Downtown LA’s Arts District welcomed the fine dining-turned-izakaya-style restaurant Yess, from owner Kino Kaetsu and chef Giles Clark, several years ago. For the duo’s second act (the third if you count the food truck they occupied on the corner before the brick-and-mortar opened), they have added an all-day Asian-European-style café to the artistic mix.
Wallpaper* dines at Café 2001
The mood: industrial barnhouse chic
Enter the two-storey open space (next door to Yess) from a patio accessible on Mateo Street, which provides more seating, extending the café to the street and foot traffic. Inside, the industrial-barn décor with a large arched ceiling skylight was designed by Kaetsu, who collected mismatched antique French and Japanese chairs that fill the ground-level, brick-walled space. The inspiration was ‘the spirit of an American diner with the flow of a European bistro’.
If you want a quieter perch, head up the stairwell to the second-level mezzanine with seating that offers a bird’s-eye view into the kitchen action below, which is also a good spot to view any pop-up music and art events.
The food: seasonal California by way of Japan and London
Chef Giles Clarke worked at St John in London, the Den in Tokyo and Alice Water’s Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. All three of those influences are apparent in his dishes, which are rooted in classical French and Japanese techniques, with a deep respect for local, seasonal ingredients – qualities also shared with the kitchen at Yess. By day, Café 2001 is a cosy coffee hangout – with roaster Masa Matsuba – and where else can you sip on cascara cola and a red shiso shrub? Top Japanese sandwich orders include egg salad and relish or pork tenderloin katsu with Turkish pickles, and a side order of English pea and potato salad with avocado.
Happy hour kicks in around 4pm, when a Sakurai Shandy matcha-beer cocktail is the perfect transition to the natural biodynamic wine list, and oysters with cactus relish and house-made dumplings lead into a dinner with heartier fare, such as fish-n-chips, steak frites and Medicinal Curry. Lastly, the freshly baked chocolate, lemon brûléed tart, and cherry tarts have people lining up on the patio to snag the last one before they sell out, so arrive early if you can.
Café 2001 is located at 2001 E 7th St North Entrance, Los Angeles, CA 90021, United States; @cafe2001.la
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