Beverly Hills - Sushi & Kushi IMAI

Sushi AYCE. Yes, All You Can Eat Sushi. Many have offered but none has got me to go back. Ok, except Vegas. That being said, a sushi chef friend told me about Sushi IMAI. Sushi IMAI has been around for more than ten years and only up until recently the owner Imai-san decided to offer various specials -- AYCE sushi brunch on the weekend sure sounded worthy of a shot.

Sushi IMAI has turned the sushi bar into a buffet bar during weekend brunch. The first thing that got my attention was the shabu-shabu section. The CIY sheets of beef can be done in seconds for optimum tenderness and suitable for some hungry patient-less buffet crowds.

Sushi, though limited on its selection, successfully delivered IMAI’s sushi standard with its top-notch freshness and quality. Four pieces of the sweet succulent scallop sushi should get your money worth in no time. For those who wants only sushi, they also offer Omakase “Trust Me” sushi meal during dinner hours where one would pay $35 and get around $60 worth of top quality sushi.

The rest of IMAI’s offerings were above average. I told myself that I was stuffing myself for a good cause: for your viewing pleasure. (and the pleasure was all mine)


For $12 USD, where can you get an AYCE of all the Japanese all time favorites like Sushi, Shabu-Shabu & Tempura in one setting that actually taste good. My only advise: get there early!

Sushi & Kushi IMAI
sushiandkushiimai.com | 8300 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211 | (323)655-2253

Little Tokyo - Hama Sushi

Hama Sushi is my “sushi-craving-quick-fix” spot. It’s located in the center of Little Tokyo. It’s in my home turf.

It’s usually packed everyday with constant 15-20 minutes wait during dinner hours. While you are waiting, you can’t skip to see a sign, not pictured, saying that they refuse to serve Tempura, Teriyaki or other common Japanese a la carte. They only have two tables while the sushi counter sits about fifteen. Ginger, wasabi and steamy towel are served right away when you sit at the counter.

Below, Salmon Teriyaki (I’m thankful but mystery to me as it should be one of their refuse-to-serve items), the salmon is very juicy and fresh with the right amount of crispy skin every time. The sauce is well balanced with sweet and savory. I also like to order the Miso Soup with Clam. The clam adds that Umami flavor to the plain ol’ miso soup that is good for my heart.

Sushi rice here is mildly sweet and sour. Raw fish are fresh. The combination is very well rounded. Below Sushi Deluxe Set C, at $17, comes with eight pieces of sushi, four California rolls & regular miso soup. (not all pieces pictured, egg sushi sold separately)

At Hama Sushi, adults order hand rolls like fat kids would want to order ice cream cones. It’s been said that one must finish a fresh served hand roll in five seconds to fully enjoy it before the dry crispy Nori becomes soggy and ruin the texture. From the left: Yellowtail, Spicy Salmon & Spicy Yellowtail easy bites, at around $4 each, are never short on demand.

Like any good sushi joints, some nicely carved orange wedges that shows chief’s knife skill are served as the last plate before the bill to refresh.

Hama Sushi is not a place for a surprise. It’s a place you will find consistent fresh raw fish and excellent spicy hand rolls. It’s a place that keeps me going back on a typical day any given time.

Hama Sushi - Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA
www.yelp.com/biz/hama-sushi-los-angeles | 347 E 2nd St Los Angeles, CA 90012 | (213) 680-3454

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Visit my flickr page HERE to see the full size photos.

Torrance - TORIHEI

It’s conveniently located in a Japanese plaza right next to the Mistuwa Market. I can see myself getting in a habit of not cooking right after the grocery shopping and go dining out somewhere close.
Torihei has been rated the best Yakitori-ya in the So.Cal. among the foodie circles. We had been warned it being busy, so we got our 8pm reservation a week ahead and walked straight right in, passing all the eye-rolling-hungry-souls in the 45 minutes line. We felt good even before ordering anything.

Right after we walked in, thanks to their fancy fan, it’s virtually smokeless compared to other yakitori-ya.

The menu was pretty big and not limited to chicken only. Service was decent.

Below left, White radish - 1.95 from the Oden section, was cooked perfectly with nice light oden broth flavor.


Above, Grounded chicken on rice bowl with soup - 5.95, for those who need rice in every meal.

From the left, Chicken thigh, Half raw egg w/ salmon roe, & Breast w/ plum. For these less than two dollars each skewers, all the bites were all cooked to the right tenderness and seasoned well.

Again, the fire & salt masters at Torihei just keep hitting the perfect spot. (Beef tongue, Gizzard & Chicken wing)

The whole squid with mayo was gone in seconds.

While some people might considered the liver being cooked too rare here, it tasted fresh and creamy soft.

Fuwa-Fuwa (soft) chicken ball was one of my favorite bites. It was sauced generously and I really enjoyed the texture of little pieces of chicken cartilage (soft bone) they mixed in the balls.

It was a birthday dinner so we bought our own Banana Chocolate cake from Frances Bakery - Little Tokyo. There was this cakeage fee of $15 where they served the cake with some candle and plates. It was not the best of the deals but it did the trick.
Now I am a fan and yes TORIHEI is easily one of the best Yakitori-ya you will find in the Southern California.
TORIHEI

http://www.yelp.com/biz/torihei-torrance | 1757 W Carson St Ste A Torrance, CA 90501 | 310-781-9407

Otomisan Restaurant - Boyle Heights

Otomisan

2506 E 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90033 - (323) 526-1150

The extreme family like Japanese restaurant in town. When we were dining in there, the owner/waitress (Yayoi-San) was taking care of some big order so we had to wait. Funny how some customer started serving us tea and pickled beansprout. It sure felt like everyone's family there.

We had combination of teriyaki salmon, shioyaki salmon, sashimi and tempura. Though not a big fan of the their sashimi cuts, salmons were pretty tasty & fresh. Their tempura for me is one of the best in town. Other people were having Cali-roll which they kept saying how great it was. Might have to try them next time.

I sure will be going back for more. Overall it's a 4 stars spot.

SD Eats

    

thai time 

the new gang

tom yum goong / pad thai mock duck

The food was alright. More of a place that brings back the old good times.