Dessert has always been the quiet deal-closer of a birthday dinner. You can have the perfect table, the perfect meal, but if the final course falls flat, the night never quite reaches escape velocity. The ritual of bringing out something sweet, celebratory and slightly over the top is as essential as the birthday song and the candles themselves. With the introduction of their new smash cake, Hollywood’s iconic Yamashiro restaurant ticks every box and reminds everyone why they remain the undisputed king of the hill.
Perched above Hollywood with one of the most stunning views in Los Angeles, Yamashiro has been a cornerstone of the LA culinary scene since 1963. Originally built as a private estate, the property is a replica of an actual palace located in the mountains of Japan’s Yamashiro province, near Kyoto. To call it ornate would be a gross understatement. It feels like more of a movie set or a museum than a restaurant. It’s the kind of ambiance that makes you feels like the celebration is underway before the first drink hits the table, which makes it the perfect backdrop for a birthday dinner wherein the expectations run higher than usual.
Yamashiro’s dinner menu more than holds its own and thoroughly matches the hype of the setting. Offering a robust range of sushi, robata, and various plays on traditional Japanese cuisine, there’s something in the kitchen for absolutely everyone. A few favorites from our recent visit include the melt-in-your-mouth edamame truffle dumplings which we’re calling a must-try, their signature Yamashiro roll, and the Toro nigiri, which absolutely topped off our tastebuds.
Finally, the moment we’d been waiting for came. Instead of the usual candle-on-a-cake routine, Yamashiro partnered with celebrity pastry chef Chris Ford to create one of the most interactive and playful desserts we’ve ever tried.
The Smash Cake Fortune Cookie is an opulently large piece of molded dark chocolate that comes comes topped with fresh berries and macarons and filled with truffles.
Like any proper fortune cookie, you have to crack it open. Not for the faint of heart, this dessert is so robustly crafted that you’ll need a wooden mallet and more than one good swing to get to your fortune. Yes,living up to its name, you can pre-order and customize a 50 character fortune for the guest of honor. It’s playful, a little theatrical, and exactly the kind of novelty that works in a room already built for special occasions.
As they always have, Yamashiro checked all the boxes we’re used to and surprised us with a new one we didn’t even know we needed. It’s legacy and levity at their best. That’s what a night on top of Hollywood is all about.
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