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Sushi

Sushi Gen - Downtown Little Tokyo

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Sushi Gen - Downtown Little Tokyo

I found Sushi Gen a few years ago when I started making more cash to afford higher end sushi. I didn't start to understand the craft until after my first visit here. After my first visit, I came back a few more times and it never fails to deliver. The ratio between rice and fish is always perfect in the nigiri. The quality of their seafood surpasses the expectations of local joints. There's a lot of great sushi places out there, but Sushi Gen always has that charm every time I go. People think it's all about the hype and the long lines that drive people to go. I'm not going to say that's not part of it, but they deliver on what they are proud to serve and I like to stick up for that because they shouldn't be shunned out for being "popular" just like they shouldn't be raved about just because they are "popular".

I've heard great things about their lunch specials. The sashimi lunch here is what everyone goes nuts for. The line was also no joke. We got there at 10:40 to wait in line. They don't open till 11:15AM. After the first crowd gets seated, the rest of us leave our name and the number in our party. Make sure your party is here or you won't be seated when called. Don't be mad about it either. There's a lot of hungry eaters waiting in line ready to take your seat anytime, so just be prepared. We got seated at 12, perfect timing for lunch.

Each entree is served with marinated steamed tofu and lightly pickled cucumber and cabbage.

This is the unagi set with side sashimi. The unagi was very flavorful, fatty, and scrumptiously decadent. Dust a little sansho pepper on top and dig in. I highly recommend this set. For $28, it's a great deal.

The side sashimi that comes with the unagi.

Their famous $17 sashimi lunch. Comes with a good portion of hot rice, this was a lot of food than what I bargained for! Fish was absolutely amazing. The tuna slice you see behind the hamachi, I believe was bluefin tuna. I could see the fat marbling throughout and knew this bite was going to be a treat. My eyes literally lit up after my first bite. They also served chopped up spicy tuna, negitoro, a few ends from the yellowtail and tuna. Also a grilled salmon piece in the back. Totally worth it.

422 E 2nd St Los Angeles, CA 90012

Little Tokyo, Downtown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sushi Roku Pasadena 16th Anniversary

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Sushi Roku Pasadena 16th Anniversary

Happens only once a year for all of us. Birthday's are special. Especially at Sushi Roku, they go big by offering their dinner menu for 50% off (food only). I've been eating here for many years now, but only found out about this big shebang last year. Rounded up a small group and rushed towards the bar seating area since they were booked for the night.

Sake for the table. After this bottle, we did some sake samplers (recommended).

And here are the slew of foods we ordered to celebrate Wednesday 

and the 16th Anniversary of Sushi Roku. I swear I am here all the time it feels like home.

Shishito peppers, nasu dengaku, and hanabi are always my go to for appetizers when I'm here. Oh! and fluke kumquat sashimi in a yuzu vinaigrette. The sushi you see are yellowtail, ankimo, salmon, toro and uni. Orders of salmon cut rolls are always welcomed. Some baked crab handrolls are always satisfying. And surprisingly, the chicken Karaage was very tasty with a bowl of hot rice! For dessert, we had their warm butter cake with vanilla ice cream and 3 unique mochis with flavors: pistachio, strawberry chocolate chip, and passion fruit.

One Colorado 33 Miller Alley Pasadena, CA 91103

 

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Okumura - Encino, CA

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Okumura - Encino, CA

It was Angela's 30th birthday. The great part about it was we didn't have to think hard on where to eat. The second great part about it was finding out about Okumura. Located in Encino on Ventura Blvd, you will find Okumura's restaurant wedged between Fat Stogies and a Salon. If you need further assistance locating this place, it's in the same plaza as Starbucks.

17302 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91316

We knew what we wanted coming here. And as for any fine Japanese sushi restaurant, I would highly recommend to order their Omakase. Omakase is basically the Chef's choice. Just thinking about it now, I think this is the first Omakase experience that I had. The only coursed Japanese meal that I've had was a Kaiseki in Japan (which by the way, was F***ing amazing).

We were seated right in front of the head chef and owner himself, Ryota Okumura. He was very kind and friendly, but was also very detailed to his surroundings. There was a refined delicacy to how he moved around his station. It wasn't long till he started pumping out our course.

Itadakimasu

Tuna Carpaccio

Tuna Carpaccio

Served with edible gold flakes, mix greens, and a soy vinaigrette. The tuna was extremely fresh. The first thing that I probably noticed was how lightly the dish was composed. Yes, it looks beautiful, but the flavors were not heavily masked. The vinaigrette just adds a nice touch to the natural flavors of the fish.

Albacore Carpaccio

Albacore Carpaccio

Served with crispy onions, ponzu sauce and a sliced cherry tomato. Another simple dish, but perfectly executed. The onions were simple, and not over fried to the point it over powers the fish.

Kanpachi Carpaccio

Kanpachi Carpaccio

Amberjack, pico de gallo, micro mix, and nihazu. Very delicious and bright. This screams spring flavors and hello summer. The pico de gallo was such a classic touch. Why didn't I think of that?

Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi

Some of the best things in life is everything you see in that bowl. The chawanmushi is a simple well balanced flavors of dashi, eggs, edamame and shrimp. Served atop with uni and ikura. One of the best tasting chawanmushi I've had. The custard was not too salty, which worked perfectly with the uni and the ikura.

Jozen Mizu no Gotoshi

Jozen Mizu no Gotoshi

Chef Ryota's recommendation. Trust him, this was pretty amazing.

Gari - The chef plated each of us with pickled ginger. Now it's time to get started.

There's no need to describe every single one because to be honest, they were all mind blowing. There wasn't that one piece that we didn't agree with. The sauces were perfect. The seasonings were right on the mark. The amount of wasabi in each wasn't dominant, but you know it's there. Each fish is prepared with expertise. The toro, for example, was deveined so that it will literally just melt in your mouth. The fishes were all extremely fresh like it just jumped out of the water and slapped you in your face.

One thing to point out. The seaweed really stood out to me. It was later mentioned, which was no surprise to me, that the seaweed was from his mother's hometown. To have great sushi, every little detail that goes into each bite matters.

If I HAD to pick one that stood out to me, I would have to go with the Blue fin tuna. Maguro is the staple fish that everyone loves in Japan. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of tuna. But this one it particular, was so simple, but the fish tasted so different as I started to chew. Towards the end, it had the slightest faint of the briny fresh sea water. To say it in one word: extraordinary.

Before dessert was served, we were all served a small bowl of miso soup.

Sweet surprise

Who would've thought that Chef Ryota would serve panna cotta at the end of an epic meal? This really reminds me of dessert in Japan. Just by presentation, it really looks like he was painting his own Zen garden. Served aside with some strawberry & vanilla mochi, this was the perfect close to take away.

I'm not sure how much the Omakase here runs. We had 1 bottle of beer and 2 small bottles of sake. 4 of us. Total was about $450. So if drinks were not included, I would just estimate around $80-$100 for the Omakase. Mind you that we came in at 6:30pm and left at almost 9. It was well worth it for the experience. It's not something to do everyday. And if it was something you can do everyday, then tell me, why are we not friends?

I am confident to put my money to say that Chef Ryota is extremely talented. The food that he serves is not only fresh, but his preparations are mastered in comparison to the restaurants I've had in Japan if not better. People talk about the best foods are in Japan. I can somewhat agree on some things, but I don't to the fact that you have to go there to have great Japanese food or in this case, great sushi. Okumura will definitely deliver.

17302 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91316

 

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