Shunji: Matsuhisa for Mortals?

It was a semi-dark and stormy evening.  I was dreading the long haul home from West LA back to the Valley.  Then a memory beckoned to me like a beacon in the night - of a chain of posts on Chowhound talking about the reincarnation of a utopic place that I had been sad I didn't get around to visiting before it shuttered - Shunji's.

Exec chef/owner Shunji Nakao was one of the original three chefs at Matsuhisa in the late 80's (along with his brother and Nobu Matsuhisa).  Shunji and his brother went on to run the highly successful (and one of the few Michelin-starred restaurants in LA) Asanebo in Studio City - before Shunji had moved on to his own spot on Melrose.  And after splitting from the owner of Shunji's, chef Shuji took his namesake with him...as luck would have it for me, to West LA very close to my new office. 

The new Shunji is in a most unexpected venue - the spot previously occupied by Mr. Cecil's Ribs, on Pico.  It's a distinctively shaped (round) standalone building - and because they have only just soft opened March 1st, the sign currently just says "Japanese Cuisine".  The 'disguised' location works out perfectly for me - all the better to be able to experience Chef Shunji's creations in peace, before word spreads and the place starts getting packed.

So, I pulled over that night on my way home, right when the restaurant opened at 6:15.  I was the only person for a good hour or so - and considered myself lucky to get to see Chef Shunji at work at the sushi bar, and had a blast chatting with super friendly server Yuko. 

Right now they are only serving dinner - the staff is lean and Chef Shunji is pretty much handling all the food on his own.  The dinner menu looked exciting (you can get oysters on the half shell with uni!! oyster/uni tempura!), with fairly reasonable prices ($10 and under for a lot of items), but I knew that with access to such a talented chef, omakase was really the way to go.  Chowhound told me it would be $80 for omakase, which is actually not too bad at all for quality sushi.  Little did I know I was to have a mind-blowing meal full of new discoveries, of the caliber of LudoBites or Le Comptoir. 

Course 1: Jellyfish, cucumber, radish, red onion in sake sauce - though jellyfish is common in Chinese cuisine, I don't recall ever encountering it in Japanese cooking.  Chef Shunji serves it cold, with slices of cucumber, daikon and red onion in a sake sauce.  The texture of the jellyfish was incredible - soft and flowing yet with a crisp crunch.  This paired well with the 'like' crunch of the veggie accompaniments, and all in a shallow bath of sake sauce, served in a glass.  A very lovely start.

As Shunji carefully crafted the next course I could see that it would become one of my favorites. The care with which he arranged the pieces, reminded me of an artist or sculptor at work.

Course 2: Veggie platter with happy ends (not official name, I made this up) - the artistry of this course reminded me of a recent plate by Chef Gary Menes, but with a much more playful aesthetic (pop-art to Chef Menes' fine art), and seafood as bookends to the freshest cuts of fun looking veggies.  From left to right: ankimo (monkfish liver) and caviar, squash, lotus root, daikon, peas, purple daikon, okra, turnip, string bean, kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), celery, burdock root, sweet potato ball with truffle and feta cheese, purple potato ball with blue cheese and dried persimmon, Costa Rican 'sparkle squid'.  Every piece of veggie was beautifully fresh and all set off fireworks on my taste buds!  But I was glad that the chef advised to eat all the veggies first, then end with the pieces of seafood - I wanted to keep the taste of both in my mouth forever.  The ankimo was gorgeously light and airy, with the brine from caviar cutting nicely through the rich buttery flavor. 

The delicate little  'sparkle squid' (not entirely sure if that's the proper name), a rare find from Costa Rica, was something I'd never had before - and absolutely ethereal - like it just got plucked from the ocean minutes before, still glistening with sea water. Chef Shunji put a little dab of something that tasted very slightly spicy on its head, and the light bit of heat went perfectly with the flavors of the squid! 

The only things on the plate that I wasn't a big fan of were the potato-cheese-balls.  They were a little too dry, dense and pungent, and to me didn't seem to go with the other objects of almost other-worldly-levity on the plate.

In any case - I loved this course.

Course 3: Steamed Bamboo, Uni, Bamboo, Seaweed in Chorizo & Ramps Dashi.  I don't know how Chef Shunji even thought to put these things together.  But the steamed bamboo was one of the best preparations I've ever had - I never thought that bamboo could be its own main attraction like that - usually it's embellishment in some other dish like ramen (or in Chinese cuisine, part of different soups or stir fry).  The steamed bamboo was served carved up into triangular sections - and were tender, but with a clean crunch that reminded me of beets or hearts of palm, lovely sprinkled with fleur de sel.  To counterbalance the mild flavors of the bamboo, there was a roasted tomato that had been marinated with vinegar.  Then there was a bowl filled with sea urchin, more bamboo pieces, fresh seaweed - all in a clear and slightly starchy broth made with chorizo and ramps.  A truly lovely and unique dish - creatures and plants of land and sea came together in one bowl.  Mind-blown.

Course 4: Squid in Squid Ink and Uni with Quail Egg + Seared Kanpachi with Miso Sauce + Allegra Flowers - just when I was still mulling over the new and unusual flavors of the previous dishes, the Best Dish of the Night arrived, catching me completely off guard.  It seems like Italians have mixed squid ink with sea urchin already (love the squid ink pasta with uni and jalapeno at Osteria Mozza!), but I've never had squid sashimi in squid ink mixed with uni and topped by a quail egg.  This one at first triggered memories of the squid ink rice pudding I had at LudoBites 8.0 - which I didn't like - but Chef Shunji's invention was very different in that the freshest squid was used (where Ludo's was rice pudding shaped and textured to resemble squid), and the squid ink was tempered and made smooth and not so clotted by mixed in sea urchin - which also gave it an unbelievable umami that was transcendent.  I was advised to eat first a bit of the squid on its own, then to mix in the quail egg for even greater lusciousness.  I loved every bit of this and would come back in just for a taste - possibly every night before I go home.  And this all balanced perfectly with the gorgeously seared, smokey-tasting kanpachi, dabbed with sesame sauce for more umami, and finished off with a lovely sprig of edible Allegra flower (plucked from a potted plant at the end of the bar, so super fresh). 

Then, as we were talking about meals and dishes elsewhere I've been recently impressed with, I mentioned Ludo's foie gras soup - and Yuko said: "Oh, Chef Shunji used to do a Japanese foie gras soup he invented a long time ago.  Maybe he will make it again for you - not sure if he has the ingredients but let's ask".  And with a delighted grin, as if someone had just awarded him the $656 million lottery jackpot, Chef Shunji pulled out his 'secret stash' of foie and went to work on Course 5: to recreate his soup - which turned out to be a taro potato gazpacho with winter melon, yams, yuzu zest and shaved foie gras torchon on top.  The foie was almost brittle looking, or looked from a distance like it could be chicken or pulled pork.  I didn't love the large chunks of softened orange yam in the soup - but adored the creative fusion of Japanese/French flavors in the foie, yuzu and sweet potato.  I almost licked the bowl clean.

Course 6: Roasted Eggplant, Miso, Fried Shrimp, Shitake Mushroom, Fresh Seaweed - resuming the 'regular' omakase, next up was another innovative roll that I've never seen anywhere else before: roasted eggplant was topped by a miso paste, then pieces of pan-fried shrimp and shitake mushroom.  This was a delicious combination of the 'fruits' of ocean and earth again that really brought the umami.

Course 7: Black Cod with Enoki and Shitake Mushrooms in Mushroom Dashi - the last hot course of the meal, this was simple and clean, with a lovely piece of black cod (skin on!) in a clear mushroom broth, beautifully arranged with enoki and shitake mushrooms. 

At this point other patrons started to arrive, and I was getting full - Yuko asked if I had room for anything else.  At the beginning of the meal it had been mentioned that they have very nice cuts of bluefin tuna and toro in today - so I coudn't leave without trying those.  The bluefin tuna was a breathtaking rich almost burgundy color, and was lush and delicious.  I also loved that Chef Shunji grates a wasabi root right in front of you to make the freshest wasabi possible for the sushi.   

The Toro was so tender and fatty and fresh, I had to close my eyes for a moment to truly savor the bites.  Chef Shunji puts salt crystals on one of the pieces too for texturing and flavor, but both pieces were amazing.

All in all, I was glad the storm and need to delay my journey home - brought me to this new home away from home.  The hospitality was world class, and I loved my mind-blowing dinner at not too much wallet-damage ($80 omakase plus a glass of wine ($9) plus extra course of foie gazpacho ($12) and extra pieces of sushi ($10 for toro).  Affordable for mere mortals.  I can't wait to go back.  And the only reason I'm telling you about this instead of keeping it to myself, is that everyone should get to experience Chef Shunji's amazing creations at least once - and I'm really rooting for this venture to succeed, as they deserve to be around for a long, long time. 

On a 7 point scale:Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 5 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 5 stars
Service - 5 stars
Overall experience - 5.5 bites
Price - $ (1 bite mark)
Probability of return visit - 100%

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Shunji
12244 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles,CA 90064
Ph: 310.826.4737

Parking: Free lot attached to restaurant

Website: shunji-ns.com
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Sushi Gen: the Zara's of Sushi?

I will probably never in my life be able to afford a Urasawa dinner, or a Birkin bag. But that doesn't mean I have to resign myself to a life of grocery store sushi, or disposable fashion from Forever 21.  Cue Sushi Gen, the Zara's of sushi - to the rescue.  A place that serves up well made fare, at unexpectedly high quality for the price.

I can't believe it took me this long to make it down there - I had heard so many good things and never went. Finally, in a moment of inspiration, I decided to head in the direction of downtown LA on a weekday holiday - thinking that no one goes downtown area/ Little Tokyo on a weekday when they don't have to work, right?  

Apparently Sushi Gen is busy every.single.day.365.a.year.  I got there at 1:30pm, they are supposed to close at 2pm and there was a line out the door and a mob 8-10 deep around the tiny hostess stand, with an agitated host repeating over and over what he knows no one wants to hear - two hour wait for a table, and that's with a reservation.  Don't even think about it if you just walked in.(Don't go by the photo of the deserted entrance - this was hours later, after the lunch rush) One of the beautiful things about dining by yourself is that when you encounter a situation like this - you can just slide past the crowd and into a seat at the bar instantly.  Which the host was more than happy to let me do - one less irate customer is one less person to get in his face every five minutes for the next two hours.  I was duly warned though, "no lunch specials at the bar" - which explains the legions of Asians willing to wait for 2 hours for a table.

I would normally be among them, but I was starving and glistening panels of fish beckoned me from behind the glass.  As soon as I was seated I received a slip of paper listing all the available fish - no prices, but you could basically use that menu to guide your requests to one of six sushi chefs along the wall to wall bar.  Sometimes it's nice to save the best for last, but that day was not one of those days - I wanted my favorites, in my mouth, ASAP.  So I started with Uni (sea urchin, always a favorite), which was plump and one of the freshest I've had in the city in recent memory (huge caveat of course, my experience is colored by price and as I stated, having never been to the lets-mortgage-the-house-I-don't-have-pricey-dinners where the fish would of course be in a whole different, transcendent, league).  Toro is a great staple roll, but not one that normallly blows my mind - these ones at Sushi Gen did.  They were a gorgeous, lush deep pink, beautifully fatty - a perfect amount of fat - and absolutely glides in your mouth. I had two sets of these.

I followed that with another favorite: Ama Ebi (sweet shrimp) - this sort of is a test for the quality of ingredients and skills of the chef - almost every sushi place will have this, but the quality of the shrimp will be immediately apparent and speak to the quality you can expect with the rest of your meal.  Sweet shrimp is raw shrimp - too often, with places where it's not super fresh, the meat will be sort of flaccid.  Sushi Gen's is nice and structured, not firm because the beauty of raw shrimp is that great, unique smooth texture midway between jelly and the bursting-at-the-seams quality that's reminiscent of lobster, of cooked shrimp meat, but is smooth and soft while giving a beautiful crunch.

With sweet shrimp, comes the shrimp heads - and I was offered a choice of having them put into miso soup, or served deep fried.  I went deep fried - and they came beautifully fried to a crisp golden color, with the 'candy striped' legs in graceful arcs overhead.  Friends who have seen me eat these shrimp heads always get creeped out by the sight of the decapitated creature - and wonder how I coud eat it when it's shell and 'hard' legs.  I actually think these look gorgeous but did feel a little guilty with the beady eyes glaring at me - luckily the crunchy, fragrant fried bits (which tasted like shrimp chips, ha!) provided delicious distraction.

Then there was the Yellowtail Belly, a lovely cut of the mild fish which serves as nice palate cleanser in a way. 

I was really excited to see quite a few items that I hadn't seen at other sushi spots before - one of these was Gizzard Shad.  The name sounds so exotic!  I somehow thought it would be some kind of organ (maybe I was thinking chicken gizzards) - but it's actually a North American fish with silvery skin.  Really beautiful to look at, a little oily - not bad tasting but not one that I would crave. 

Engawa was another one that caught my eye on the menu - turns out it's fatty meat from the dorsal fin of halibut.  According to the Sushi-pedia, the word engawa usually refers to the exterior hallway on the side of a traditional Japanese home, which I guess is what the dorsal fin reminded people of on this fish.  It's got sort of a unique looking structure, with flesh and fat interlacing to form open ridges and valleys in the flesh.  It's muscular yet deliciously fatty at the same time - chewy yet lush - and incredibly fresh: I LOVED it!!!  Actually ended up getting 3 orders of this and wish I could have eaten more.  Will be looking for this at every sushi place I go to from now on - knowing I may just have to go back to Sushi Gen, and soon.

Another item not often seen on sushi menus: Abalone, which I expected to be that brown, thick seafood-steak like presentation you normally see in Chinese banquets - but perhaps thinly sliced.  These were light in color - almost like the inside of octopus tentacles - and were crunchy around the edges as well.  It wasn't as flavorful as I expected either.  Glad I got to try these but probably wouldn't order again.   

It just so happened that I had been seated directly in front of several rolls of fresh monkfish liver, wrapped in tinfoil - but which looked so smooth and perfect I had to try one.  I've had the infamous one at Toranoko, and thought it was a bit too firm, without a lot of flavor, and didn't love it.  But the chef who was assigned to me recommended that the Ankimo would taste better in an appetizer versus as a sushi course.  And I found that Chef does know best - Sushi Gen's ankimo appetizer was gorgeous - with an almost origami-like structure made of red onion atop roe atop the silkiest, softest, most tofu-like rounder of monkish liver, all sitting in a light soy sauce strewn with green onion for flavor.  Delicious.  Mark that moment as the one I really fell in love with monkfish liver. 

Then, back to one more item I've never had before, that I can remember at least: Half Beak.  I let my imagination run wild again, and had a half-macabre vision of some tiny beak of a sea bird (what that has to do with sushi or fish, no idea). 

Image source: Sustainablesushi.net

But it was simply an odd name for a fish that is long, narrow, also known as needlefish - that has silver skin which is hand stripped from the pieces beore serving.  It's rich with omega-3s, which while good for you (supposedly cleans out bad cholesterol from your body) makes it a very oily fish in texture/taste.  The chef served up the pieces with ginger to break up the grease.  I didn't love this one as I like my fish / sushi clean, but thought it was interesting to serve it up with Chinese style chopped ginger root.

I also of course couldn't leave without getting Mackerel - and these pieces were perfect - just the right size and thickness, and degree of tartness.  Loved the skin as well. 

I don't typically do dessert at sushi places as it's usually something generic like green tea ice cream or slices of orange.  In this case I wouldn't have had any stomach capacity left anyway. 

All in all, my total bill with 13 'courses' of sushi and a drink, came to just a little over $100.  Much more than I would normally spend on lunch - but for the quality of sushi, and the number of rolls i had, that price is well worth it.  The focus is unostentatiously about the food here, there are no frills, no catchy taglines and gimmicks built on being anti-gimmick - and it's really just letting the beautiful, fresh and flavorful ingredients shine. (Just like Zara is with clothes, it's just great quality for the price - its not the ultimate word in luxury, but it was never meant to be.) It's no wonder they are constantly packed.

Nothing will compare to fish from Tsukiji market, the largest fish market in the world, in Tokyo - but in my mind this is probably as close as I can get, where I live, without blowing my non-existent-life-savings on one meal. I am grateful for places like Sushi Gen, for people like me whose palates do not match their wallets - this gives you an option for great sushi at an affordable price.

If anyone needs me for anything, I'll just be over here plotting my next visit and insidious slide into Sushi Gen...

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100% 
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Sushi Gen 
422 E Second St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Ph: 213.617.0552

Parking:  Park in strip mall lot attached to restaurant or meters on 3rd
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Kiriko Sushi - Making Its Mark at the Olympic Collection

Olympic Collection brings back many memories - that complex on the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle with its boutique shops, restaurants and bakeries anchored around an event space - was the answer, back in college, whenever anyone asked where we wanted to eat. There was the college kid wallet friendly udon place, Mishima - that wasn't too rough on the palate either (back then). Same goes for Hong Kong Cafe (decent offering of authentic Chinese without long drive to SGV). And a laid back bar on the first floor, if we wanted to drink and hang out a bit afterwards.

Now, 'all grown up' - even if just on a cellular level, not so much mental/ emotional - I still love to visit the area to indulge cravings for quirky/tasty snacks like chocolate filled koala shaped cookies, and chips so spicy the bag features an image of a grandma breathing unseen fire into the air, at Nijiya Market across the street. Recently the much buzzed about Tsujita, with its Tsukemen (cooled noodles you dip into fish/pork broth slow cooked for hours!) just opened a lil ways down as well - and I cant wait to try it. But on a rather hot day, I decided to go with Kiriko Sushi, on the 1st floor of Olympic Collection.

Kiriko may not always come up on lists of Top Sushi Places in LA, but perhaps only because it's not a place that's big on self-promotion nor takes an 'of the moment' approach - but rather inauspiciously serves up high quality sea creatures and their own modern take on sushi in their cozy space with a handful of tables around a featured bar.

At first I was drawn to the blackboard featuring a lunch special that seemed to have a LOT of stuff offered for $15 (4 courses?!)...

But I had heard great things about Kiriko's specialty sushi / sashimi and decided that should be my first experience of the place...

So I swung all the way to the other extreme and went for the Omakase - Sashimi & Sushi ($46) which touts "Today's best selection of fish picked by chef (assorted sashimi, 5pcs of sushi, soup and salad). This ended up being quite a bit more food than I expected!

First up: Miso soup and salad - these were classics, well executed. Both tasted incredibly fresh and a nice way to kick off the meal.

Kiriko doesn't waste any time with making a great impression - the first dish (sashimi/Japanese tapas plate #1) was beautifully plated, and had me at hello.

I LOVED that they don't play it safe with standard slices of fish first, but dive straight into service of more exciting sea creatures / sea creature parts.

Monkfish Liver with fermented soybean sauce - I was so excited to see this 'foie gras of the sea' on the platter! Apparently this comes from one of the ugliest fish in the sea, but its liver at least is beautiful and full of vitamins and minerals that are good for you. This was the freshest monkfish liver I've ever had (ok, so from a big sample size of two) - texture that's silky smooth, lush and somewhere between butter and firm tofu, rich but subtle flavor that is to me like a nutty and less bold version of lobster tomalley.

The topping of fermented soybean sauce makes it more like a Japanese tapas item and gives it extra flavor without overwhelming the natural richness of what I'm just gonna call 'monkfish foie'. Loved this.

Octopus a classic, well prepared - not sure if they massaged these tentacles, played Mozart to it, whispered sweet nothings etc. but whatever their method, these pieces were tEnDeR as heck! Loved that it was served up in pristine form with just a gentle dab of fresh wasabi.

Surf Clam with fresh seaweed - I loved the presentation of the third item on the plate - served up in a lovely pearlized ceramic clam-shaped dish, with fresh tendrils and folds of seaweed strewn over the clam, as if it had literally just washed up on shore this way.

Clam can be tough if not cooked right, but Kiriko's preparation was perfect, soft yet slightly chewy, juicy and tasting of fresh ocean water.

As almost sort of like a palate cleanser in between plates, next up was an item from their appetizer section - Mango Wrapped in Smoked Salmon with caviar. The salty, soft and yieldy slice of salmon was an interesting pairing with the tart/tangy crunchy cut of fruit -punctuated by the brine of the black caviar spheres.

Next up was a Sashimi plate #2. Starting on the far left: Kampachi-carpaccio (amberjack), served with rounds of jalapenos and a vinegar fish roe gelee. I loved the vinegar fish roe gelee for its different twist on the usual brush of vinegar in liquid form over sushi. However, I did find that the combination of acute acidity and heat from the jalapenos did somewhat overwhelm the carpaccio instead of letting its natural, pure flavors shine or giving it an assist to let it shine first.

In the middle atop a shiso leaf are Albacore Tuna slices with fried shallots and tobiko- this would probably tie for my favorite of the plate - albacore tuna doesn't have much star power on its own, and in contrast to other fish that I would want to taste in a clean, pure way - when put in unusual combination with fried shallots (for crunchy explosions of pungent flavor) and tobiko (lovely bursts of subtle salinity), and unique taste of the shiso leaf, was elevated to bites of beauty.

Lastly, to the far right, my other tie for favorite item on the plate: Tako Sakurani (tender Japanese octopus slices) with a thin line of ponzu sauce. Loved the unusual cut of octopus, which almost took on a squid like appearance and textural quality. The ponzu sauce also cut through nicely with bit of tartness.


Then came a series of sushi rolls, starting with Toro sushi - a nice, fatty and perfectly sized piece of tuna over a well-formed and just barely perceptibly warm rice roll.

Red Snapper sushi - another lovely slice sprinkled with tiny bits of seaweed.

Ok I should know what this one is but I didn't write it down so if you know what it is, please tell me!

Goldeneye Red Snapper sushi - this was my favorite of the sushi rolls, yes, I'm predictable by now about my love for the unusual. So yes, I loved this one - haven't seen it in many sushi places - maybe just Kiriko and Asanebo

The color, texture (lightly pan-fried so that the skin has an exquisite, slight, salty smokiness, and the outside is just barely cooked while the inside is still tender and raw), taste are all beautiful. Top it off with a dab of yuzu kosho ( A fermented paste made of yuzu rind, chili peppers, and salt) for tart/bitter/heat and it's perfection in a roll.

For the grand finale - a Crab Hand Roll that gave the meal a sweet, satisfying finish with the softest, freshest, sweetest crab balanced with sesame for fragrant crunch, and perky rice all wrapped in a crisp sheet of fresh toasted nori.
All in all, I definitely enjoyed the unusual offerings more, but also preferred the ones that let the clean flavors of the sea creatures shine.


Though $46 is much more than I would normally spend on lunch, I found the omakase at Kiriko worth the splurge - if nothing else, as a defiant reaffirmation of this phase of my life (yes, I've long graduated from the Mishimas of the world - I make my own money and this is how I choose to enjoy it...cue Destiny's Child song?).

On the flip side, when I do get back to the realities of my regular budget, I will have their $15 lunch deal to look forward to checking out as well.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (3 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%
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Kiriko Sushi
11301 Olympic Blvd #102, West Los Angeles, CA 90064
Ph: 310.478.7769
Website: kirikosushi.com
Twitter: twitter.com/kirikosushi
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Asanebo - Michelin-Starred Sushi in Studio City

I recently rewatched Jiro Dreams of Sushi thanks to a free screening at AFI Fest, and predictably it has filled my mind with nothing but sushi since. I must be sado-masochistic to torture myself with reliving the visual feast of food at a quality and price I can't have.  I couldn't just hop on the next flight to Japan to taste the artistry at Sukiyabashi Jiro (restaurant featured in the movie), and in LA the sushi master lauded as best in the city/state and maybe even country - two Michelin-starred Urasawa - is nearly as inaccessible to foodies on a budget, with prices starting at $350 per person.  But I'm a dreamer, and it was uplifting to even have feasted just my eyes.

Thinking about Michelin-starred sushi though did trigger lovely memories of my last major splurge - I did have amazing meals at the one-Michelin starred Asanebo in Studio City.  I had somehow never gotten around to doing a post about them - and now seems like a good time to relive the last meal there by writing about it.

Michelin stars are hard to come by in LA, period, and no one really expected one to be awarded to a spot in the Valley, no less.  But Asanebo was amazing, and the best Japanese fine dining experience I've had in the city so far within my price range (barely within my budget - and with the previously stated disclaimer that I haven't been able to afford meals at the super high end places like Urasawa or Nobu so can't speak to how they are).

What I love about Asanebo: incredible quality, and creativity, without cheesy gimmicks or pretentiousness.  A tiny venue with just a handful of tables and counter seating, located in an unassuming strip mall on Ventura Blvd., Asanebo radiates the cozy vibe of a neighborhood gem - while serving up world class cuisine.

My first encounter with Asanebo was generously 'sponsored' by an ex's parents, who loved that I had the same taste as them  (he didn't eat most seafood, much less raw - hm, perhaps that should have raised red flags much earlier).  The feeding frenzy was a blur but I remembered spectacular uni dishes, and scallop sashimi rolled in grey smoked sea salt (which I'd never seen done before).  So last December, when my brother and his wife were in town, I had taken her (a fellow sushi lover) to Asanebo as her last meal before returning to Montreal.  I got off work late and it was nearly closing time, so we took the quick and 'easy' route of omakase, which excited us anyway as it meant some of the best and freshest the chefs have to offer, plus I like to be surprised when it comes to food. 

Our choice was simple: Omakase A ($75-$100, no sushi), B ($100-$125),  or C ($125+).  We went with B as it was only $25 more and included sushi, and we didn't have trust funds to fuel the open-ended C.

So it's been a while, and the meal went too fast to take extensive notes, so hoping this is not completely inaccurate (let me know if you see something that needs to be corrected!)

First dish: Housemade tofu with sea urchin with bonito sauce, fresh seaweed and fresh wasabi the tofu was a little too dense for me, but you can really taste the difference in fresh made vs packaged tofu - flavors are richer and cleaner, the texture much smoother.  Same with the fresh seaweed and wasabi.  Top this with incredibly fresh tongues of uni and we were off to a fantastic start.

Next up was Grilled Golden Eye Snapper (so I have had it before!) with Japanese Spring Vegetables, Shimeji Mushrooms, Tofu Curd and Bonito Flakes - loved this dish for the salty char on the freshest piece of fish, balanced by earthiness of mushrooms and veggies, elevated by bonito flakes and tofu curd for textural contrast.

Then came an unexpected meat dish - Seared Kobe Beef - the lush texture was amazing and it was served as beef sashimi (with a dab of wasabi on the side!).  The bite-sized pieces were perfectly seared for crisp, salty edges yielding to a rare to medium-rare center so tender it almost made us cry.  I still remember the taste of this one almost a year later.

Hamachi (yellowtail) was next, with crispy shreds of shallot on top, sitting in a lake of dashi (broth).  A rustic dish that was lovely in its simplicity and beautiful in the careful balance of textures and flavors.

Halibut with Black Truffle was a creative combination that of course had me salivating on sight.  I didn't think I had ever seen truffle used with sashimi before, but the earth+sea combo of lightly crunchy truffle with thinly sliced, tender fish - though not mind-blowing - worked nicely together.  On the side was a marinated cherry tomato for some acidity to cut through the rich flavors and act as palate cleanser.

This was followed by a veggie dish - Stewed Daikon (radish) with Black Soybeans in dashi (broth) served warm. 

The daikon was stewed carefully so that it was almost translucent, and so tender it fell away with a light swipe of the spoon, but yet retained its structure, holding back just before the brink of mush.  The consistency reminded me of Chinese winter melon (冬瓜) when it's been stewed and made into soup. The mild flavors of the daikon were enhanced by the hearty, fragrant black soybean on top.

Next up was a Alaskan King Crab Leg, lightly grilled so that there is a lovely saltiness that carries over from the shell before you reach the sweet meat inside. Not the most incredible crab leg I've ever had, but a nice addition to the meal.

Our second to last dish was Miso Soup - we were surprised to see it came with a lobster head, the first time we'd seen that used with miso soup.  The soup tasted made from scratch, and hit us to our core on that cold winter night.  The hearty lobster head may be unsettling for diners who don't like to meet their food face-to-face (my brother's wife didn't love that it was 'staring' at her) but I felt it was a nice and unusual touch and thought I could taste tomalley flavors infused into the soup



Where a meal would traditionally end with some sort of sweet dish, Asanebo ends theirs with a small plate of nigiri sushi - Toro, Uni and Hamachi.  I really loved this plate as the fish  tasted like it was plucked from the ocean minutes ago, and were great last bites to leave with and remember Asanebo by.

All in all, a lovely time at Asanebo - where most sushi joints would offer all fish/seafood rolls in their omakase, Asanebo mixes it up with small plates and even kobe beef, and it all works together.  I loved the ambiance of thoughtful and cozy decor, and warm, friendly service (they treat everyone like they're an old friend).  I know I won't likely be able to repeat the experience anytime soon, but...sort of like how NFL stars, after winning the Superbowl, would sometimes give their by now famously familiar answer when asked what they're gonna do now - if I ever had another occasion to celebrate, at this point, if I was paying my first thought would very well be "I'm going to Asanebo!"

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6.5 bites
Presentation - 6.5 bites
Originality - 6.5 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 6.5 stars
Overall experience - 6.5 bites
Price - $$$$ (4 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%
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Asanebo
11941 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
Ph: 818.760.3348
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