Vanshow Opens With Quality Sushi Inside the Tokyo Central Market in Torrance | Eater LA
"Opened in the new Tokyo Central Market on December 14, crowds descended on the Japanese grocery store the weekend after, and dozens of Japanese flower arrangements from clients of Tokyo Central were displayed outside the brick building that was once a Stein Mart clothing store to mark the opening. The sushi restaurant comes from Waka Sakura — the well-appointed conveyor-belt sushi restaurant that opened in March 2024 at the Gardena Tokyo Central on Artesia Boulevard — and, like Waka Sakura, is operated under the same parent company, Tokyo Central Market’s Marukai Corporation. Unlike Waka Sakura, this location is a full-service operation with an extensive à la carte menu, reservations, and, eventually, wide sake and beer options once the alcohol license comes through. It offers a value-oriented sushi menu with heavily seasoned Edomae-style rice and fish presented on more substantial ceramic plates: nigiri start at $6 for two pieces and rise to $10 for two specialty pieces; standard rolls like the California start at $10; specialty rolls — lemon-topped spicy tuna and avocado rolls, rainbow rolls, crab dynamite rolls with soy paper, and sea bream with pink sea salt — cost between $18 and $20 and are prepared near the level of places like Sushi Roku or even Nobu at a fraction of the cost. There are also carpaccio presentations such as scallop aji amarillo with ponzu and yellowtail ponzu with serrano peppers that wouldn’t feel out of place at Matsuhisa or Uchi. The interior is utilitarian, with almost no outside light, functional booths and tables, and a straightforward sushi bar where solo diners can watch chefs in action — more of a weekday-with-the-family experience than a weekend date night — and it mirrors the typical mid-range sushi spots like Manten Sushi Marunouchi found in Tokyo office buildings and malls. Like Waka Sakura, the operation executes its menu at a high level for this price point, and the service is described as stellar. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m." - Matthew Kang
