TimeOut

Sushi Nishi-ya

 

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