the name: “cottage set apart.” The serene space is the culmination of years of talks between Alexander and Chateau Marmont owner André Balazs, who’d first envisioned collaborating on a Japanese restaurant in New York City, then in London, possibly with the NYC-based EN Japanese Brasserie founder as its restaurateur. Finally, the stars aligned, the noren curtain went up and the kaiseki and à la carte menus sprung into action to open the intimate, intricate Chateau Hanare.
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Wonho Frank Lee
Outdoor seating split between the entrance courtyard and a semi-private side patio arranges tables under bulb lights that switch on amongst young bamboo. Indoors, gold, hand-painted wallpaper frames the main dining room, while tatami touches, decorated fireplaces and a wooden bar illuminated by a soft golden glow provide plenty of ambiance—with two private dining rooms, which should come in handy for Alexander’s celebrity following (Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart are among the ballooning list).
Helming the menu is chef Abe Hiroki, whose traditional Japanese technique lends itself to flavor that’s deceptively simple but knows when to show off: clean, straightforward sashimi that’s augmented by truffle; a burrata and tomato salad topped with dashi gelée; A5 wagyu presented with roasted vegetables before it shimmers beneath a quick and gentle coating of Japanese steak sauce poured tableside. Even the edamame, a nearly universal starter, here receives the extra care of steeping in a house dashi—available in vegan dashi, as well.
In fact, vegan considerations permeate the menu, an intentional choice from the NYC restaurateur expanding west. While a number of EN Japanese Brasserie’s greatest hits made the move—including a take on the cult-classic fried chicken of the West Village—Alexander wanted to “lighten up” her concept, adding more seafood and a few more salads. There are also two kaiseki menus, one of them entirely vegan, and both at a fairly affordable $115 for six courses. Regardless of which dinner path you choose, you’d be missing out if you didn’t begin with the tofu, made fresh on the hour from 5pm to 8pm nightly.
Looking for more dinner inspiration? Catch a glimpse here while you await your visit:
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Jakob N. Layman
The ebi, raw spotted shrimp with a yuzu-soymilk foam and ikura
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Wonho Frank Lee
The salmon rice pot, served with ikura and shredded shiso
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Wonho Frank Lee
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Jakob N. Layman
Assorted sashimi, available in six or 10 pieces
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Wonho Frank Lee
Milk bread topped with cherry blossom-smoked uni
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Wonho Frank Lee
Photograph: Courtesy Chateau Hanare/Jakob N. Layman
Reika Alexander
Chateau Hanare is now open at 8097 Selma Ave, with hours of Sunday to Thursday from 6 to 11pm, and Friday and Saturday from 6pm to midnight.
Correction: This story originally stated Alexander and Balazs' initial discussions regarded a collaboration in Japan, when in fact it was London. This piece has been updated to reflect this.