Hiromi R.
Yelp
I was honored to have this incredible dining experience at Sushi by Scratch inside SLS hotel in Beverly Hills with a group of 10 people. We began the evening with a welcome drink and hot towel in a separate 'waiting' area, which was a nice time to mingle with our group and get excited for the evening.
Next, we were escorted to the private dining area, which included a sushi-counter-esque set up where our four servers/chefs awaited for our arrival. We had assigned seating, which I haven't had in a dining experience outside of weddings, so I was pleasantly surprised. As we all settled in our seats, we were then introduced to the 17 omakase items that will be enjoyed this evening with an overview of each piece. The food items were also listed on the back wall, which made it easier to follow along. The experience also came with an optional beverage pairing, of either Japanese whiskey, sake, or mixture of Japanese cocktails/sake. I opted for the sake, which honestly, all pretty much tasted the same. If I were to do it differently, I'd opt in for the cocktails/sake combo.
Every bite of this delicious meal was like enjoying a piece of art. Not only did it look beautiful, but the flavors of each fish that was enhanced with a touch of another flavor, such as yuzu or wasabi or another topping I couldn't identify, was impeccable. Granted, I've had a lot of sushi in my life that left me mouth-watering for more, and that's how I felt when my 17 courses concluded. The ONLY thing I would ask to do differently is to slow it down a bit... I usually like to savior good food and take it slow, so this experience felt a bit rushed and it was over in just 60mins. I also had to drink the sake relatively quickly to keep up with the pairing, so that wasn't ideal.
The server/ chefs were very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. I found it a great 'dinner and a show' as we watched them cut the next pieces of fish as we ate our previous pieces.
Overall, this was a wonderful, unique experience and I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking for a rather special sushi meal / experience.