Alex J.
Yelp
Absolutely solid sushi spot that deserves slightly more praise.
We stopped by Thursday at 6pm, there were a few tables occupied but as we ate the restaurant became more full.
Our waiter was super friendly and helped us pick and choose items here and there. Since we ordered the Nigori sake, he was kind enough to bring an ice bucket as well to keep the bottle cold.
We started off so strong with the Fluke Kumquat. The Fluke was so perfectly sliced and arranged beautifully with the kumquat, yuzu vinaigrette, and flower decorations. The savory salty sour and sweet combinations were outstanding.
Next up was the seared albacore with crispy onions. The onions were so crunchy and fried well without the greasiness. The albacore was thick cut and the sauce was delicious.
We tried the hanabi with wagyu, or crispy rice. I rarely see crispy rice with wagyu and this was executed perfectly. It came out hot and the wagyu was so soft, tender, juicy, and buttery.
For the rolls we ordered the Katana (spicy tuna, shrimp tempura topped with tuna & yellowtail, spicy mayo) and this was simple but perfectly made and so well done. A classic roll with great fresh flavors. I love and appreciate that they don't load up with spicy mayo or other sauces to overpower the roll.
The other roll, the Tokubetsu (real crab, cucumber topped with toro, sea bream, white truffle pesto, yuzu vinaigrette) has to be one of my new favorite sushi rolls in LA. The toro was so soft and well cut, crab was fresh, cucumber crunchy, and the white truffle pesto was made just right to not get that overpowering truffle flavor a lot of places do. This is such an iconic roll.
Lastly we ended with some nigiri including the bluefin Tuna, Toro, Salmon and Yellowtail. All were cut perfectly with great portion sizes, the toro was fatty and soft, the bluefin was buttery and so tender, the yellowtail fresh and my god that salmon was outstanding.
I think the only thing really holding me back from a 5 star review is the prices. Right now I would sit at a 4.75 but some prices are a bit much. I typically order toro are Katsu-ya and that's $9/piece, here it's $12. The katana roll at $24 is a bit higher than it should be, and same with the albacore. But overall, I'm super happy with my meal and I will definitely be back!