bar sawa@Little Tokyo ★★★

Great Omakase with Awesome Cocktail Pairing. Fun and chill environment. Fresh sushi carefully handcrafted. They did a blind tasting game. I guessed all the blind tasting sushi right. Natalia the bartender was great. I had her pick the cocktail pairing for me. All the cocktails she picked for me was perfect. $170 Omakase Course. Cocktail pairing was $45 for 3 glasses, which was a good deal. Reservations via Tock. $6 parking at structure.

Sashimi for the Night

Prep Work

Sawa Highball
toki whisky, soda water, yuzu bitters, grapefruit peel

Yuzu
roku gin, yuzu liqueur

Smoked Chutoro with Shiso Garlic Sauce

Fried Oyster

Snapper marinated in Konbu

Ankimo paired with Yuzu

Aji - Horse Mackerel

Shima Aji

Gyokuro Martini – Green Tea Vodka
haku vodka, gyokuro, lillet blanc

Aoiebi – Blue Crystal Shrimp from Australia

Smoked Bonito in Konbu - Katsuo Skipjack Tuna

Akamizuke from Mexico

Masu - Ocean Sprout with Pickes

Kama Toro

Ika - Squid

Uni with Truffle

Anago - Fresh Water Eel

Yuzu Saketini
sake, yuzu, cointreau, lillet blanc

Marinated Black Cod

Japanese Old Fashioned
toki whisky, hojicha, angostura bitters, kuromitsu

Ebi Dashi Somen

Egg - Tamago

bar sawa
111 San Pedro St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 381-5858
barsawa.us

Kanpachi@Gardena ★★★

Superb Quality. Great Lunch Price. The sashimi was so fresh. Uni, Salmon, Negitoro, and Salmon Roe were my favorite. They have Renkon, Mushroom, and Sweet Sakura Powder in a corner, which made the Chirashi more interesting. Lunch Specials available on weekdays Tues-Fri only.

#3 Chirashi Lunch $22
11pieces sashimi over sushi rice: tuna, albacore, salmon, yellowtail, mackerel, surf clam, shrimp, squid, uni, salmon roe, egg

 
Kanpachi Sushi & Sake
18220 S Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 817-4581
https://kanpachigardena.com

Tanakaya@Tustin ★

Japanese Noodles Restaurant with long wait in Tustin. For a Saturday lunch, there was an hour wait to get seated. Food took about 30 minutes to come out. Soba Sampler was nice but not worth the long wait. Ume Shiso had the strongest flavor. Their food tend to be salty, so don't pour all the dipping sauce into the cup. The tempura was great too.

Cold Soba Sampler $14.95

tanuki/ matcha soba/ ume shiso/ nameko oroshi/ match soba/ sansai

Assorted Tempura $15.95

shrimp & vegetables

Hot Udon with Oysters $15.45

homemade noodles with oysters, enoki mushrooms, & wakame seaweed

Tanakaya
654 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
(657) 231-6245
www.tanakaya-soba.com

Kanpachi To-Go@Gardena ★★★ (closed)

To-Go Sushi with Nice Price and Quality. Though a long-time patron at Kanpachi (dine-in), it's my first time to try their to-go only branch. It was satisfying. This Uni is a bit bitter, but it may depend on your luck and differ. Comes with Miso Soup. A la carte sushi is also available to order.

10. Deluxe Sushi $27
11pc sushi and 1 roll: tuna, yellowtail, salmon, albacore, surf clam, shrimp, egg, salmon roe, uni, amberjack, freshwater eel, 3pc tuna roll, 3pc cucumber roll

1. Sushi $20
8pc sushi and 1 roll: tuna, salmon, albacore, yellowtail, salmon roe, uni, shrimp, egg, 3pc cucumber roll, 3pc tuna roll

Paired it with Song of the Sea Junmai Ginjo Sake (leftover from n/naka dinner)

Kanpachi To-Go
1425 W Artesia Blvd Ste 27
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 515-1391
https://kanpachigardena.com

Sushi Nikkei@Long Beach ★★

Returning to Peruvian Japanese Restaurant. Innovative fusion with great taste. The sauce, seasoning, and toppings differentiate itself to traditional Japanese cuisine. The spices are best to be paired with sake. Friendly staff. The owner Eduardo Chang Ogata from Peru recognized us since our last February visit. Busy on a weeknight. Corkage fee is $20.

Grilled Scallop $16
peruvian scallops, butter, quinoa pop, garlic limo

Octopus Fire $21
parrillera sauce, lemon soy, chalaquita

Lava Scallops $11
scallops and blue crab, truffle oil/ chili sauce

Hamachi Tosada $14
corn tostado, avocado, salsa macha, spicy mayo, radish, serrano

Oba Roll $17
crispy salmon, avocado topped with salmon, parrillera, jalapeño sauce, chalaquita

Peruvian Cebiche $25
catch of the day, tiger milk, aji amarillo, cancha, sweet potato

Hakkaisan (Junmai) 720mL $59

Hakkaisan (Junmai) 720mL $59

Sushi Nikkei
3819 Atlantic Ave Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 283-3042

n/soto@Mid-City ★★★

Quality Izakaya Spot by the Creators of n/naka. Reminds me a lot of Raku in Las Vegas (or West Hollywood, which is no longer there). Fantastic Kushiyaki (grilled skewers) and Sushi. Tofu was smooth and silky. Love the Bone Marrow with Miso and Wine flavor, paired with Grilled Rice Ball. Great cocktail. Good service. Accepts walk-in, but reservation highly recommended. Corkage fee is $30. Valet parking or street.

Sashimi Moriawase $43
chef's selection

Warm House Made Tofu $8
ginger, tosa joyu

Brussels Sprouts & Salmon Skin Salad $16
red onion, poached egg

Unagi Kushiyaki $9
japanese freshwater eel

Tebasaki $6

Geoduck Nigiri $15
jumbo clam

Sakamushi Clams $18
shiitake, dashi

Miso Baked Bone Marrow $16
umeboshi onigiri

Beachwood Lager Beer $7, Umeshu $16 (umeshu, pommeau, yuzu tonic)

4566 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
(323) 879-9455
http://n-soto.com