The Cupertino Courier
Dining
Photograph by Brian Connelly
Ken Yang, owner of Sunnyvale's new KamPai House, displays a dish he calls Yellow Mellow. It's made of kiwi fruit and hamachi (yellowtail sushi), scallions and gomo miso dressing.
Local restaurant adds a new twist to a timeless tradition
By TIFFANY CARNEY
KamPai House, a new Japanese restaurant at the corner of Fair Oaks and E. El Camino Real in the space once occupied by a Carrow's restaurant, differs from others on nearby Murphy Street by offering Japanese food with a French-Italian flair. KamPai means "cheers" in Japanese. Ken Yang, general manager and part owner, says the restaurant is heading toward the future, not following tradition.
Yang introduces diners to the newest concept of Japanese-fusion cuisine. The cleverly named appetizer Captain Crunch ($9) has two key elements that separate this restaurant's prawns from the rest.
"One is the yam, the Japanese potato, wrapped outside, and then the almond chips," Yang says.
Yang, who commutes from Saratoga, prepares the shrimp using Japanese and European cultures and presents the dish using a Western influence. KamPai House blends three unique styles of cooking to create fusion.
"Japanese is the foundation. It is Japanese cooking mixed with a European/American influence," Yang says.
Thirty-five-year Sunnyvale residents Karen and Ralph Kenton are already frequent diners and appreciate the quality and freshness of each dish, including Dynasty ($23): duck breast, mushrooms and a Dijon miso sauce.
"I've never tasted duck like that before--incredible duck," Ralph Kenton says.
Karen Kenton loves the entrées, but speaks highly of the desserts, too. The Drunken Eskimo ($6), made with assorted sorbet and a plum wine sauce, is her favorite.
Part of the entertainment is the food itself. The chef's beautiful sushi combinations are broadcast on a flat-screen television just above the sushi bar for everyone to view. At any given time six to eight chefs can be found in the kitchen, making sure the texture, taste and color of each dish is pleasing to the eye and palate. Yang's goal is customer satisfaction; first-time customer Vidya Shaker experienced just that on a recent visit.
Shaker, who lives in Sunnyvale, closes her eyes and describes the food as "absolutely mmmm."
The establishment's fusion cocktails also appeal to guests. There's The Geisha, Go Go Yubari and the Johnny Mo Mojito, as well as a full bar including wine and sake.
"Not too many people combine a sushi bar and a full liquor bar together, but this is a new trend," Yang says.
Pure red walls, black tables, crisp white plates and concrete floors create an atmosphere of simplicity.
"Silver reflects concrete, black reflects our main theme and red is our accent," Yang adds.
As a lover of sushi since the age of 3, Yang always wanted to open a Japanese restaurant. In 1986, he put his love for sushi on hold and left his home in Taiwan to become a scientist in Silicon Valley. Throughout his life he couldn't stop thinking, "Some day, when I have the time, money, capability and energy, I may want to own my own restaurant."
"When you start to dream it, you start to think it," Yang says, describing how he made his dream a reality.
Yang wanted to introduce a different level of Japanese food to the community.
"I've lived in Saratoga and the Bay Area for 20 years," he says. "I love this town. I love this neighborhood.
"The difference is I want to show my heart to the customers," he adds.
KamPai House, 595 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, 94087. Open for lunch daily, 11 a.m. 2 p.m.; dinner, Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 5 p.m. midnight. For more information, call 408.830.0628 or visit www.kampaihouse.com.
