TimeOut

After a heinous day of jury duty in downtown Los Angeles, I decided to treat myself to an extravagant (for me) sushi lunch to cheer myself up before going back into the office for the remainder of the afternoon.  Since moving from Hollywood to the suburbs I've been checking out my new neighborhood for local places to haunt.  I keep driving by this little hole-in-wall place (my favorite kind) for sushi, and decided to stop in.  As it was late in the lunch hour (they serve lunch until 2pm) I was one of only a handful of people in the restaurant.  In fact, I was the only person seated at the sushi bar, where they only serve omakase (chef's selection of sushi). 

I gorged myself on ten selections of sushi, so loosen your belts gentlemen (and ladies) because down the sushi rabbit-hole we go!

1st course : Tuna from Boston, Massachusetts with a miso sauce, seawood, and daikon sprouts.  The marinade is slightly spicy, with an almost peanutty undertone.  It was quite tasty.

 

2nd course : Yellowtail from Osaka, Japan.  The chef said the meat was from the "backside" of the fish.  I want to make an a** joke, but I'll refrain.  This is a family-friendly site after all!    The fish was fresh, buttery in texture, and delicate in flavor.  I enjoyed this course very much!

3rd course : Salmon two ways (smoked and fresh).  Smoked salmon from Norway (darker color), and fresh salmon from Scotland both topped with sweet kelp.  The kelp really makes the fish sing with a lightly sweet, pleasant aftertaste.  In my opinion, the fresh salmon had an edge over the smoked.  The smoked flavor of the fish ruined the balance with the kelp and dab of wasabi between the fish and rice.  It wasn't bad, but wasn't a raging success.  The fresh pairing was much nicer, and was enhanced by the kelp, as opposed to fighting with it in your mouth.

 

4th course : Scallop from Hokkaido, Japan.  This was quite possibly my favorite dish of the day.  The flavor was ethereal.  I just loved the lightness of the flesh.  Yum!

7th course : Toro (fatty tuna) from Spain.  This was the one true disappointment of the day.  Toro should be meltingly decadent.  There are other even fattier cuts of tuna belly, but good toro should still give you that tenderness in the mouth.  This toro was fresh, and not bad, but suffered perhaps from poor fishmongering either at the fish market or at the restaurant.  Too bad.  :-(

8th course : Red snapper from Kyushu, Japan.  Lovely presentation of snapper in a tart, citrusy ponzu.  Simple, but satisfying.

Simple accoutrements for my meal.  A hot green tea is just the ticket!

The lunch crowd has left, and I'm all alone at the sushi bar, wrapping up my meal for one.

This message has been edited by dxboon on 2010-01-11 23:41:02

Hello Daos,

Food looks good, I gotta try this place.  I actually like salmon with the smokey flavor but not a fan of amaebi.  When scallops are fresh, it sure is tasty!  Do they have tobiko?  No dessert? 

-MW

I'm sure you could've ordered it though IF you sat at the tables.  The sushi bar serves omakase only.  No way I had room for dessert after all that food.  I was so stuffed I thought they'd have to roll me out of the restaurant!  I'm just trying to hold onto something positive to steel me for another day of jury duty tomorrow.  Sigh...

Daos

Hopefully it's something interesting to get you thru jury duty.  Maybe Philippe's French Dip on Ord St.  Dim Sum at CBS Seafood?

-MW

I'll have to explore around the courthouse!  Will report back!

Daos

maybe a ramen place while in Little Tokyo?

-MW

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thanks for the nice post. My mouth is watery right now. If i may, the toro didnt look fatty enough. The white straps being the fat, and mainly what gives the nice taste and the smooth texture. Aaaagh, i've jst ordered spaghetti bolognese .. they better be excellent :P

KArim

...known around town as "the sushi Nazi."  I don't think I could get pictures there, but I will try to take pictures soon at another restaurant I'm trying for the first time called Eva. 

How was the spaghetti bolognese? 

Cheers,

Daos

.... i mean the spaghetti :P.. And dont risk ur life for those pics. I mean if the guy has such a nickname , there must be a reason. U dont have to discover what is that reason

K

lovely food to complement the not so lovely way to spend a morning. Looking forward to the next installment!!

Hopefully, I'll be checking out a new place soon and will post pictures of that outing.

Cheers,

Daos

I MUST have sushi tomorrow! I'm hungry now.

I miss the days when I used to work for this Japanese guy and he used to take me out for sushi meals for meetings.....best sushi I ever had...and best of all I didn't have to pay!

Thanks for sharing Daos, quaint little sushi joint.

...sushi and Korean BBQ every single day!    The only thing better than good sushi is good FREE sushi!  LOL!

Cheers,

Daos

...did you get some sushi? 

Cheers,

Daos

hi Daos, yes, i did have it for my lunch today, so yummy!!!

thanks for asking.

stefan

This message has been edited by Stefan on 2010-01-14 07:31:46

So many great sushi places in LA.  I don't know if you've been to Hirozen on Beverly, but it's worth trying, IMO.

Thank you for the delicious tour!

Thanks for the reminder!  We are blessed with tons of great sushi joints in LA!

Cheers,

Daos

feeling much better now.
Somebody said: "with friends like that you do not need enemies"... LOL
Looks great and tasteful, great photos
Thanks anyway.
Luc

Did you find some sushi at your destination!  Safe travels!

Cheers,

Daos

I just got home after thousands of flight miles and got a sushi meal delivered at home but no photos. all already consumed1
Have a good week end
Cheers
Luc

BTW -- new Seat Bocanegra looks hot (just saw it in Filip's post)!  When can we see them in America (nudge, nudge)!? 

Cheers,

Daos

I suppose that the economical situation will accelerate their decision, I Cant wait for it! Glad you like it I had fun designing it... and seeing the face of my boss when I showed it to him ( He asked if you need an gun license to drive it )

cheers, Luc

I LOVE the quilted bucket seats!  So mod!  Are those sculpted lines on the rocker panel?  The LED headlights are also a hot touch (one of my favorite things about the current Audis).  This design really hits for me; aggressive nose, and stance, luxe interior, flowing, sculptural lines.  I wonder if we will never get it Stateside though, as perhaps there is a feeling it may cannibalize sales of certain VW models geared toward similar drivers.  A real winner, Luc.  Bravo!  I look forward to learning and seeing more about SEAT in the future.

Cheers,

Daos

 

The rockers are carved to enhance the athletic stance. You are really a freak!, you noticed all the details! You put the finger on it, cannibalization is a topic especially if this spanish brand could generate a lot of sympathy from the hispanic generations. Thank you for the compliments but I do not deserve them: I am getting paid to do something (play with cars) I would do for free ... or even pay to do it...

Enjoy the Week end, Daos Cheers, Luc

too bad about the toro..I am a big toro fan...and from reading..I think I know exactly what you meant by it being a bit subpar...

but...I think I do need to try it..any place that don't serve california rolls is interesting...

The restaurant is definitely worth trying and the owners seem very kind and focused on serving fresh fish.  Would love to hear your thoughts if you ever visit Sushi Nishi-ya!

Cheers,

Daos

Hi, Daos!

I am happy to learn you are off jury, and boy was your reward well worth the effort! All the dishes look super tasty! Sorry to hear about the toro, though. It is a tricky dish. I ate one last week at a local sushi joint here in my hometown and it didn't hit home either. But that's the reason we have to keep on trying new places

Take care,

Alex

I'm always up for sushi and sake.  When you come to visit LA we'll have to check out one of the local sushi places! 

Cheers,

Daos