We had an opportunity to try a one Michelin-starred restaurant in Los Angeles and savored every minute of it. If you’re a fan of Chinese-inspired food and looking for a chance to celebrate a fancy occasion, it’s worth a visit.

Booking

I actually spotted this reservation on the Delta Skymiles experiences website. As the prices of flights continue to go up with airlines based in the US, I’ve found the price of experiences to be relatively stable, depending on what it is you’re looking for. The more popular events are going to be hard to snag but this is one that seemed to fly relatively under the radar. I had been looking for a chance to spoil Jenn, and this gave me a fun opportunity and brought back memories of the last time we did something similar.

Note that this auction was offered during multiple sittings, a week apart. With these online auctions, I’ve been tracking prices and have generally found that the first sitting ends up being cheaper than the second sitting. Reasons for this include people feeling they don’t want to compete as much for the first sitting knowing there is a second one out there, that some people don’t discover the auction until after the first one closes, or that people feel they’re missing out by missing the first one. In any event, we managed to win the first auction.

In the end, I paid 26,000 Delta Skymiles for this dinner for two. When used towards flights, that amount of miles is in the range of about $300. By contrast, the standard tasting menu is $275/person with an extra $135/person for the accompanying alcoholic pairing or $85/person for the non-alcoholic option.

Arrival and First Impressions

Kato is Michelin-starred restaurant located in a nice shopping center in a developing part of the city, not too far away from Bestia. The restaurant is listed as having valet but we found the valet unstaffed, perhaps because it was a Thursday evening, but it wasn’t necessary given the close proximity of the parking lot to the restaurant.

Our dining reservation was for 5:30pm, right when the restaurant opened. We arrived to find the wait staff going through some pre-opening games to hype themselves up for the evening. Meanwhile, we took a pleasant stroll around the shopping center to enjoy some peace as we got away from construction going on at our house.

Once the restaurant opened, we headed inside and was warmly greeted by the front desk and were taken over to our table for the evening. Perhaps it’s just the Japanese blood in me, but I expected the restaurant to be pronounced kah-toh but the front desk said kay-toh. So at least you have the pronunciation if you end up coming here.

For about the first hour, we had the restaurant all to ourselves. It felt a little strange being the only ones here for a good chunk of time but service was excellent throughout.

The Menu

Upon arrival, we received menus for the evening and immediately confirmed us as guests with Delta Skymiles. It covered both the standard menu as well as drinks (either the wine pairing or the non-alcoholic option). The wait staff also informed us that adding in the A5 wagyu dish will cost an additional $55 per person. I recall telling Jenn that $55 for A5 is A-OK for me so we decided to add it in, but note that we both had to add it in or both skip, we couldn’t have just one of us try it.

Since the drinks were included, the natural tendency was to choose the more expensive option and thus I went with the wine pairing. Jenn instead opted for the non-alcoholic selection. This was done in part because the server let us know the bartender here doesn’t drink alcohol and thus put much effort into the non-alcoholic menu.

Note all wine pours sit at 2 ounces. That meant you’re given enough to savor alongside each course but not so much that you feel drunk at the end of the night. Having sampled both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, I must admit I actually preferred the non-alcoholic drinks myself.

We started the evening with an effervescent offering of champagne, which the server generously topped off with another glass when the first course came out. The champagne served is very light in flavor but pairs well with the amberjack fish. Jenn’s Korean cucumber drink was quite refreshing as well.

The amberjack dish uses the same cucumbers found in Jenn’s drink. The course itself has a little bit of spice and I found it quite refreshing and smooth.

As the second course came out, the wait staff went ahead and changed out our drink glasses. It was at that point that it became apparent each of Jenn’s drinks would be served in a different decorative glass, a fun touch. We would both have a Riesling for the next course, but hers has the alcohol removed.

The second course was pig ear, which has been flattened. There are a lot of fresh greens on top of it, adding some depth to the dish. I must admit I have never been quite fond of pig ears, but it was prepared well. It does have a touch of spice and Jenn, herself having regularly dined on pig ears much of her life, enjoyed the dish and praised it for tasting like it should.

The third course was some lightly-seared scallops, which had excellent texture and were among some of the best scallops I’ve ever had. The scallops were paired with wine that had notes of apple cider. Jenn had sparkling omija, which was on the sweeter side and I think paired well with the flavorful scallop.

The fourth course was an egg custard that ended up being very rich. I’m not just saying that because the dish was topped with caviar. The vinegar provided on the side helps mellow it out. I have to admit the custard itself is impossibly smooth and cooked to perfection.

Alongside the custard was some more wine for me and some sparkling oolong tea for Jenn. Once I tasted her sparkling oolong, the wine offered to me fell a bit flat.

The fifth course was composed of two dumplings, which were excellent. This was perhaps the most expensive dumpling dish I have ever ordered (though the Ritz Maldives is close in price). I am normally used to receiving many dumplings in a single order, but the emphasis here is quality over quantity and it was divine. The dumplings are served in a curry, which itself was a perfect combination of spices. The fried leaf on top adds some needed texture and smell of all the spices together was sublime. This ended up being my favorite dish of the night.

The dish was served with perhaps the apple juice we’ve ever consumed. I think I’m going to have to buy a few bottles of it to keep at home (and hide from the kids).

Our sixth course comprised of seafood options: Maine lobster, mussels, and abalone. The flavors had a very distinct Chinese feel to it, which really just makes me feel like I’m missing some white rice to accompany the dish. To me, this felt the most like standard Chinese fare and I’ll admit intrigued me the least of all the dishes served that evening.

The seventh course was a slab of perfectly-cooked duck. The duck came with some bao that makes you imagine the dish is trying to be Peking duck, but the thick cut of duck says otherwise. This was a very delicious course, and it was accompanied by a very light red wine (alcohol removed for Jenn).

The eighth course of the evening was the A5 wagyu. We had been looking forward to this course the most. The fact that they had been including a course with A5 wagyu yet the dishes are intended to be Taiwanese-inspired made me wonder what they would serve. The course was served in the style of char siu, which completely caught us off guard. Unfortunately it means I have to also admit it was a bit of a disappointment. Smothering the beef in char siu sauce means the taste came across more as pork rather than beef. The beef itself was cooked properly and it’s still a good dish, but it feels a bit of a waste to take A5 wagyu and make it taste like anything but beef.

The drink pairing for Jenn ended up being our least favorite non-alcoholic beverage for the evening: a red that tended to be a bit on the sour side. Personally I don’t think it paired well with the course. For the alcoholic pairing, we were offered a wine where they were down to their last ten bottles. It’s not a particularly expensive wine but it does go well with the beef (or “pork”).

That course completed our savory courses for the evening. While it wasn’t included with our meal, I ordered a milk punch and Jenn ordered hojicha tea. Brown butter a drink always makes the drink good.

Service concluded with the first of two dessert courses. Jenn’s final non-alcoholic drink ended up being some tea (perhaps she didn’t need the hojicha on top of this tea) but at least this tea was slightly sweetened. My final drink was another Riesling.

Dessert was similar to tapioca, with boba-like goodies in it, but better than typical boba (I am not a fan of boba but even I found the dessert quite tasty).

The second dessert course was a selection of baked treats. Moon cake, chiffon sponge cake, and salted egg yolk cream puff. The moon cake admittedly doesn’t hit the spot if you are looking for actual moon cake. Also, be sure to eat the cream puff in one bite or you’re doing it wrong (and you’ll end up making a mess).

Upon completion of dinner, we received a parting gift from the restaurant. The gifts were quite simple: autographed menus plus the seasoning salt used on the crust of the duck dish. And, yes, the menu was individualized to include each of our own drink selections.

At the end, the bill was presented only for the incremental add-ons.

As part of the Delta experience, we were also promised a quick photo with Chef Jon Yao, which came at the conclusion of dinner. We didn’t get a chance to have a conversation, since he was understandably quite busy. We were also handed some free merchandise but didn’t have a choice on what we were given.

The freebies ended up being a cap for each of us, which we then gave to the kids and they were happy to model them for us.

Recommendation: Yes, for a special occasion

As is the case for nearly all Michelin-starred restaurants, you’ll want to save the visit for a special reason. For this restaurant, if you’re a fan of Taiwanese food, it’s worth trying this fine-dining take on the food. I wouldn’t say it’s worth making your way over to Los Angeles just to dine here, but it’s a good indulgence if the occasion is right.

Have you been to Kato before? What are your thoughts?