LONDON, May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Los Angeles-based restaurant Kato, run by chef Jon Yao and sommelier and director of operations Ryan Bailey, is today named as the recipient of the Resy One To Watch Award 2024 from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The award recognises a rising-star restaurant that is making waves in the gastronomic scene worthy of international acclaim.
Taiwanese-American chef Yao first opened Kato in 2016 in a non-descript West LA strip mall, serving a tasting menu spanning Asian-American cuisine, heavily influenced by his mother’s Taiwanese cooking. In early 2022, Yao and Bailey moved Kato to new expanded, fully licensed premises at the ROW DTLA in the Arts District of Los Angeles, promoting long-time general manager Nikki Reginaldo to managing partner and bringing onboard seasoned bar director Austin Hennelly in the process.
The industrial-luxe restaurant is home to a fresh take on fine dining, with Yao’s dishes incorporating the essence of classic Taiwanese cuisine with a distinct contemporary edge. A custom wood-fired hearth and grill anchors the kitchen, which serves a tasting menu of 12 standout courses including dishes such as caramelised sablefish with abalone and basil, grilled lobster with lobster toast and a sauce of roasted shells, and Dungeness crab custard with fish maw and crab vinegar. Sweet courses include the likes of boniato yam boba with fresh cheese and sable, as well as roasted Taiwanese pineapple mille feuille. The menu speaks to Yao and his team’s unwavering vision to elevate Taiwanese cuisine and educate LA diners as to its myriad merits.
William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, says: “Kato is blowing diners away with its blend of original flavours and old-school hospitality and this award will bring Yao’s cooking to a wider international audience. We are delighted to reward the team’s dedication, passion, skill and originality with this hugely deserved accolade.”
Yao says: “On behalf of myself and my team, we want to thank our fantastic support system and diners, as none of this would be possible without you. We are excited, honoured and grateful to be recognised on the international stage.”
The Resy One To Watch Award winner is revealed ahead of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 awards ceremony, which will be held on 5 June in Las Vegas.
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