Cafe Hiro - Cypress, CA

CaféHiro sits in an unassuming little strip mall in the city of Cypress.  It is conveniently located next to the Hyatt House for those lucky enough to be staying there, as this little gem surely shouldn’t be missed.

Hiro Ohiwa does have his culinary chops as he did previously work for Nobu Matsuhisa.

BBQ Beef Salad

The BB Beef Salad contains perfectly grilled medium rare short ribs atop a mix of mesclun greens adorned with a sesame miso dressing.  The salad is not overdressed and the peppery kick and freshness of the greens come to life.  Somewhat oddly, there is a dollop of potato salad in the middle of the plate.  This is a textural contrast as the creaminess of the potato salad compliments the crunch of the leafy greens.

Minestrone Soup

Dinner came with a cup of minestrone soup with a fried basil leaf.  Something you wouldn’t expect to find in a Japanese restaurant.  The soup is simple with a vegetable stock and large pieces of firm vegetables.

Uni Spaghetti

The Sea Urchin “Uni” Spaghetti is their signature dish.  A generous portion of perfectly al dente noodles is mixed with fresh, briny sea urchin along with strips of seaweed and a small mountain of freshly grated wasabi.  Once all ingredients are incorporated, a medly of flavors burst in your mouth.  There is the sweet, briny sea urchin, and the slight kick from the wasabi.

Beef Tongue

The Beef Tongue was a special for the night and was braised perfectly.  It fell apart with the nudge of your fork.  If you’ve never had beef tongue before it has a slightly more intense flavor without being gamey.  The sauce was so good it was almost worth licking the plate.

Seared Ahi

The Seared Ahi with Eggplant was a special.  There large pieces of sesame seared ahi sat atop a bed of baby bok choy and intermingled with Japanese eggplant.  The ahi was cooked perfectly but there were a few pieces of sinew in the fish.  Other than that a clear winner.

Bread Pudding

The bread pudding was both dense and light at the same time.  It sat in a large pool or slightly burnt caramel sauce, which added a unique bitterness to the dish.  The bread pudding was the way I like it, rather soggy but full of flavor.

Pot de Creme Au Chocolat

The Pot De Crème au Chocolat is a thick chocolate type pudding but more dense.  If you are a chocoholic this is a must.  This dessert was not too sweet as the slight bitterness of the chocolate was allowed to shine through.

Green Tea Blanc Manger

The Green Tea Blanc-Manger is their signature dessert and upon first glance looks very intimidating.  The dark green pool of liquid looks menacing like the home of Monster from the Black Lagoon, but is nothing but.  At the bottom of the cup are azuki beans with a green tea custard on top.  The glistening pool of a macha type reduction sits on top.  The dessert is very light, with just a faint hint of sweetness and bitterness.  The azuki beans do add a bit of a textural contrast.

Café Hiro a well-kept secret for many, but those who come here are likely to return again, and again, and again…