Japanese cuisine :: All Things Andy Gavin

Archive for Japanese cuisine

Summer Miyagi

Dec21

Restaurant: Sushi Miyagi [ 1, 2, 3 ]

Location: 150 S Barrington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (323) 382-5635

Date: June 2022

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Top Shelf Omakase Sushi

Great sushi is always a good excuse to pull out the beloved Champagnes and White Burgundies.

The unassuming storefront on the largely ignored side street that is S Barrington Ave.

The space is small but attractive (these are pre covid pics).

This is chef focused serious sushi, and so we pre-ordered the largest omakase possible — Erick even egged them on to a larger than offered menu. This picture is also pre-covid, post there is a plexiglass barrier across the bar and no bar seating.

Chef Shinichi Miyagi says about himself on his website:

Born in Osaka, the art of sushi mesmerized the chef at an early age and decided to devote his life as a “Decchi” (apprentice) under Master Higuchi at the age of 16. He opened his first “Kappo” (traditional style of cooking in front of a crowd) restaurant at the age of 25, and moved to LA at 29, working in numerous well known Sushi restaurants in West LA, Beverly Hills, and San Diego.

Through managing a Sushi restaurant in Manhattan Beach (i-naba), now in present day, he found an opportunity to try his skills as an executive chef in Brentwood/Los Angeles. The chefs many years of experience in choosing the freshest fish, will surprise even the most sophisticated pallets of this beautiful city.

His methods and techniques in preparation follows the traditional Japanese style, bringing out the true flavors of the fish. The chef also prepares two styles of rice, AKAZU SHARI (Red vinegar sushi rice), and SHIROZU SHARI (White vinegar rice). The SHARI (Sushi rice) will alternate depending on the fish being prepared, and we hope you enjoy the eclectic flavors of the different vinegars being used.

2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 98+. Taittinger’s 2008 Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is simply breathtaking. I have tasted it many times over the years in various trial disgorgements and it has never been anything less than compelling. The final, finished wine captures all of that potential. Bright, focused and wonderfully deep, Comtes is a fabulous example of a vintage that expresses so much energy but with real fruit intensity, the signatures that distinguish it from other vintages (1996 comes to mind) that were similarly taut, but more austere in the early going. Although the 2008 impresses right out of the gate, it only really starts to open up with several hours of air. The 2008 Comtes represents the purest essence of the Côtes des Blancs in a great, historic vintage. Readers who can find the 2008 should not hesitate, as it is a truly brilliant epic Champagne that no one who loves the very best in Champagne will want to be without. (Drink between 2023-2048)

Amuses. Oyster with caviar. Monkfish Liver with ponzu jelly. Deep fried River Crab. Steamed Conch in the back. The monkfish liver was particularly good for its type, super tender and not a hint of bitterness.

Sashimi. Japanese Bonito with ginger on top. Japanese Halibut. Toro from Spain.

Japanese hairy crab. Both some meat and a bit of leg. Very sweet and tender.

Octopus egg in soy sauce with wasabi. I’m not sure I’ve ever had this. It was a texture a bit like a chewy rice, quite delicious.

2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes. VM 91+. Deep aromas of pear, white flowers and clove. Sweet and lush but with ripe harmonious acidity keeping the flavors under wraps today. Best now on the long, vibrant finish, which offers a lovely combination of ripeness and energy. But distinctly firm-edged at present. Colin told me he thought that pHs levels in his 2007s were in the range of 3.2 but noted that he doesn’t pay attention to technical parameters as much as to the taste of the wine.

Japanese red snapper.

Hokkaido Scallop.

Triggerfish with fresh liver from the same fish. Never had this particular variant. Lovely.

Striped Jack from Japan.

Oregon Giant Clam.

Amberjack that was 10 days aged topped with Yuzu koshu.

Japanese Sweet Shrimp.

Norwegian Salmon.

2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 94. This is more expressive and a bit riper with ultra pure aromas of peach, apricot, pear and spiced white peach leading to ripe, concentrated and superbly precise flavors that display plenty of mid-palate fat and ample minerality that this part of Charmes always seems to impart to the wines and overall, this is a stunningly harmonious wine of finesse. (Drink starting 2017)

Bluefin Tuna that was 19 day aged.

Almost O-toro.

Spanish Mackerel from Japan.

Japanese Baby Barracuda.

Black throat from Nigata prefecture.

Goldeneye Snapper with Summer Truffle.

Hokkaido Uni.

Japanese Beef nigiri.

2007 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. VM 96+. Bright yellow. Subtly complex nose melds Asian pear, violet, lavender, ginger, iodine and powdered stone. Tactile and dense on entry, then creamy in the middle, conveying an impression of great volume without weight. This extremely backward, youthfully understated Clos firms up dramatically on the back end, finishing with palate-saturating citrus and talc flavors that refuse to fade. One of the longest Chablis bottlings I tasted for this issue, this truly transcends chardonnay.

Chawanmushi with Uni, Mushroom, and Tofu. Very soft.

Crab Hand-roll.

Anago Eel.

Kohada.

2005 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 93. Taittinger’s 2005 Comtes de Champagne was a perfect way to commence proceedings. Orchard fruit and hints of brioche on the seductive nose are joined by a hint of lemon verbena filtering through with time. The palate is beautifully balanced, perhaps not as riveting as a recently tasted 2008, yet underpinned by a fine bead of acidity and exuding harmony on the apricot-tinged finish. This is drinking perfectly now but should give 15-20 years of drinking pleasure. (Drink between 2022-2042)

Vanilla and Truffle ice cream. Not actually that big a fan of truffle in my ice cream.

Cherry Gelato – a blend of Morello Cherry and intense Amarena Cherry fruit make this dairy gelato really pop — topped with Candied Amarena Cherries — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #amarena #morello #cherry

Matcha Almond Latte Gelato – Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea and Sicilian Noto Romano Almond gelato base — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #almond #matcha #GreenTea #Sicily

Sushi Miyagi is exactly the kind of sushi place I like best — all omakase and very traditional. This is some seriously good fish. Mostly just straight nigiri and a bit of spectacular sashimi and a handful of cooked dishes. This is really really good and instantly catapulted into the top westside sushi joints. Very friendly too. Intimate as well. Sushi at this level is all about the chef and Shinichi Miyagi is very talented.

Not for the sushi neophytes and roll loves, but fabulous for those of us who really enjoy great fish being showcased in a straightforward and delicious manner.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champage, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, Miyagi, Sashimi, Sushi, White Burgundy, Wine

N/Soto Goodness

Dec15

Restaurant: N/Soto

Location: 4566 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016. (323) 879-9455

Date: June 2 & 11, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese Izakaya

Rating: Elevated Izakaya

The N/Naka group — the original being one of LA’s top Japanese restaurants — has recently opened a more casual Izakaya (Japanese bar food) place. One of my former cooks (and friend) even works there!

Classic Japanese frontage.

Unless you look out on the street 🙂 in which case it’s classic LA frontage.

Nice modern (polished concrete) interior.

The menu.

Fizzy non alcoholic fermented drink.

2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 99. The 2008 Cristal is one of the most complete, most dazzling Champagnes I have ever tasted. A stunning wine from any and all perspectives, the 2008 simply has it all. Spherical in construction, with superb persistence. The 2008 takes hold of all the senses and never gives up. One of the many things that makes the 2008 special is a combination of ripe fruit and bright, piercing acidity. Marzipan, lemon confit, dried flowers and orchard fruit all build into the explosive, resonant finish. “We learned from the mistakes of 1996, when we picked more on acid than ripeness, as was the norm in Champagne back then” Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon told me recently. “In 1996, the best fruit turned out to be the last picks, where the fruit was physiologically ripe. Today, we aim to pick all our fruit with that criteria.” (Drink between 2020-2050)

From my cellar: 2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Vireuils. VM 88. Slightly reduced aromas of soft citrus fruits and toasted bread. Ripe, round and nicely balanced; classically dry but not austere, with a flavor of orange dominating the palate. Not yet complex but offers lovely texture. Roulot bottled his 2007s between January and March of 2009, after storing them in cuves for five or six months. Incidentally his Bourgogne blanc, bottled in March, offers lovely floral lift and bright acid cut, and reminded me of a baby Meursault.

2011 Domaine Thenard Montrachet. BH 91-94. Here too there is visible but not intrusive wood that sets off a very closed nose, indeed this is almost mute. There is excellent volume and power to the big-bodied, intense and equally closed flavors that possess plenty of underlying tension on the tight, focused and beautifully long finish. This moderately concentrated effort is very much a work in progress. (Drink starting 2019)

Warm House Made Tofu. ginger, tosa joyu. Soy sauce on the side. Hiding in the soy milk it was made of this was soft and delicious tofu with a bit of bite from the wasabi.
Mentai Mochi. nori, mentaiko. Really delicious. High acid marinate on the onions and seaweed was really good.

Cucumber & Wakame. tosazu, ginger. Jelly version of the classic sunomono.

Carrot & Fennel Tartare. pickled fennel, chickpea miso, chips. Dips were good.

Ankimo. Sumiso, seaweed, ponzu. Really delicious. High acid marinate on the onions and seaweed was really good.

Brussels Sprouts & Salmon Skin. red onion, poached egg. Nice warm salad with good crunch.

Sashimi Moriawase. chef’s selection. Uni, scallop, toro, and others.

Sashimi Moriawase. chef’s selection.

Blue Crab Handroll.

Toro Takuan Handroll.

Shigoku oyseters. Tosazu jello, ginger. Nice bright oyster.

Shigoku oysters with uni. Tosazu jello, ginger. Nice bright oyster.

Beef Tataki. seared zabuton, crispy garlic, ponzu. Perhaps a touch overseared.

Sakamushi clams. Shiitake, dashi. Absolutely delicious garlicky broth.

Maitake Tempura. green tea salt. Very tasty.

Softshell Crab Tempura.

Steamed Seabass. shiitake, kombu, egg. Very soft and pleasant.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru. VM 94. The 2008 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (from young vines in Musigny) is a powerful, inward wine. There is lovely depth to the fruit, but the wine remains tightly coiled at this stage, even if occasional glimmers of richness emerge over time. Cloves, cinnamon and a host of other spiced notes add complexity on the finish. This is another superb, textured wine from de Vogüé. (Drink between 2018-2028)

2002 Nicolas Potel Grands-Echezeaux. VM 92-94. Red-ruby color. Penetrating, pure, highly complex aromas of raspberry, minerals, flowers and pungent spices. Wonderfully urgent and intense, with the mineral and pungent spice elements carrying through on the palate and giving the wine superb lift. Tightly wound but already showy. Finishes very long and nuanced, with fine, ripe tannins. From a selection massale planted in 1957. Very impressive.

From my cellar: 1978 Camille Giroud Beaune 1er Cru Grèves. Awesome.

Chicken and scallion and prime beef shoulder skewers (on the right).
Chicken Thigh with scallion.

Lamb chop.

Jidori Tebasaki. Jidori chicken wing. Nice and crispy.

Kurobuta Sausage. Awesome!

Unagi.

Bacon Tomato. A little sour.

Beef Tongue. butter lettuce, pickled red onion. Totally awesome, probably in no small park because of the pickled onions.

Miso Baked Bone Marrow. umeboshi onigiri. Rice was really crispy and nice.

Motsunabe. Tripe, daikon, cabbage. WIthout the funk this dish often has this was amazing.

Trout and Ikura Donabe. This salty and slightly fishy rice was an awesome finish.

The rice plated.

Pickles, sesame seeds, and nori for the rice.

Coffee Budino with jelly.

Yuzu Boysenberry ice cream from Ginger in Culver City.

Okinawa Yam Pudding, which has mochi (the balls), kokuto (Okinawa brown sugar), and adzuki beans. It’s topped with kokuto sauce that’s made in house and poured tableside. Very sweet!

Melon Float. Vanilla ice cream with homemade melon soda (like Jidori but fancier). The melon soda was poured in tableside.

Mango Sorbet.

N/Soto is a very solid addition to the extensive LA Japanese food scene. It fills a niche (more or less) vacated by MTN, a place I miss a lot. It’s not quite as approachable to Izakaya newbies as that, but definitely upscale and a little more Caucasian friendly than more classic Izakaya like Hero or Takuma. And it’s WAY WAY better than the rash of more consumer friendly “sushi + robotoyaki” type pseudo izakaya like Kappo Miyabi. Those places can be ok, but the food is really uneven. N/Soto on the other hand is quite casual, not too expensive, and has very good execution for a fairly wide array of Japanese “drink friendly” dishes.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Izakaya, Japanese cuisine, N Soto, Robatayaki, Sashimi, Wine

Kappo Miyabi

Oct03

Restaurant: Kappo Miyabi

Location: 702 Arizona Ave Suite BB, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 260-0085

Date: February 18, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese Izakaya

Rating: Too much of too many good things

Jeffrey talked this place up, but he tends to “over like” Japanese restaurants in walking distance of his house and work, like the middling Soko. Kappo Miyabi, formerly known as Kappo Onsen, is technically an Izakaya I guess, but it has a very wide range of Japanese food including Izakaya, sushi, skewers, rice pots, hot plates, udon, etc.

The vast — too vast — menu.

Edamame.

Seaweed Salad.

Sunomono. Not enough “marinate.”

Agedashi Tofu. I like agedashi tofu in general, but this one was a bit doughy.

Potato Salad.

Miso Glazed Eggplant.

Charcoal Mentaiko. Grilled fish roe. Interesting.

Wagyu Gyoza. Hard to tell it’s wagyu.

Salmon and Tamago Sushi. The sushi here is the slightly large middling sushi a lot of middling places have.

Scallops with Uni. This didn’t quite pair.

Marinated Snapper Carpaccio.

Popcorn Shrimp Tempura. Can’t go too wrong with this.

This came as a set.

Miso Black Cod.

Salad.

Potato Salad.

Skewers.

Chicken Wings and Chicken Meatballs.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Pork Belly, and Chicken Tails.

Plain Udon.

BBQ Eel Bowl. Not bad.

Everything at Kappo Miyabi is just “kinda decent.” They have way too many different kinds of food and way too white a clientele to be really good. It’s not truly any particular type of Japanese Cuisine. It’s not a sushi bar, nor a yaki tori place, nor exactly an Izakaya — but it sort of tries to be all of them.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Izakaya, Japanese cuisine, Kappo Miyabi

Asanebo Evening

Sep28

Restaurant: Asanebo

Location: 11941 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604. (818) 760-3348

Date: January 27, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Very good creative Japanese

Asanebo has been a high end valley classic spot for a long time, so long that the last time I was here was before I started taking pictures of all my food (which was 2010).

Chef Tetsuya Nakao came to America in 1982. Him and his younger brother, Shunji, were the original chefs that helped start Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills. After establishing the restaurant as one of the best in Los Angeles, the Nakao brothers ventured out to start their own place. “Asanebo” opened in September 26, 1991. Over the years, “Asanebo” was recognized as one of the top Japanese restaurants from Zagat, LA Times, LA Weekly, and more.

“Asanebo” also accomplished one Michelin Stars in 2008 and the other in 2009. It is part of chef Tetsuya’s standards to provide the best quality fish, meat, vegetables, and other ingredients possible to his customers. Not only is the food so great, but it is his warm character that brings in new customers from all over the world.

Because of the pandemic they have this nice outside tend/patio in the parking lot.

The menu is big with a mix of traditional and that style of late 1990s and 00s LA Japanese that is heavily Matsuhisa influenced but not focused on the style over substance greatest hits (Katana and Sushi Roku I’m looking at you). It’s much closer in both period and style to Takao.

2000 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé. JG 94. The 2000 Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésime is comprised of a blend of sixty percent pinot noir and forty percent chardonnay and spent more than ten years on the lees in the les Crayères cellars here prior to disgorgement and release. I had the good fortune to taste this beautiful vintage twice in preparation for this report, and it continues to deepen and add more complexity with the passing of time. The deep and very refined nose offers up a classy mélange of apple, pain grillé, peach, a marvelously complex signature of salty soil tones, orange zest and a dollop of summer truffle in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and shows off lovely tertiary layers of complexity, with a rock solid core, great focus and breed, refined mousse and a very long, pure and perfectly balanced finish. Stellar juice. (Drink between 2014-2030)

2004 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. The 2004 Cristal is superb today. Bright and focused, the 2004 shows all of the tension and energy that has always been one of its signatures. The first hints of aromatic maturity are starting to develop, but the 2004 remains quite young and full of energy. I have always admired the 2004 (along with the best wines of the vintage) for its focus. In this bottle, the interplay of freshness from the recent 2018 disgorgement and richness gained through added time on the lees (which also results in lower dosage of 7 grams per liter) opens another window into the personality of Cristal. In 2004, the Pinot Noir is 57%, or a bit lower than normal, while the Chardonnay at 43% is correspondingly a touch higher. (Drink between 2019-2039)

2008 Claude Cazals Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs extra Brut Cuvée Vive.

NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Exquise Sec. JG 94. I had never had the pleasure to taste this limited release bottling of Demi-Sec from Anselme Selosse, which he crafts with an eye to matching with dessert and which it paired beautifully with at the end of a vertical Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche dinner that I will be reporting on in the next issue. Monsieur Selosse only makes a thousand bottles of Exquise, with this particular iteration disgorged in May of 2015 and finished off with a dosage of around twenty-four grams per liter. This is the same base wine as his Brut Initial cuvée, which hails from the lower sections of the slope of his top vineyards in Avize, Oger and Cramant, and simply finished off with a more generous dosage. The current release of Exquise is really lovely, offering up a complex nose of pear, patissière, chalky minerality, custard and a pungent topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with and excellent spine of acidity to carry the additional sweetness, fine focus, refined mousse and a very long, crisp and moderately sweet finish. Just a lovely wine. (Drink between 2016-2030)

Chawanmushi. Santa Barbara uni. Wasabi. Ikura. Strong Dashi flavor. Lovely.

Baby Spinach Salad. Seared scallop, fried potato. Quite nice and fresh.

Seafood stick with homemade sweet salsa. Really great dish.

Dave and Annie enjoy their sticks.

2009 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. VM 96. High-pitched aromas of fresh peach, crushed stone, violet and lavender. Dense, sweet and rich, with very ripe pineapple fruit leavened by smoky minerality and given cut and focus by strong (4.5 g/l) acidity. Offers an uncanny combination of depth and high pitch for the vintage. The building, extremely long finish titillates the taste buds and leaves the mouth vibrating. Normally harvested on the late side, these vines were picked on September 5(!) in 2009, with potential alcohol of 12.9%.

From my cellar: 2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Baronne. PN 94 points. Showing very well, clean, mineral, straw basket, fine, articulated but not austere, nicely integrated, nice pear, apple, apple skin notes, long. In a great place right now and will hold 5-8 years.Asanebo w/Yarom and gang.

Amberjack. Sesame miso. Pink salt. Serrano. The fish was lovely, but the sesame paste clashes a bit.

Halibut. Italian Truffle. Sweet ponzu. Pickled cherry tomato. A bit too sweet and distracting.

Japanese wild yellowtail. Hawaiian lava salt. Spicy ponzu.

Grilled conch soup. Mushroom. Broth was great.

2012 Colgin Syrah IX Estate. PN 92. Big, bold, tons of blackberry and blueberry and some meatiness; a good dose of fine expensive oak in there, really nice with the A5 wagyu with onion and a sweet soy sauce sauce; silky, big, bold, and eventually pretty oaky. Turned more oaky as the night went on. I imagine if they halved the oak on these monsters they would have something pretty special. Asanebo w/Yarom and gang. Not exactly Japanese food friendly.

A5 wagyu with heirloom tomato. Very sweet classic Japanese flavor. Did pair nicely with the Colgin.

Small flight of sushi. Blue Fin, Chu-Toro, Snapper and another white fish.

Uni. Toro Takuan Roll (awesome) and crab hand roll.

Freshwater eel.

Asanebo has been around since 1991 and as he was an early chef at Matsuhisa (along with his brother Shunji) the food very much reflects that. Like Takao (also at Matsuhisa) it’s positioned somewhere between a classic broad menu 1980s style sushi place and the more Peruvian influence Nobu style. But it’s definitely got strong California influences from the 1990s in a way I never saw in Japan during that period. While the style here is a bit 1990s (unlike Shunji who has massively “updated” recently) the execution remains excellent. I myself do slightly prefer either the very updated traditional or modern styles at the top end right now but there is no question that Asanebo is a great place and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s also not as expensive as the painfully bleeding edge places at current like Kaneyoshi.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Asanebo, hedonists, Japanese cuisine, SFV, Sushi, Sushi Series

Hakata Izakaya Hero

Aug01

Restaurant: Hakata Izakaya HERO

Location: 1929 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (424) 832-3304

Date: November 19, 2021 & July 26, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese Izakaya

Rating: Very good Izakaya

At this quick little dinner right before Thanksgiving Paul and I hit up the relatively new Hakata Izakaya HERO on Westwood Blvd.

The inside is small.

But we sat outside on the patio. I love patios.

The varied little menu of Japanese comfort foods.

Paul brought: 2019 Xavier Monnot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. VM 90-92. The 2019 Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru has a relatively understated and delicate bouquet, discreet compared to other Les Charmes this vintage. The palate is well balanced with just a little reduction at the moment. Good weight in the mouth, a tang of marmalade toward the finish and a little viscosity. Give this 2–3 years in bottle. (Drink between 2023-2035)

2017 Buisson-Charles Meursault 1er Cru Bouches-Chères. 93 points. Very good. very good balance. Minerals, fruit, medium to long finish.

Garlic Shisito Peppers. Nice.

Today’s Assorted Sashimi Special (for 2). A variety of nice fresh fish.

Marinated Sardine Sashimi. Very nice.

Cucumber with “death miso” — it was pretty spicy. Cucumber had a nice crunch.

Spicy Cold Tofu. Good, but the spicy miso had a fairly hefty kick and kept making me cough.

Spicy Agedashi Tofu. I love agedashi tofu (fried basically). This was good as usual.

Crispy Fried Chicken Gyoza. Classic little dumplings. Nice mix of soft and crispy.

Uni special. Just uni with shisto leaf.

Oysters.

Oyster sauce (basically a ponzu).

Shirako (cod sperm sacks). Really delicious!

Shrimp Tempura with Mayo. Sort of Japanese “Walnut Shrimp” — kinda awesome.

From my cellar: 2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots. VM 93+. Bright, deep red. Pungent, sexy aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cocoa powder and incense. Wonderfully fresh and gripping wine whose sheer sappiness and extract suggest a long and graceful evolution in bottle. But this beauty is also impossibly sexy today. Finishes vibrant and very long, with palate-dusting fruits, minerals and spices.

From my cellar: 2009 Domaine René Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques. 91 points. Definitely Gevrey nose. Dark and red fruit, with slightly rusticity. Medium+ body. Long finish. Very good.

Jidori Chicken Karaage. Hard to go wrong with crispy fried chicken!

Pork Belly Wrapped Skewers. Lettuce, Tomato, Chinese Chive, Cilantro, Scallion.

Short Rib Kalbi Platter. Super tender and juicy beef with a sweet dashi sauce. Delicious.

Prime Outside Skirt Steak Harimi platter. Sizzling and very tender. Really nice.

Dippings sauces.

Lemon Ramen. I’ve never had this and it was pretty much as described: a light shiro dashi style ramen with lemon. Kind of refreshing and delicious.

Overall, Hero was a nice little place with good food and a fun casual (lots of UCLA students) atmosphere. I’m glad there are more Izakaya’s opening up around town. It’s a great varied little cuisine and used to be quite rare (in the states).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Hakata Izakaya HERO, Izakaya Hero, Japanese cuisine, Wine

N/Naka Again

Apr18

Restaurant: N/Naka [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Location: 3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252

Date: September 3, 2021

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

The Foodie Club returned to N/Naka in September (having been last in June).

The busy street corner on National.

The empty interior.
Our table — before we got to it.

Our menu for the night.

1971 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 97. This bottle of 1971 Dom Pérignon, the second that I have tasted, was an original disgorgement and slightly paler than the Cristal 1971 served alongside. It has a devastatingly gorgeous bouquet, intoxicating from the get-go: grilled walnuts, dried honey and even a hint of marmalade, all delivered with exceptional delineation. The palate is beautifully balanced with perfect acidity. There are subtle notes of citrus peel, mandarin, crushed stone and honeysuckle, though these are discrete. It is rather the tension and precision that elevates this magnificent Champagne. Tasted at Christies/Fine Wine Experience 1971 dinner. (Drink between 2021-2030)

1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 97. 1990 is one of my favorite vintages ever for this storied cuvée because while the vintage was on the riper side the high yields allowed the fruit to retain a very good level of acidity which made for balanced and ageworthy wines. While I have had the pleasure of tasting the ’90 on a number of occasions since its release, the last time was alongside the 1985 and the 1988, and as admirable as those two vintages are, the 1990 is head and shoulders above them to my taste. The fantastically complex nose is comprised of an abundance of yeast and toast characters that don’t completely dominate the essence of apple, pear, citrus, spice, acacia blossom and discreet orange peel scents. There is equally good depth to the delicious, full-bodied and powerful flavors that possess a lovely sense of vibrancy thanks to the still firm but fine mousse that shapes the delineated, delicious and impeccably well-balanced finale. In my view 1990 is one of the greatest vintages for this wine of the last 25 years and one that is still drinking well. While there is no additional upside development to be hand, neither is there any rush to drink up as this should continue to hold effortlessly for years to come. (Drink starting 2015)

1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 94. An elegant but austere wine that is almost as reticent as the ’96 with pure citrus and floral aromas that continue onto the crisp and still very tight medium-bodied flavors that are beautifully precise and impressively delineated on the gorgeously long finish. This is a long way from being ready and I wouldn’t touch a bottle for another 5 to 7 years.

Sakizuke. Aji, Snap Pea, Bell Pepper Gelee.

A welcome drink.

Zensai. Nasui Yasai, Corn Tofu, Oyster Lime, Shishito White Fish Tempura, Unagi Avocado, Fig, Wagyu Nikogori.

Nasui Yasai.

Unagi Avocado.

Corn Tofu.

Shishito White Fish Tempura.

Fig.

Pickles.

Shrimp with caviar.

Modern Zukuri. Roasted Tomatillo, Chili Sauce, Hokkaido Scallop, Finger Lime, Chayote, Turnip, Kohlrabi, Lemon Verbena Oil

Can’t remember, but it was good!

2002 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé. VM 95. Light, bright orange-pink. Heady mineral- and yeast-accented aromas of dried red berries, blood orange, buttered toast and tea rose. Densely packed and expansive on the palate, offering intense raspberry, cherry compote and floral pastille flavors and a smoky overtone that gains strength with aeration. The mineral quality comes back strong on the silky, focused finish, which goes on and on. An outstanding blend of power and finesse. Disgorged September, 2012.

2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 96. There is a subtle phenolic character to the secondary-tinged yet super-fresh nose reflects notes of baked bread, yeast, pear, baked apple, spice and a hint of citrus. The bold and full-bodied flavors possess superb complexity while being underpinned by a notably fine but dense mousse, all wrapped in a gorgeously persistent finish. This full-bodied effort is seriously impressive and one that is aging effortlessly though for my taste, it could certainly be enjoyed now. (Drink starting 2020)

Owan. Tai, Eggplant, Green Bean

Sake we bought from them.

Otsukuri. Traditional Sashimi.

Yakimono. Ayu, Duck Liver, Smoked Cherry.

Mushimono. Tomato, Lobster Shinjo, Tomato and Fennel Mochi.

From my cellar: 2011 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 94. A pure and elegant if very restrained nose reluctantly offers up notes of white flower, lemon zest, wet stone and an herbal tea hint. There is an equally stony character to the beautifully detailed middle weight plus flavors that possess real verve and superb depth on the gorgeously textured and markedly firm finish. This does a slow build from the mid-palate to the explosive and palate staining finish. A Zen wine of considerable understatement that will require all of a decade to arrive at its full potential. (Drink starting 2021)

2013 Etienne Sauzet Montrachet. BH 93-96. This is markedly more restrained with its reserved aromas of spice, white and yellow orchard fruit, acacia blossom and a broad array of citrus nuances. There is seriously impressive richness to the overtly powerful full-bodied flavors that possess an admirable plenitude of dry extract that completely drenches the palate on the driving and hugely long finish. As one might reasonably expect this is presently very, very backward and while this may be fully ready 12 years hence I would not be surprised if it required more like 15. Either way, this has terrific upside development potential. (Drink starting 2025)

Shiizakana. Spaghetti, Abalone, Picked Cod Roe, Truffles. Awesome as always.

Niku. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Baby Corn.

Sunomono. Nopales, Golden Kiwi, Cucumber, Aloe, Chia Seeds.

Yuzu juice intermezzo.

They brought us some giant bottle sake.

Shokuji. Nigiri Sushi.

And more sushi, including uni/ikura.

Miso Soup.

Blue crab Hand roll.

Mizumono. Lychee Sorbet, Shiso Lime Granita

Mizumono. Ginger Poached Plum, Lavender Ice Cream, Wasabi Mochi, Honey Crumb, Tuile

Blood Peach and Ume Sorbetto, Chocolate Peanut Cream Gelato, and Caramel Fudge Marshmallow Gelato made by me for @sweetmilkgelato.

Take home gift.

Roasted green tea.

Pretty chocolates.

The setting is elegant, minimalist, and very Japanese. N/Naka really is a very special place. All the meals I had here were spectacular. Plus we even did an amazing all foie gras meal here once. The place keeps getting better and better. This is thrice wonderful because often one finds a slight bloom to come off a place on repeat meals. At N/Naka everything is seasonal and constantly rotating.

Coming back to N/Naka after the pandemic I thought they were really firing on all cylinders. This was the best meal I’ve had there since the incredible Foie meal. I think her sushi has gone from “okay” to “great” and with regard to other dishes she has toned down a bit of the “theatrics” slightly but really upped the flavor balance and intensity. There weren’t some of the more interactive dishes of years past, like cooking your own item on hot stones, but the cooking was even more on point.

Service is also spectacular, highlighted all the more by the extremely low understaffed standard currently found in LA.

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Foodie Club, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, N/Naka, Niki Nakayama, Sushi, Wine

Go Go Gozen

Jan19

Restaurant: Gozen Sake Bistro

Location: 521 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048. (213) 308-9393

Date: July 30, 2021

Cuisine: Japanese Kaiseki

Rating: Very good, but not mind blowing

This dinner is arguably the second in (the first being here) in a vast series of epic Japanese sushi and/or Kaiseki dinners post lockdowns that all included myself, Erick, Joe and Bonnie — and often Larry, as is the case tonight. Herein we “endeavor” to visit or revisit most of the top sushi spots in LA.

Gozen bistro.

A cozy looking spot for being right on La Cienega.

Fairly large and stylish interior.

We had a private room with a cool dragon decor.

The menu — lots of options.

Larry brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé Edition 21eme. JG 95+. The Krug Brut Rosé “21ème Édition” is from the beautiful base year of 2008, with the oldest reserve wine in the blend going back to 2000. The wine was disgorged in the spring of 2015 and is a blend of fifty-one percent pinot noir, forty-one percent chardonnay and eight percent pinot meunier. Ten percent of the pinot noir in the blend is still red wine from Krug’s own parcels of vines in the village of Aÿ. The blend is a slight departure from many releases of Krug Rosé, as hail in the village of Ste. Ghemme in 2008 dramatically cut back the quality of pinot meunier from this vintage, so that Chef de Caves Eric Lebel opted to use all reserve wines for the pinot meunier portion of the blend. The very complex wine offers up the characteristically refined and gently exotic bouquet that this cuvée is cherished for, wafting from the glass in a blend of cherries, a touch of pomegranate, orange peel, beautiful, savory spice elements, rye bread, a complex base of soil tones , dried rose petals and incipient smokiness. On the palate the wine is full, complex and still quite youthful in terms of structure, with vibrant acids, a lovely core, elegant mousse and a very long, perfectly balanced and seamless finish. This is already beautifully complex, but I would love to revisit it five to ten years down the road and see what the passage of time does to this beautiful constellation of aromas and flavors. (Drink between 2018-2050)

5 Good Things.

Marinated fish and onions.

Taco (octopus).

Monkfish Liver with Caviar.

Seaweed salad.

Steamed sesame tofu with uni.

Marinated tomato.

Dashi-maki Tamago (Japanese egg omelet) with Mountain Vegetables.

Salmon roe in a lemon.

Young Peach with Wine Jelly. Sure looks pretty.

2007 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 94+. Bright, pale yellow. Rich aromas of stone fruits, yellow currant, lees and iodine, plus a complicating whiff of rye bread. Dense and powerful but not at all heavy. Quite youthfully closed but aeration brings up captivating inner-mouth floral character and penetrating talc-y minerality. Wonderfully precise, classy Batard with uncommon complexity.

2007 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 96. Given the almost extreme reticence of the Bâtard, I was moderately surprised to see how wonderfully expressive this positively brilliant wine is already. The nose is simply stunning with a supremely elegant and kaleidoscopic range of spice, floral, citrus, stone and pain grillé notes that is the perfect complement to the racy, detailed and equally complex middle weight flavors brimming with the underlying minerality advertised by the nose, all wrapped in a driving, delineated and explosive finish. As good as the Ramonet Chevalier is, in the 10 vintages that it has been made, I can’t think of one where it’s the equal of the Montrachet. However, 2007 just might be that vintage. (Drink starting 2015)

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 94. Soft if not invisible wood sets off strikingly pretty and solidly complex honeysuckle, white peach and spiced pear aromas that give way to intense, delicious and equally complex middle weight flavors that possess ample concentration and outstanding balance and length on the palate staining finish. This is really classy juice and quite stylish as well. (Drink starting 2016)

Sashimi “plate”.

Chawanmushi Steamed Egg Custard with Japanese Sea Urchin.

Softshell Crab Tempura.

Three kinds of nigiri sushi. Toro on the left.

Uni, Ikura, and rice.

2001 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Richebourg. BH 94. While this has certainly matured since I first saw it from bottle in 2004, the original note still largely captures the wine with its deep, complex and spicy old vine aromas that are slightly floral in character. This brilliant introduction is followed by wonderfully harmonious and quite powerful middle weight flavors that are beautifully delineated and perfectly balanced while delivering superb length. In sum, this ultra-pure effort offers reference standard quality with more refinement than young Richebourg usually displays – plus it’s approaching readiness for prime time and could easily be enjoyed now though for my taste another 3 to 5 years would serve it well. Tasted twice in the last few months. (Drink starting 2015)

A smoked dish.

Roast Duck with Mashed Potatoes.

Raspberry Granita.

Red miso soup.

The grilled meat dish.

Yogan-Yaki A5 Japanese Kobe Beef.

Condiments for the beef.

Kamameshi (Japanese seasoned rice in a small pot) with Tuffles.

We had several bowls each (I love good fried rice).

Black sesame ice cream. Looks almost like a B&W photo!

Matcha Tiramisu. Delicious.

Our wines for the night.

Gozen was quite good. It’s tonally very Japanese and quite reserved. I probably prefer a slightly flashier style. Not all the way to Nobu style mind you, that’s too disconnected from the Japanese sense of balance, but maybe I like a touch more acidity and punch. And Gozen is expensive (as all top kaiseki and sushi places are). It does give you a lot of variety in flavors, ingredients, and style, but not very much actual nigiri (which I do love).

The wines were really singing too, particularly the Ramonets. Overall, a great evening.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.
Or for more Sushi Series dinners, click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, Foodie Club, Gozen, Japanese cuisine, Sashimi, Sushi, Sushi Series, White Burgundy

Back to Takuma

Jan11

Click here for the full detailed post.

Blow Torched Mackerel

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Izakaya, Japanese cuisine, Takuma

N/Naka on the Nose

Oct18

Restaurant: N/Naka [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Location: 3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252

Date: June 16, 2021

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

N/Naka served as the host location for the second of our 3 epic June “Fred” dinners, this one being themed around Coche-Dury Les Rougeots.

The empty interior. This was actually the first night that N/Naka reopened after the long lockdown closure.

Our table — before we got to it.

1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 97. A distinctly reticent but elegant nose with a purity of expression that is truly impressive to experience as it’s relatively high-toned and while the yeast comes up with air, it’s relatively muted at presence, combining with intense, precise and superbly detailed and complex flavors that culminate in an explosive and wonderfully long finish. This may very well rival the sublime ’90 in time even if it’s not quite as concentrated. This is still a baby so there is absolutely no rush whatsoever.

2015 Hubert Lamy Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Cuvée Haute Densité. A rare bird!

2005 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 94. A strikingly pure nose of white flower and spice aromas complements perfectly the delicious, intense and stony flavors that are wonderfully vibrant and gorgeously detailed on the transparent and equally pure finish that explodes with more minerality. This is beautifully balanced and understated with a Zen-like sense of calm. I very much like this and it’s very Perrières in character. In a word, brilliant. (Drink starting 2013)

2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 94+. Bright pale yellow. Soft citrus fruits and crushed rock on the musky, slightly reduced nose. Rich, perfumed and tightly coiled, with a terrific core of acidity intensifying the orange, floral and mineral flavors. Offers compelling cut and concentration but this infant will require several years of aging. Wonderfully refined Perrieres of grand cru class.

1993 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. 94 points. Signature coche gunflint, popcorn, dried extract, and smoked yellow fruit on the nose and palate. While the mid-palate did not have lots of substance, the flinty and popcorn-ish palate more than offset that shortfall. With the fresh acidity in the backdrop, the wine stayed energetic and interesting throughout dinner.

1996 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VM 94+. Complex, lively aromas of lime, minerals and vanilla. Structured and almost shockingly intense; great material here. A step up from the ’97 in density. Extremely fresh and vibrant. A tactile, mouthfilling wine to drink and to eat. Palate-staining finish. I kept raising my score as I came back for more.

2000 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. BH 93. A completely different expression than any of the foregoing wines, which is interesting since the vineyard abuts Chevalières. This is classic Meursault in style with round, rich, generous, “warm” fruit and flavors, offering toasted nut and butter aromas plus fresh sliced peach, apricot and apple scents but gorgeously complex, intense, refined and beautifully precise flavors of terrific focus and cut. But it is the superb depth on the finish that really set this apart and this delivers such quality that it is almost a match for the Perrières, a compliment in anyone’s book. Simply beautiful wine that has just now arrived at its apogee though it should be capable of holding here for at least a decade. Tasted several times with consistent notes. (Drink between 2008-2010)

2008 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VM 92+. Classic aromas of lemon, lime, minerals, hazelnut and grilled almond; smells rich in dry extract. Then dense and superconcentrated, with terrific inner-mouth energy to the flavors of peach, orange blossom, lemon and crushed stone. Time-capsule Meursault, finishing with superb length. This too should age very well.

1972 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes!

Our menu.

Starter Tea.

Sakizuke. Uni, Cauliflower Puree, Carrot Coconut Ice, Trout Roe, Nori Sable.

Zensai. Uni, Eggplant Dashi, Kabocha Roll, Oyster Lime, Flounder Hasamiage, Wagyu Beef Roll, Cucumber, Cauliflower, Carrot, Burnt Chickepea and Miso Puree.

Uni.

Wagyu Beef Roll.

Cucumber, Cauliflower, Carrot, Burnt Chickepea and Miso Puree.

Eggplant Dashi.

Oyster Lime.

Kabocha Roll.

Flounder Hasamiage.

Modern Zukuri. Japanese Fluke, California Nori, Pistachio.

Owan. Hope Ranch Mussel, Summer Squash, Citrus Fern.

Otsukuri. Traditional Sashimi.

Yakimono. Tasmanian Sea Trout, Artichoke, Preserved Meyer Lemon.

Mushimono. Tomato, Lobster Shinjo, Tomato and Fennel Mochi.

Shiizakana. Spaghetti, Abalone, Picked Cod Roe, Truffles.

Niku. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Baby Corn.

Sunomono. Nopales, Golden Kiwi, Cucumber, Aloe, Chia Seeds.

Yuzu juice intermezzo.

Pickled Ginger.

Miso soup with shrimp heads.

Nigiri sushi flight 1.

Nigiri sushi flight 2.

Blue crab handroll.

Mizumono. Lychee Sorbet, Shiso Lime Granita. Super bright and delicious flavors with a really nice textural contrast.

Mizumono. Peaches, Caramelized Pastry, Lavender Honey Ice-Cream, Hojicha Jelly.

Petite Fours.

So pretty!

Roasted green tea.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake Gelato — Milk steeped with Tahitian Vanilla Beans and Valencia Orange Peels and then blended with Cream-cheese and Egg Yolks, layered with house made “burnt” Caramel and topped with house-made Caramel Brittle, finished with the torch! — created by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #lemongrass #ginger #CremeBrûlée #basque #cheesecake #caramel #brittle #orange

Matchacchio Latte Gelato — Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea and Sicilian Pistacchio di Bronte DOP gelato base. I was skeptical the first time I made it, but it turned out to be a lovely flavor. And the green is all natural! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #pistacchio #bronte #matcha #GreenTea #Sicily

Vietnamese Hazelnut Coffee Gelato — Cafe du Monde coffee milk with Piedmontese Hazelnut Paste swirled with Sweetened Condensed Milk — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #vietnameseCoffee #coffee #CafeduMonde #SweetenedCondensedMilk #hazelnut

A little take home snack for the morning.

Post dinner lethargy.

The setting is elegant, minimalist, and very Japanese. N/Naka really is a very special place. All the meals I had here were spectacular (here for the first, here for the second, here for the third). Plus we even did an amazing all foie gras meal here once. The place keeps getting better and better. This is thrice wonderful because often one finds a slight bloom to come off a place on repeat meals. At N/Naka everything is seasonal and constantly rotating.

Service is also spectacular, highlighted all the more by the extremely low understaffed standard currently found in LA.

And what can we say about the wines? Awesome labels, awesome wines. All the coches were flawless, although the 93 was my favorite. So good!

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Coche Dury, Foodie Club, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, Les Rougeots, N/Naka, Niki Nakayama, Sushi, Wine

Yasu = Yummy

Apr22

Restaurant: Yasu

Location: 265 S Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (424) 355-0257

Date: March 5, 2020

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Awesome ingredients and technique. One of the best sushi places we’ve found in a while

With Foodie Club co-founder Erick back from several months in Asia, we decided to hit up a new place.

After some debate we ended up at a new sushi bar we found on one of our news feeds. This time around, new Foodie Club member Jeffrey joined us as well. Yasu is located just a few stores down from the very mediocre Summer Fish.

The decor is clean and modern, and somehow, despite the fact that they “only” had a 8:15 reservation, we had the restaurant all to ourselves. No matter, the food and service turned out to be amazing.

Jeffrey brought: 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 98. The 2008 Dom Pérignon is once again stunning. More than anything else, I am surprised by how well the 2008 drinks given all the tension and energy it holds. Then again, that is precisely what makes 2008 such a unique vintage – namely that the best wines are so chiseled and yet not at all austere. Lemon peel, almond, mint, smoke and crushed rocks are all finely sculpted, but it is the wine’s textural feel, drive and persistence that elevate it into the realm of the sublime. The 2008 will be even better with time in the cellar, but it is absolutely phenomenal even today, in the early going. Three recent bottles have all been nothing short of magnificent.

Sashimi plate: Japanese Amberjack (kanpachi). New Zealand Scampi. Hokkaido Uni.

Japanese Amberjack (kanpachi) sashimi. Had a nice bite to it.

New Zealand Scampi. Element of brine “sea” taste and a great chewy texture.

Hokkaido Uni. Soft and delicate.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon. BH 92. A highly expressive, even exuberant nose of white peach, pear and acacia blossom aromas nuanced with citrus hints that are also reflected by the rich, full and nicely concentrated medium-bodied flavors that possess ample mid-palate fat that buffers the moderately firm acid spine. This is really quite stylish and crafted in a more generous fashion than the upper level 1ers. (Drink starting 2015)

agavin: our bottle was almost premoxed, so golden and rich, but totally delciious.

Erick brought: 2008 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne. VM 93. Pale green-tinged color. Lemon icing and minerals on the reticent, pure nose. Densely packed but with a light touch, combining vibrant elements of flowers, minerals and crushed stone. This may be better than the Combettes owing to its stony minerality-or at least it will outlast it.

agavin: Really nice wine with a lot of legs.

Boston Scallop nigiri. Lovely bite of scallop with lots of scallop flavor.

Remaining muscles of the scallop returned cooked in a bit of soy sauce. Also quite delicious and chewy.

Japanese horse mackerel (aji) with wasabi.

Baby sea bream. Much smaller more tender version of the fish.

Boston monkfish liver (Ankimo). I’m not sure I’ve had it very often as nigiri, but this was a stunning example. He apparently braises it instead of steaming it like most chefs do.

Striped jack (Shima aji).

Baby squid with miso paste. Super tender.

Hokkaido freshwater “cherry salmon” (a kind of trout) being cured on fermented rice.

Hokkaido freshwater “cherry salmon” as nigiri. Very soft and lovely.

Fresh Fanny Bay Canadian oyster from Vancouver. I’m not sure I’ve had an oyster as nigiri, but it was delicious.

Octopus (tako). From miyagi Japan. The chef massages it for 1 hour. With a bit of BBQ sauce. This was super tender and one of the best cooked octopus bites I’ve had.

Mix of chu and otoro with caviar. No sauce. The lack of sauce brought out the briney caviar flavor. Quite lovely.

Fish broth soup with snapper. Rich and savory.

Trio of blue fin tuna all from the same fish. Right to left: tuna marinated with soy sauce, chu-toro, and o-toro. All to die for. The tuna had the strongest taste but the o-toro totally melted in your mouth.

Map of the tuna belly.

Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns dance about the table.

Hey there!

Chef takes charge. Chef Yasu Kusano was born in Fukushima in Japan, where his parents owned a small fish store. When he was a young boy, his father took him to an upscale authentic Japanese restaurant, and after that experience he decided to become a chef.

His first cooking job in 2000 was at the landmark Gonpachi Restaurant, a Japanese Izakaya, in Tokyo, Japan. In 2007, Kusano moved to the United States for a sous chef position at Gonpachi in Beverly Hills, Calif., and one year later became their executive chef.

In 2013, he moved to Seattle to join I Love Sushi in Bellevue, before heading to Shiro’s Sushi in 2014.

After moving back to Los Angeles he worked at Sushi Zo. Now he has his own place.

Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawn, lightly blanched. A stunning bit of ebi.

Santa Barbara Uni melts in your mouth.

And the chef put a piece of Hokkaido uni to the right of it. Also delicious, but I liked the Santa Barbara a touch better.

Buri shabu shabu with dashi and micro chive. Lovely too.

Erick brought: 2001 Joseph Drouhin Echezeaux. VM 87-90. Dark red. Smoky aromas of redcurrant and tobacco. Sweet, round and fruity, but with less density than a few of Drouhin’s better premier crus. Rather accessible today, but the finish shows a faint dryness.

agavin: drinking very nicely

Pickled saba with pickled daikon. Nice vinegar flavor.

Sea eel. Delicious and very soft.

Snow crab. Lots of nice crab flavor.

Silver fish steamed with cherry blossom leaf. This gave it an unusual bitter herbal tone.

Black cod with marinated and grated daikon.

Toro Takuan hand-roll — to die for. We made these at Ramen Roll too — and they were good — but this one was better.

The contents of the roll.

Kyoto unagi nigiri done two ways: with salt and lemon juice (pictured) and with sweet sauce (not pictured).

Seared toro. Insanely rich bite. He sears stuff on a little charcoal hibachi — none of that blow torch nonsense.

Dashi tamago. Not very sweet with a light bonito tone.

Yuzu sorbet. Very rough granita texture was quite pleasant and with an intense and very fresh yuzu flavor.

Overall, this was some absolutely first rate sushi. I’d call it modern traditional in style. It’s not “newfangled” at all with ponzu or very many toppings. Instead it showcases first rate seafood from all around the world, each treated delicately but with great respect in a way that really brings out the flavors. This is my favorite type of sushi as it’s very Japanese and extremely “pure” in its expression of the seafood. Besides the awesome eats, the service was really really nice and friendly. The chef was very chatty and our young (to me) server was fabulous as well. Of course our Champ and Burgundy went great too. We will be back!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Champagne, Foodie Club, Japanese cuisine, Sushi, White Burgundy, Wine, Yasu, Yasu Kusano

Hard to Find – Inn Ann

Jan06

Restaurant: Inn Ann

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028. (323) 677-5557 (inside Hollywood & Highland)

Date: November 19, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Great sushi, hard to find

We Foodie Club guys always like to try great sushi, so when we heard that Mori — founder of Mori Sushi — had taken up in Hollywood, off we went (took a bit of rescheduling too).

Translating to “hidden retreat,” INN ANN offers a high-end, seasonal Japanese tasting menu dining experience within JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, evoking a serene sanctuary on the fifth floor of the bustling Hollywood & Highland. Bringing a taste of Japan to Hollywood, the innovative new dining room fosters discovery and curiosity, showcasing Japanese culture, traditions, and rich heritage through the lens of its cuisine. Rooted in the revered Japanese culinary philosophy, the menu incorporates local ingredients embracing Californian farmers’ market elements.

They weren’t kidding about the hidden retreat — Japan House is located in the deepest hardest to reach bowels of the top floor of the super annoying to reach and park at Hollywood & Highland. Past the junk shops and box stores and Forever 21, way up top, behind the elephants.

Then you must progress down a service coordidor into a realm you suspect that no one but mall staff ever go, beyond trash dumpsters to your sanctuary.

And while the build out is gorgeous, spacious, and sports a lovely Hollywood view there isn’t even a bathroom. You have to hike back through the strange Japanese library in Japan House proper. Very weird.

But it is chic (although not crowded. haha).

An esteemed sushi master, Chef Mori Onodera once told Los Angeles Magazine, “Rice is 70 percent, fish is 30 percent,” highlighting the importance he places on the quality of the rice he serves. He grows his own short grain rice in partnership with Tamaki Farms in Uruguay, further establishing his renown as a rice connoisseur. Chef Onodera also meticulously sources fresh fish for his signature sushi, placing a major emphasis on sustainable seafood. At INN ANN, Chef Onodera brings his expertise in sushi and rice to the table, as well as a singular “mobile” sushi cart of his own design.

The menu is omakase. We just told Mori to bring us everything!

Erick brought: 1993 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. JG 92+. I have drunk a few magnums of the 1993 Dom Pérignon to start off tastings in the last handful of months and this is at a lovely place in its evolution at age twenty-five. This is not a great vintage of DP, but a very good one that has retained a nice sense of its “good green” personality, as it offers up an aromatically complex mix of green apple, menthol, stony minerality, lime peel and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and still quite steely in personality, with a good core, elegant mousse and lovely grip and cut on the long, complex and energetic finish. This was a slightly leaner vintage of Dom Pérignon in its youth and it has retained this personality as it has started to blossom, but it remains a fine drink with a long future ahead of it. (Drink between 2018-2040)

Tofu and wasabi.

Then covered in special soy sauce. Simple, but scrumptious. Gorgeous soft tofu texture.

Japanese seaweed, Japanese sunchoke, Pumpkin, Mountain peach, blanched peanut, chestnut, burdock, eggplant. The giant bowl of Japanese veggies. Kinda nice and very Japanese tasting.

Sunomono. Red clam. Cucumber. Japanese shallot. I always love marinated stuff, particularly with the sweet rice vinegar typical of sunomono.

Sashimi. Buri. Japanese mackerel. Saba. Maybe some clam thing.

Dobin mushi. Seasonal soup. Harvest season. Matsutake mushroom. Fried shrimp ball. Rock fish. Mitsuba. Ginko nuts. Slightly Smokey. This was one of those really like Japanese mushroom broths with a bit of seafood flavor (from the shrimp ball) and a good dose of Japanese citrus.

Larry brought: 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 96. A wonderfully layered and nuanced nose features an intense yeasty character to the maturing fruit that displays interesting phenolic characters, in particular petrol, along with aromas of apple, pear and soft citrus hints. In contrast to the nascent maturity expressed by the nose the flavor profile is still tight and backward with a genuinely gorgeous texture, all wrapped in a strikingly persistent and highly complex finish. For my taste the 2000 Brut is at an inflection point as the nose does offer enough maturity so that it’s really quite pretty whereas the palate impression is substantially younger. As such it really just depends on how you prefer your Champagne because I suspect that the nose will be very mature by the time the still very youthful flavors attain their majority. For my taste preferences it would be no vinous crime to begin enjoying this now but be aware that this will age for a very long time. The best approach is probably to buy 6, or even 12, bottles and enjoy them over a longer period of time.

Grilled King crab. Grilled Yellowtail. Wild arugula.

Tempura. Abalone. Abalone liver. Shisito. Baby corn. Mission figs. Matcha salt. Very rich and delicious.

The Matcha salt and tempura sauce.

A5 wagyu. Wasabi. Purple Okinawa. Homemade radish pickles. 2 year old yuzu kosho. The yuzu kosho and wasabi stands in for “mustard” with the beef.

Erick brought: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. BH 94. Readers may remember that last year the ’08 Combettes had not even started its malo at the time of my February visit (more than 16 months after the harvest!) and thus it was not rated. Well, I am very happy to report that it has turned out marvelously well with an ultra-fresh nose of mildly exotic yellow orchard fruit aromas trimmed in floral and wood components. There is excellent richness, size, weight and punch to the medium weight plus flavors that brim with dry extract that both coats the palate and buffers the very firm acidity on the driving, even explosive finish that is stunningly long. This is quite simply an extraordinary wine and it is not an exaggeration to say that the ’08 is the best young Leflaive Combettes that I have ever seen.

Really good homemade ginger.

Tai snapper. Sea bream from Japan. Wasabi.

Needle fish from Japan.

Chu-toro.

Marinated Kohada.

Aji. Spanish Mackerel.

Marinated tuna from New Jersey.

Ikura (salmon eggs).

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 91-94. A subtle touch of pain grillé highlights citrus notes that, like the Pucelles, exhibit hints of honeysuckle and fennel nuances that complement perfectly the textured, rich and sweet medium plus weight flavors that are quite supple yet remain detailed, energetic and strikingly long on the explosive finish. This is a relatively powerful Bienvenues. In a word, terrific. (Drink starting 2018)

Santa Barbara Uni (sea urchin).

Hokkaido Uni.

Golden snapper. Seared skin. Nice smoked seared taste.

Special sea eel.

Lovely bowl.

Contains miso soup. Nice dashi flavor.

Clam and Cucumber roll.

Dashi whitefish shrimp tamago. Salty version, not sweet at all.

Chu toro again. How could we not.

Buri belly from Hokkaido.

Persimmon. Fruit.

This pair of gelati I made for my son’s birthday:

House favorite and my son’s birthday pick: Triple Chocolate Cloud – As usual the base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache and the rotating ingredient is crushed Oreos — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #Oreos

Strawberries and Cream Gelato — A dairy strawberry base with Avignon Strawberries plus Strawberry Jam Ripples and Strawberry Wafer Cookies — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #strawberry #cream #jam #wafer #cookies

simple but awesome.

Chef Mori.

Hard to find place, but outstanding sushi. Some of the best classic sushi in LA. Pricey, as it always is, but worth it. Mori is one of the local masters.

NOTE: apparently as of 12/31/19 Inn Ann is now closed. Perhaps the ridiculously weird location didn’t help! I’m glad we got to go!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Dom Pérignon (wine), Foodie Club, Gelato, Hollywood, Japanese cuisine, Morihiro Onodera, Omakase, Sushi, White Burgundy

Seaweed Sushi

Nov27

Restaurant: Seaweed

Location: 3450 W 6th St Ste 107, Los Angeles, CA 90020. (213) 674-7996

Date: October 17, 2019

Cuisine: Handrolls & Sushi

Rating: Good bang for the buck

Trust it to my Armenian friends to ferret out the one sushi bar in all of Korea Town owned by Armenians.

Anyway, located right near Sun Nong Dan, this is a newish small sushi place focusing on handrolls, like Kazunori, but also with some nigiri.

Very tight little space with one long sushi bar (and nothing else).

The menu.

Octopus shooter.

Lots of vinegar! Like your daily apple cider vinegar shot.

Spicy Tuna on Rice cakes. I’m a sushi purist, but Chevy ordered these. I feel that the chewy rice takes away from the fish.

Kanpachi. Cilantro, jalapeno, ponzu, yuzu. Pretty much the nobu sashimi dish reconverted to nigiri. Fish is good though.

Salmon. Black caviar, negi, sesame seeds. This combo works. The caviar adds brine to salmon’s natural sweetness.

Albacore. Ponzu, negi. Tasty.

Blue fin tuna.

Toro. Melt in your mouth.

Super Toro (what regular people call o-toro). Even more melt in your mouth.

Super Toro with caviar, truffles, and uni. This is a “bit much” but I do have to say it worked and was delicious.

Ikura (salmon egg). Certainly nice. Not the best marinated ikura I’ve ever had, but can’t go too wrong here.

Uni. Fresh wasabi. Santa Barbara Uni, very nice and creamy.

Blue crab handroll. Class goodness.

Our extremely nice chef du jour.

A free (from the owner) albacore sashimi. Crispy onion, ponzu, soy. A touch heavy handed but yummy.

Spicy Scallop handroll.

Spicy tuna handroll.

Spicy Lobster handroll.

Yellowtail handroll. WIth yuzu kosho and yuzu juice. Really nice very bright limey flavor.

Toro and Takuan handroll. Not on the menu but he had the ingredients so I had him make it up. Super delicious.

Free fruit.

Overall, Seaweed isn’t super purist Japanese sushi, but the rice is good and the fish great. The service is great and the sushi chefs really nice. So everything was very tasty — if a touch over-the-top — and the value is very good. At a top sushi place this could have easily been 2X or 3X more expensive. What we had was probably around $100-120 which isn’t bad at all considering all that toro, caviar, etc. I prefer my sushi more “Japanese” in style, but this totally delivers in a casual pure taste kinda way.

Afterward we went down the street for coffee.

Nice interior.

Some latte.

Cappuccino.

Chevy’s specialty coffee.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more sushi reviews, click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Japanese cuisine, Ktown, Seaweed, Sushi

Ima Had Too Much Meat

Nov25

Restaurant: IMA

Location: 9669 S Santa Monica Blvd #1, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 734-7829

Date: October 16, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese A5 Shabu-Shabu

Rating: Rich!

For tonight’s meal the minimum Foodie Club heads out to try something few others would dare…

$400 a person Shabu-Shabu!

This is IMA, sister restaurant to Yazawa, the super A5 Yakiniku joint in Beverly Hills. They use the same meat.

And have a similar (adjacent and with connecting doors) modern Japanese vibe.

The tables have little induction burners built in and stylish hoods.

The small menu is some shabu-shabu and sukiyaki variants. We of course ordered everything!

Erick brought: 1985 Château Rausan-Ségla. VM 91. The 1985 Rauzan-Ségla is a vintage that I have tasted several times from bottles I picked up cheaply some years ago. I was particularly effusive about the 1985 although, I feel that it has decayed a little since my last note in 2010. Soft red berry fruit, hedgerow, sage and mushrooms on the loose-knit nose, very typical for a 1985 though it is less intense nowadays. The palate is very savory in style with roasted chestnut and ferrous notes infusing the finish that has an appealing rounded texture. Maybe there are better bottles out there? In any case, don’t hesitate to crack one of these open. Tasted from a bottle from my personal cellar. (Drink between 2019-2027)

agavin: really nice bottle

From my cellar: 1997 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 94. Bright deep ruby. Blackberry, violet, tar, shoe polish and game on the nose, plus a light floral note; at once vibrant and surmuri. Superconcentrated, remarkably intense flavors of crystallized black cherry, cassis and licorice. An extremely persistent wine of noteworthy finesse, yet also one with a powerful structure for aging. One of the standouts of the vintage.

The appetizer flight that comes with the “Chef’s Special” set course.

Lobster with mushrooms and radish and soy sauce. Bright acid dressing. Very nice.

Hokkaido Uni Tofu with dashi jelly. White creamy quality.

Brussels sprouts with pepper and anchovies. Nice.

A5 Wagyu tartare and Russian Caviar. The caviar is Calvisius ars Italica Caviar. Delicious dish. Although I slightly miss the wasabi ponzu typical on the toro version at Nobu.

Beef Cheek stewed in Saikyo Miso, Topped with Parmesan Cheese. Rich fatty beef chew — like Japanese grandmother’s beef stew.

Grilled Beef Tongue and Vegetables. Thickest tongue I’ve ever had!

Salt and lemon for the tongue.

Toro with salt. Lightly seared. So good we ordered 2 (for the 2 of us).

Steamed Oyster Wrapped in Wagyu with Japanese Salsa. Kinda a bit odd.

The sukiyaki pan arrives.

Sukiyaki meat. Yazawa beef loin. With beef tallow for seasoning.

Sauces and tools.

Raw egg yolk for dipping.

They coat the cast iron pan with tallow then cook.

And dump in sukiyaki sauce (which is a sweet soy).

Here is the tallow and sauce deglazing.

Then you roll your barely cooked piece in the egg yolk — scrumptious. Soft velvety meat, sweet soy flavors, and the rich egg coating.

Broth for the shabu-shabu.

Dipping salt.

First meat (for the shabu): Beef Tongue.

She boiled it in the broth and served it next to the salt. You just eat it with a bit of salt. Super tender and delicious.

More meats, right to left: filet tenderloin, Ichibo, Shin-Shin, rib.

Sauces, a light dashi one and a sesame one.

Chopped mini-green onions for the sauce.

My sauce blend (lighter sauce) with some meat.

Mixing up the sesame sauce.

Veggies and tofu for the shabu (one side).

The other side with glass noodles and a carrot cow.

Pureed Corn Topped with Sea Urchin. I thought I’d love this, but too corn mushy. Cold too and a bit odd.

Noodles for the “ramen” that is coming from the broth.

Flavorant for the broth.

The ramen, brothed up, with noodles.

Special soup to finish, rice porridge.

Dessert time: Pannacotta with soy powder.

On the left, mixed fruit, on the right Passionfruit Sorbet.

Special roasted tea.

I don’t usually post the bill, but this one is useful for the discussion that follows.

Now I liked IMA a lot. The food was very good — delicious in fact — and this was the best/most elevated shabu-shabu I’ve had. And the sukiyaki even better. The meat is incredible (as it is at Yazawa). Service was awesome. Our server was incredibly nice and even helped us cook our food.

Wines were great too (pat ourselves on the back). Corkage isn’t outrageous (at least for the first 2 bottles).

But I wonder how they are going to do and who the market is for this. Only a small set of people (in America at least) even know what Shabu-Shabu is — and even less sukiyaki — and I doubt too many of them are looking for a $400/person shabu/sukiyaki experience! Some high end Asian customers will dig it for sure. I did. But the menu is very limited, so I wouldn’t come back particularly often.

So interesting.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: A5, Foodie Club, Ima, Japanese cuisine, Shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, Wagyū, Wine

Uni All The Way Down

Nov04

Restaurant: Miyabi Uni

Location: 1231 Cabrillo Ave Suite 101, Torrance, CA 90501. (424) 376-5135

Date: September 23, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Uni

Rating: Delicious — Just make sure to take your gout medicine

Despite the possible health consequences of eating an entire meal of Uni (sea urchin) I’ve been dying to brace the brutal 405 traffic, head south, and try out…

Miyabi Uni. Yes, a Japanese restaurant so specialized almost everything on the menu contains uni!

Welcoming portals.

And a fairly spacious modern interior.

The uni extravaganza menu.

2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé. VM 95. A wine of exquisite beauty, the 2004 Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé has the pedigree to drink well for several decades. The 2004 is an especially vinous, textured Rosé. The berry, floral, spice and mineral-drenched flavors are finely sketched in this dramatic, strikingly beautiful Rosé from Ruinart.

2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles. BH 93. A textbook Pucelles nose of honeysuckle and citrus is trimmed in a discreet application of oak and a trace of exotic fruit, neither of which continue over to the delicious, round and quite generous medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent depth on the focused and unusually powerful finish. There is an ample amount of underlying tension that adds relief to the otherwise densely concentrated dry exact. This is quite simply terrific and while there is good power, the ’08 Pucelles remains a wine of finesse.

agavin: our bottle was fairly advanced.

From my cellar: 2012 Paolo Bea Arboreus. 93 points. Unique take on the Trebbiano Spoletino variety, with powerful soil and mineral leading the way to a complex finish of orange oil, lemon-lime spritz, passion fruit and white peach. Constantly shifting in the glass, this is a wine for those looking outside the box. More seabed notes on the back end of this developing, unique wine; aeration/decant suggested. 2018-2024

agavin: best pairing with uni

Look at the color!

The uni fun begins!

Miyabi Oyster. Fresh Kumiai oyster from Baja California with uni, ikura, black roe, and tasazu jelly. The Miyagi oyster trifecta — because uni makes everything better. Very bright and briny. Delicious.

Miyabi Uni Shooter. Fresh sea urchin, quail egg yolk, and Tosazu finished with tobiko eggs. Richness personified. Requires a tolerance of “soft” textures, but for me it was delicious.

Uni Cream Croquette. Sea urchin cream croquettes served with sea urchin cream sauce. A fried gooey version. Good, but not as good as some of the more raw uni preps.

Uni Toro Wrap. Fresh tuna belly rolled around uni with yuzu kosho. Super awesome rich bites!

Seared US Kobe Beef Tataki with uni. Marinated kobe beef and uni.

Soy Milk Tofu with Uni. Homemade soy milk tofu served with sea urchin and sweet soy sauce. This was super mild, with jiggly tofu and little chunks of uni. Probably could have used more uni if we weren’t having a ton of it in other dishes.

Uzaku. Sliced grilled unagi (fresh water eel), cucumber, and seaweed served with soy sauce vinegar sauce and jelly. No uni at all! Our only dish without, but it was delicious. Rich eel and bright tangy flavors from the jelly.

Chilled Uni Chawan-mushi. Chilled steamed organic egg and uni custard served with ponzu sauce. Delicious custard.

Gratuitous zoom!

Uni Tamagoyaki. Japanese style organic egg omelette with sea urchin served with uni soy sauce.

Here it is cut and oozing uni. Scrumptious. The uni egg combo is a great one and this was a fabulous prep. Light fluffy egg and rich uni.

Super uni, toro, bluefin, ikura donburi bowl. Various sashimi over rice.

Miyabi Uni Original Pasta. Soy sauce, garlic butter, and red chili spaghetti topped with fresh sea urchin, shiso leaf, and crispy seaweed. This is closest to an Italian pasta as it had a strong garlic feel and a quality like an uni spaghetti vongole. Delicious!

Premium Uni Cream Pasta. Finest grade Hokkaido sea urchin and Santa Barbara sea urchin and truffle butter cream sauce with fresh fettuccine. Now this is the serious deal. So rich, so delicious, so uni.

It comes with Italian style bread for mopping up the sauce.

Uni Miso Soup. Because, why not?

The return of S’mores Gelato — Valrhona Chocolate base with house-made Graham Crackers and toasted kosher Marshmallow topping! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #chocolate #valrhona #s’more #marshmallow #GrahamCracker

Overall, this was a super fine meal and really delicious. Yeah, we walked away with our joints crunching and our fingers swollen from the salt, but we walked away happy. I thought I’d enjoy it — and I did. Every dish was tasty, but about half were super delicious, most anything with raw uni. Weakest was probably the croquette and the tataki — but they were still good.

Service was spectacular. This I didn’t expect. I mean Japanese service is usually very attentive, but the staff were ON IT too and super nice and accommodating.

Wine pairing here is “interesting” at best. My orange Italian wine worked out best. It’s an unusual wine, and doesn’t pair with everything, but it does do pretty well with uni. The White Burgundy was a bit oxidized, which normally would be a bummer, but turned out to work pretty well with the uni too. The rose champ was delicious, but probably the toughest pairing.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Foodie Club, Japanese cuisine, Miyabi Uni, Torrance, Uni

The Valley’s Secret Sushi|Bar

Oct07

Restaurant: Sushi|Bar

Location: 16101 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91436. 818.876.0818

Date: August 21, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Very good, particularly for white guy sushi

I’ve wanted to try Sushi|Bar since I first heard about it as it’s an unusual sushi bar concept.

Not the fact that’s it’s located on Ventura Blvd — which is about as typical as you get for sushi bars — but that it’s a secret place tucked behind Woodley Proper and Scratch|Bar.

In this very 90s Valley mall.

Hidden behind his revered tasting menu restaurant Scratch|Bar, Sushi|Bar is Chef Phillip Frankland Lee’s Omakase Speakeasy that serves up a whimsy of its namesake fare in 17 courses. Behind an unmarked door lies an intimate counter housing 8 prized seats where you will sit right up to the chef’s cutting boards. Relax and enjoy as the chefs prepare a playful reverie on new wave nigiri and other delicacies from both land and sea in a free form interpretive take on the traditional sushi counter experience where you can expect unexpected riffs on beloved standards.
The front bar part of Scratch|Bar where we waited for our seating. It should be noted that Sushi|Bar has same day reservations via Tock or a “membership” which allows for advanced reservations and corkage discounts. Some of our party were members and booked the whole place for tonight.

They gave us an welcome cocktail, which I think had a sake base, but I can’t remember.

Eventually — and it was about 45 minutes late — we were moved into the secret Sushi|Bar room.

Unlimited Sunomono (marinated pickles). I must have eaten about 10 bowls worth.

The chef’s plating the first course.

1989 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection. JG 96. The 1989 Krug Collection is absolutely brilliant Champagne and one of the best bottles of wine I have had the pleasure to taste this year. The totally à point nose soars from the glass in a regal blend of baked apple, buttered almonds, a touch of crème patissière, a beautiful base of minerality, brioche and a gentle topnote of smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and magical on the attack, with a great core of fruit, flawless focus and balance, refined mousse, brilliant complexity and a very, very long, crisp and vibrant finish. This wine is fully mature aromatically and flavor-wise, but still retains the structural bounce and grip of a relatively young Champagne and still has decades and decades of profound drinking ahead of it. A great, great wine at its magical summit.

1982 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 97. Both 1982 Champagnes are utterly spellbinding. It is amazing to taste these wines at 30 years of age and see that their signatures are all very much intact. Of course, the magnum format is so ideal for Champagne. The 1982 Krug Vintage is warm, toasty and totally expressive, with gorgeous exotic orange peel and white truffle overtones. This is one of my very favorite Krug vintages. Although fully mature, the 1982 is going to continue to develop at a glacial pace. The 1982 Dom Pérignon is just a little more focused and vibrant in style. Here it is the wine’s salivating minerality that really sings. It, too, is quite youthful and vibrant for its age. What a flight.

Kushi Oyster from British Columbia with Italian sturgeon caviar, shari puffed “Rice Krispies,” and sake foam. Light and briny. Very pleasant, with an interesting textural play between the crispy, foamy, and slimy.

Blue Fin Tuna & Krasnaya Ikra. Spanish bluefin tail tartare, braced with dehydrated nori and covered with avocado mousse, house-cured ikura (salmon roe), and green onion. I really liked the contrast of the soft fish and the crispy seaweed. Great flavors too.

Japanese Yellowtail (hamachi) with sweet corn pudding, sourdough breadcrumbs, and soy sauce, and wasabi. This was good, but a touch less successful as I found the corn and breadcrumb mush a touch distracting.

Spanish Blue Fin Toro, scored, with sherry shisky, brown sugar, and a tiny slice of pineapple. Plus some house soy and wasabi. This more unusual topping really worked, adding an unctuous sweet tone to the rich fish not unlike pairing with Sauternes.

2013 Maison Leroy Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes. Very nice!

Purple Peruvian Scallop. The mollusk was smothered with leche de tigre (the Peruvian zesty sauce). Of course the sauce is so zesty it’s hard to taste the scallop, but it was still very succulent.

2011 Coche-Dury Meursault. BH 90. An elegant, pure and very pretty nose is now displaying just touches of both wood and some secondary development though it’s clear that the ripe orchard fruit and citrus-infused aromas are still developing. There is a lovely sense of energy to the delicious, round and caressing middle weight flavors that exhibit a subtle mineralitly that continues onto the nicely intense and sappy finale that delivers excellent persistence and particularly so for a villages level wine. This is really lovely stuff and while it could easily be enjoyed now, I’d be inclined to allow it another 5 to 7 years of bottle age first.

2011 Maison Leroy Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 93. An elegant, fresh and airy nose of that is distinctly floral and citrusy in character offers up notes of green apple and a nutty hint. There is excellent intensity and cut to the chiseled middle weight flavors that exhibit the classic minerality of a fine Perrières, all wrapped in a delicious, complex and classy finale. This is first-rate and particularly so for the vintage, indeed this more resembles a 2010 than a typical 2011. Impressive.

Tai Snapper topped with caviar, lemon, sea salt, and scallions. The caviar pairing also worked.

Black snapper with yuzu koshu made from fresno chilies. The little dab of heat paired nicely with the snapper.

2010 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 96. This notches up the ripeness just a touch more yet there are only the barest hints of exoticism to the peach, apricot, pear and acacia blossom aromas that display a top note of citrus zest. This is a classic Bâtard in the sense of being big, bold and powerful with imposingly-scaled flavors that coat the palate with dry extract before terminating in a massively long and borderline painfully intense finish. To be sure, this is a big wine yet it remains light on its feet with no undue sense of being top heavy. Indeed the balance is perfect though note that patience will be required. Marvelous. (Drink starting 2022)

Medium fat chu toro with caviar, lemon, sea salt, and scallions. Chu toro is always one of my favorite cuts and the caviar added a extra level of brine.

Smoked albacore soaked in garlic paste, wrapped in sake nori, topped with crispy onions, ponzu, and scallions. It’s fairly traditional to pair albacore with garlic and while this was a novel approach to it, it was ultimately sucessful.

New Zealand King Salmon, seared, lemon sea salt and pickled wasabi. Here the pickled wasabi takes the place of the pickled bit of kelp sometimes layered on the salmon. Also a great piece.

From my cellar: 2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé. VM 97+. The 2002 Dom Perignon Rosé is deep and chewy yet amazingly refined. The Dom Perignon Rosé is still very taut and shut down, hinting at yet more complexity and fun to come with proper cellaring.

1995 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. JG 95. The 1995 Krug in magnum is really starting to drink with style and grace, but it remains a wine that has just reached its plateau of maturity and has years and years of life still ahead of it. The lovely and quite classic nose wafts from the glass in a constellation of apple, peach, caraway seed, a lovely base of minerality, a touch of walnut, rye bread and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a wide open attack, a fine core, elegant mousse and really lovely length and grip on the focused and classy finish. Fine juice.

Wild caught Korean Escolar, house cured Ikura (salmon roe), scallions, wasabi, soy. A rich fish, balanced nicely by the briny roe.

King Crab Dynamite. Russian king crab leg covered with a beet mustard, brûléed to caramelize the sugars, then topped with lemon juice, rock salt, and puffed red quinoa. The sweetness went nicely with the crab (much like Spanish crab with raspberries) and the puffed quinoa added an interesting crunch.

Giant Clam, wasabi, house soy sauce, lemon sea salt, matcha salt. Chewy and delicious.

Bone Marrow. Roasted ox marrow with wasabi, soy, and rock salt. This was an unusual nigiri and was not my favorite. I never really like bone marrow as it’s soft and fatty without much heft.

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin with wasabi. Classic and delicious.

The menu is up on the wall. The things below come with the tasting, but underneath the name are a bunch of optional ala carte items. I ordered all that were available.

Uni handroll. So good I got 2.

King crab handroll. Mild, without mayo, but nice.

Unagi with bone marrow fat. Here the bone marrow served just to make the rich eel even richer — which I enjoyed.

Jellyfish with vinegar. I loved with, as it had a really nice “bite” (the chewy crunch) and a great acidic flavor.

“Kobe” Beef with salt and green onion. Very salty and rich. Fine, but maybe not worth the price.

White chocolate matcha shell, kafir lime ice cream, black sesame shortbread cookie. Delicious, both in flavors and in it’s textural play between the shell and frozen interior. I may emulate as a gelato flavor at some point.

Mocha Bourbon Butterscotch Gelato — expresso infused milk, Valrhona cocoa, Knob Creek Bourbon, and a house-made Butterscotch Sauce — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #mocha #expresso #coffee #chocolate #Valrhona #butterscotch #bourbon #KnobCreek

Tingly Passion Gelato — passionfruit variant, striped with blackberry coulis, but steeped with Chengdu Street Market Szechuan Green Peppercorns — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #passionfruit #blackberry #coulis #SzechuanPepper #SpicySweet #passion

Green tea with yuzu and honey. Sweet and tangy!

The wine lineup was amazing tonight!

One of our chefs looked like he was 16 — but he’s in his mid twenties. None of the chefs are Japanese from Japan. The main day to day sushi chef does have extensive sushi bar experience. I’m not sure all the guys know how to “pick fish and cut” in the traditional subtle Japanese way that helps make the texture and flavor of top flight fish so superlative. Here there is some distraction from that traditional Japanese focus with the “toppings.”

Overall, this was a great experience and the sushi was fabulous. For weird “topped” sushi it was far more successful than the odd Sushi of Gari. Almost all of the “pairings” were successful and many actually added to the flavor rather than subtracting.

There isn’t a ton of food by my standards, and so to be full I not only had to order ALL the supplements (2 of a couple) but I had to chow down on cucumbers (sunomono). In the end I was satiated. Price was reasonable for high end sushi as the base omakase is “only” $125 — which isn’t too bad (again for high end sushi). The experience, setting, and sushi style is unique too, which is always fun.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Foodie Club, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, Sushi, White Burgundy, Wine

Quick Eats – Red Rock

Sep05

Restaurant: Red Rock

Location: 11301 W Olympic Blvd Ste 210(floor 2nd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (424) 208-3997

Date: July 23, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Beef Bowl

Rating: Slightly odd 2nd floor beef bowl joint

Erick took me one lunch to this strange location upstairs in the Olympic Collection (at Olympic and Sawtelle).

This place is like a super Yoshinoya, with very beef oriented piles of meat on rice.

They also have steaks and tomahawks!

House salad. Tasty little Japanese salad.

Soup that comes with the lunch. Mild, salty and pleasant.

Fried chicken with curry rice. Fine, but not nearly as good a curry as at many other Japanese curry places, plus they had NO pickles! How can you have curry with no pickles?

Teriyaki beef bowl. Marinated slightly sweet beef on rice.

American brand beef served with their special sauce. Basically a chopped up steak on rice. Good with wasabi (which mysteriously cost an extra $1 or so!).

Red Rock’s signature items are these low temperature cooked meats (they look pink and raw) piled up on rice with a goopy white yogurt sauce and a raw egg. Erick had them on a previous visit and declared it pretty gross, so we skipped.

This is an interesting joint, and I certainly won’t go frequently, but if you are really craving some Japanese beef and don’t want Yakiniku (which I like much better), then try it out.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: beef, Japanese cuisine, raw beef, raw egg, Red Rock, Wagyū

Otafuku – Carb Coma

Aug19

Restaurant: Otafuku

Location: 16525 S Western Ave. Gardena, CA 90247. (310) 532-9348

Date: June 21, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Izakaya / Tempura / Noodles

Rating: Great noodles and tempura

Asian Food Friday (AFF) is another of my fun food “groups” — composed of a bunch of Santa Monica guys that on certain Friday’s set out in search of great Asian eats.

This time we headed off to Otafuku, recommended as one of the best soba and tempura places in LA — located in Gardena Little Japan. You enter through the less than glamorous back.

It’s really an Izakaya, they have a lot of sochu on the wall and a very drinking friendly menu.

Very casual small interior. Really nice staff.

Pickled Vegetables. Japanese love pickles. Several radishes, Japanese Mountain Yam, cucumber, carrot, etc. Nice complex vinegar flavor. Good crunch.

Japanese Omelet (tamago). Really nice savory omelet. Great fluffy texture.

Small horse mackerel with fresh vegetable bowl. Very fresh mackerel, not at all fishy, with a good bit of ginger and various veggies.

Delicious Small Tuna Bowl. Just straight up tuna sashimi.

Fishcake Tempura. A battered chopped shrimp and scallop with assorted vegetable tempuras. This was the best “tempura mixto” I’ve had — and I always get it. Lots of tender shrimp and scallops in here. Perfectly crispy light breading.

Sea Eel Tempura. Extremely “Big” sea eel tempura which is “absolutely unique” (with a few assorted vegetables). I’ve actually had eel tempura several times, but this was light and fabulous. Hannosuke has a somewhat similar eel. Not sure if it’s exactly the same type.

Shrimp Tempura. Black tiger shrimps with some assorted vegetable tempura. Excellent. Classic.

Vegetable Tempura. Shitake mushroom, red pepper, onion, asparagus, perrilla, enoki, sweet potato, Japanese Squash etc. I like the perrilla (shiso?).

Broiled chicken leg. Really nice dark meat.

Stir fried Kurobuta pork with ginger soy sauce. Like a pork version of the meat that goes in a beef udon bowl — delicious.

The pork came with miso soup.

Special Seiro Soba (cold). Specialty soba which is quite thin white noodle made of a mixture of special white buckwheat flour. The difference from the Zaru is used on heart of soba seeds. It’s that special! Really nice light noodles. These were served with a bowl of noodle sauce I forgot to photo, plus some chopped green onions and wasabi.

Kikouchi (cold). Dark brown noodle made of 100% buckwheat flour. Gluten free. Really great buckwheat noodles! These are also dipped into the dipping sauce.

At the end they bring this broth you can add to the dipping sauce to drink it like a soup. Very nice too.

Curry Udon. Great curry udon. Chicken, onions and curry. Lighter and more complex than most curry udons.

I brought some of my gelato too:

Arancia Crema Fiorentina Zabaione — Marsala Orange Vanilla Zabaione base with Orange Variegate — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Very close to the oldest gelato flavor!! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #orange #Zabaione #CremaFiorentina

Salted Caramel Chocolate — House-made salted caramel forms the core of this base which then is layered with house-made Valrhona dark chocolate ganache and Valrhona milk chocolate chips — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — my best salted caramel yet — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #caramel #chocolate #Valrhona #ganache

The owner loved my gelato so much they brought us free this fabulous flan with dark caramel. Really nice custard with a perfect creamy texture and contrasting caramel.

Overall, this was a great place. On the border of sketchy neighborhood wise, and very hole-in-the-wall, but super nice staff and really great food. Everything we had was quite good, particularly the tempura and noodles.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: AFF, BYOG, Gardena, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, noodles, Sashimi, soba, tempura

Chateau Hanare — Death Free

Jul12

Restaurant: Chateau Hanare

Location: 8097 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046. (323) 963-5269

Date: June 4, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Interesting, tres LA

I hadn’t even heard of Chateau Hanare until the day I went with the Foodie Club (regular member Larry arranged).

It’s “in collaboration with The Chateau Marmont Hotel & Bungalows” and located adjacent to the famed Chateau Marmont (final dying place of John Belushi & Chris Farley). It’s “fancy” Hollywood Japanese.

They have a a gorgeous outside patio — really lovely.

We setup shop in a corner table.

The inside is huge too, several decked out rooms like this — expensive build out.

Menu.

2000 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé. VM 93. Bright gold. Smoke-accented orchard fruits, herbs and citrus pith on the the intensely perfumed nose. Deeply pitched but lively on the palate, with very good depth to its intense pear and lemon curd flavors. The smoky note builds on the back half and carries through a long, sappy, impressively focused finish. This year’s release seems tighter and more youthful than last year’s version.

Uni Toast sakura wood smoked santa barbara uni on housemade toast seasoned with soy.

You can see it hiding in the fog.

Then the theatrics begin.

Poof!

Blow this one off.

A nice piece of toast, but I found the smoke taste a bit distracting.

House Made Tofu, 8:30pm edition, freshly scooped tofu served warm with wari-joyu.

Spoons for the tofu.

Freshly scooped tofu served warm with wari-joyu. Super delicate and delicious. Like tofu creme fraiche or something.

2011 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux. VM 93. The 2011 Chablis Butteaux is subtle, gracious and utterly impeccable in its elegance. All the elements are simply in the right place. Articulate, energetic and nuanced, the 2011 captures all the qualities of this 1er Cru site, in miniature. This is another of the more approachable 2011s from Raveneau.

agavin: hehe, Beavis. I said butteaux!

White Asparagus. Chilled white asparagus in sakura dashi. In season, but I didn’t love this take. Medicinal tasting.

Uni Ice Cream. Savory housemade uni ice cream with fresh santa barbara uni. As a gelato maker I had to order this. It’s made in the paco jet, which is really the only way to make fully savory ice creams like this. Like cold ice cream textured uni. Interesting and pretty good.

From my cellar: 2006 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. VM 93-95. Rich aromas of wet stone, minerals, vanilla and hazelnut. Large-scaled but tight, with this wine’s typical firm acidity leavening its textural richness. This expands in the mouth like a top bottling of Perrieres. Perhaps less refined than the Genevrieres but bigger and more powerful wine. The mounting, expanding finish is almost painful.

agavin: this bottle was sadly a touch advanced.

Kobachi. shiro ninjin puree topped with ikura, kinoko yakibitashi, uni and white asparagus, bluefin tuna caviar toast

uni and white asparagus.

kinoko yakibitashi.

bluefin tuna caviar toast.

shiro ninjin puree topped with ikura.

Kim brought this sake.

Madai Yuan Yaki Wanmori. marinated grilled sea bream with seasonal vegetables in a yuzu ankake broth.

2016 Azienda Agricola Valentini Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. 94 points. right pink-red. Aromas of sour red cherry, raspberry, sage, rosemary and minerals on the enticing nose. Then multilayered, deep and complex, with mouthcoating but vibrant flavors of small red berries, herbs and minerals. Finishes very long and suave with hints of orange zest and underbrush. Extremely serious, ageworthy Rosato, a real Cerausolo.

Lobster Shabu Shabu. Maine lobster hot pot with a side of ponzu.

The broth itself was insane, particularly with the ponzu and after cooking the lobster and veggies.

1988 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru. 90 points. Surprisingly youthful and dense bouquet of dark red and blue berry fruit. Quite floral with Chambolle perfume and some musty character. Each was a 2014 Drouhin Library Release. The ’88 was the best wine of the flight with the most leathery and earthy nuance to the darker perfumed fruit. A nice soily texture on the palate too. Imagine this is about peak maturity.

Wagyu. Miyazaki A5 wagyu topped with summer truffles, plum asazuke, dashes of wagarashi ponzu and rokuzuke salt.

Special fried rice.

Bowled.

Temari Sushi. assortment of Kyoto style sushi seasoned with truffle soy. This was the only dish I didn’t enjoy. The round shape was interesting, but the rich had no vinegar taste and the truffle distracted. Very dull.

Dessert. Strawberry Gazpacho with Basil Sorbet Straberry gazpacho, katafi, creme fraiche, anko, anko tuile. Awesome, actually.

Mangoberry Cheesecake Gelato — raspberry/mango cream-cheese base with blackberry/mango ripple and house-made graham cracker crumble — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #cheesecake #mango #raspberry #blackberry #GrahamCracker #coulis #ripple #creamcheese

Blackberry Mango Amaro Sorbetto! — like a frozen aperitivo — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — although I do need to improve at decorating in the Pozzetti –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #mango #blackberry #amaro

Peanut Chocolate Caramel Ganache Reese’s Gelato -Sweet Peanut Base with house-made Valrhona Chocolate Caramel Ganache and mini Reese’s Peanutbutter Cups! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — the ganache is delicious but the 80% Valrhona I used swamps out the caramel — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peanut #reeses #peanutbuttercup #ganache #Valrhona

Together in the bowl.

Larry and Kim, al fresco.

Overall, this was a lovely scene, awesome patio. Service was mostly excellent, with a few oddities (like how they didn’t tell us that the extra apps we ordered were duplicated near exactly on the tasting menu we had ordered — #3). Chef came out with some visiting sake specialists as was super friendly. Did I mention the patio was so LA and really, really nice?

Food was good, some dishes, like the lobster shabu shabu, even great. A few misses like the terrible sushi. Really, no flavor at all without the vinegar except a touch of truffle (ick).

Wines were mostly great too — awesome night.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Chateau Hanare, Foodie Club, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, Sushi, Uni, Wine

Quick Eats – Mogumogu

Jul05

Restaurant: Mogumogu

Location: 11555 W Olympic Blvd Suite B, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (424) 371-5085

Date: May 30, 2019

Cuisine: “Soupless” Ramen

Rating: Good

Mogumogu is a new “soupless” ramen joint near Sawtelle.

It’s located in the space of the former Ramen-ya, just to the west on Olympic.

The interior is… simple.

The menu.

“Umami” vinegar and sesame seeds.

Shishito. Flash fried Japanese peppers with salt and lemon. I’ve had better shishito — I’ve had worse.

Deluxe mazeman. Sliced pork chashu, spicy minced pork, poached egg, chives, minced garlic, fish powder, seaweed, soft boiled egg, seaweed flakes scallion.

To which I added some wild ear mushroom. The “sauce” is kinda at the bottom.

You mix it up and eat. It was pretty tasty. More like a ramen pasta. Left one feeling the carb coma, but not the epic salt and fat coma of a regular ramen. Kinda enjoyable. I will have to repeat to get a better feel for this new style of ramen. I love that the noodles are thick and al dente.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Japanese cuisine, Mogu Mogu, noodles, ramen, Sawtelle, Sawtelle Japantown

Hayato Redux

Jun26

Restaurant: Hayato [1, 2]

Location: 1320 E 7th St #126, Los Angeles, CA 90021. (213) 395-0607

Date: May 17, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Kaiseki

Rating: Amazing

For the third of the three epic meals shoved into Fred’s 36 hour May LA visit we again traveled east to DTLA Japanese newcomer, Hayato.

It’s located in Downtown’s fancy new “ROW” complex — and quite hard to find (use the guide on the website).

This time we had all (7-8) seats in the place and we gathered outside for a few minutes before the set entry time (7pm).

It’s tiny, as I mentioned, only 7-8 seats, and helmed entirely by chef Brandon Go. As he says, Hayato is the culmination of a twenty year journey he has taken as an American-born chef learning about Japanese cuisine.

Brandon says himself:

My Japanese father owns a sushi restaurant in the Los Angeles area, and I began working in his restaurant when I was fifteen years old. As with most Americans, sushi was the gateway through which I became seriously interested in Japanese food. During my teenage years, I made sushi. Throughout college, I made more sushi. After graduating from college, I went to live in Tokyo for a short time, I got a job in an izakaya, and I started to realize that sushi is a very tiny part of Japanese culinary tradition. I have spent rest of my life trying to learn the rest of it.

I dreamt of having my own restaurant since I began making sushi. But the type of restaurant I wanted to open has evolved since then. For my entire life, I have heard Japanese chefs talk of how good the cooking is in Japan, but how it would be impossible to garner support for truly authentic Japanese cooking in the U.S. because of how different American tastes are. I heard this constantly from chefs both in Japan and at home. I have even read it in cookbooks. Because of this, I always envisioned my restaurant being mostly authentic but having to play to the American tastes in order to ensure survival.

Brandon Go.

Like at many good Japanese places, the service is very elegant.

The dinner begins with a glass of (included) sake.

Look at these cute gold sake bowls. Reminds me of a fancy Buddhist alms bowl.

We brought loads of good wine as usual:

1985 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 94. I have had a number of bottles, even from the same cellar, that have been showing plenty of age and even occasionally flirting with oxidative hints yet this most recent bottle (from my cellar) was among the freshest I’ve had in a while with its intensely yeasty and toasty aromas of white orchard fruit, citrus peel, marmalade and orange peel. This is arguably the most complex vintage of the 1980s (though not necessarily the most vibrant or the most complete) and in particular I like the way that the mousse has managed to maintain most of its original vigor on the sweet yet ultimately dry finale that delivers very fine persistence. While this bottle was admirably fresh it’s clear that it’s time to drink up sooner than later unless your taste runs to post-mature characters.

Brandon even pours between his culinary labors.

Components for course one — most things being prepared in front of you.

Hokkaido Scallop with chrysanthemum greens and Tosa Zu Jelly.

The contrast between the rich scallop and tangy jelly was great. Interesting textures too, with the cool soft jelly and the slightly firm scallops. I’m an acid freak so I could have eaten a bowl of this jelly straight.

1996 Coche-Dury Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères. VM 92+. Fred says: Outstanding. Very light yellow in color. No signs of being advanced at all. Lots of ripping 96 acidity with elegant fruit and floral character. Starts out excellent and just keeps getting better all night. Seems ageless and could go another 20 years.

Hokkaido Kobashira and Tara No Me Tempura. Great tempura. Light fry. Reminded me of New England fried clam — elevated. And I mean no disrespect in that, as I happen to love good fried clams. I’ve always enjoyed something about the chewy texture.

1998 Coche-Dury Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères. BH 89. Fred says: Light yellow in color. Minimal Coche flint on the nose. The palate is softer and more gentle. Not hot per se but more rounded in texture. Wonderful ripe fruit and lemon. Very easy drinking and in a great spot.

Prep for the next dish. Notice the real wasabi root and hand grater.

Kasugo dai Bo-Zushi. I haven’t seen (or maybe don’t remember) this particular sushi prep where the shiso is mixed into the rice as opposed to layered between. In any case, like all of Brandon’s dishes, it was lovely.

From my cellar: 2004 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VC 93. The 2004 Meursault Les Rougeots is a vintage that I have not encountered previously and proves a very pleasant surprise considering the vintage. It is a little deeper in color than I was expecting however, the nose is immediately entrancing with wet stone mixed with orange blossom, quite astonishing delineation, later traces of yellow plum and jasmine emerging. Both nose and palate sport a very subtle reduction (less than other vintages in my experience). It retains wonderful tension and poise, perfect salinité with an understated and yet energetic finish that remains over the course of two hours in the glass. Tasted at Taillevent restaurant in Paris.

Lovely lacquer bowl.

Dungeness Crab Shinjo Owan. This class of dish was delightful both this time and last (when it was the lobster ball). It was great again this time, although not quite the highlight. Dashi was scrumptious. Crab had nice depth of flavor.

2004 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. BH 95. This too is ultra pure and fine with its nose of wet stone, white flower, sea water and iodine that precedes delicious, full, detailed and impeccably well balanced flavors that are tight but long with a laser-like sense of focus and coherency. This too finishes with noticeable austerity yet there is real freshness and presence, indeed vibrancy here. The ’04 Le Clos will require at least 5 to 7 years to really begin to open up but once it does, it should drink well for 15. A stunner of a wine and one of the stars of the vintage that will be a long distance runner.

Chop chop.

Tai and Live Spot Prawn Sashimi, hokkaido uni sashimi, fresh nori. Excellent. All incredibly fresh and toothsome. Well maybe not the uni, that was fresh but soft.

1997 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin. BH 91. Dense and richly fruited with copious black fruits trimmed in a deft touch of wood followed by round, intense, full-bodied flavors and fine persistence. This is not a great Chambertin by the lofty Rousseau standards but there is plenty of wine here, not to mention excellent richness and length. It is approaching peaking drinkability though it should hold here for at least a decade. Consistent notes.

Don’t lose a finger Brandon!

Elegantly piled ingredients.

Katsuo Tataki. Early season lean bonito, topped with onions, ginger, probably some kind of ponzu. Perfect texture and nice assertive flavor.

1999 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. VM 92+. Bright ruby-red. Sexy nose combines maraschino cherry, roast coffee, bitter chocolate and lively oak spices not apparent in the foregoing wines. Full, sweet and chewy in the mouth, with a silky, layered texture to buffer the wine sound acidity. Cherry and black raspberry flavors are nicely sweetened by the wine’s new oak. Features a long, gripping whiplash of a finish and fine tannins that coat the entire palate.

Nodoguro Shioyaki with Lotus Root. This was a very notable “grilled fish” the first time around and is again. It’s very oily, but not in an off putting way at all, more just rich. And the crunchy lotus adds some great textural balance.

Next.

Kisu with Fava Bean Ankake. The fish was extremely lightly fried and then covered in a very gooey (thickened) dashi which added its own complementary fish flavor. Light and extremely subtle in a very Japanese manner. Not everyone might be down for the unctuous texture either — but we enjoyed it.

Greens for the next course.

A5 Omi Wagyu.

A5 Omi Gyu Shabu Shabu, komatsuna, bamboo, shiitake. A sort of highly elevated shabu shabu bite crossed with an ultra elevated version of the toppings you get on a Japanese beef bowl. None of that description does it any justice, as there was this intensely rich and beefy + dashi thing going on.

Ko no ko (sea cucumber ovaries). It’s fairly similar to the Izakaya favorites like fermented squid guts. Slimey and briney. Without the off notes that a lessor prep might have had. I happen to like these fermented flavors and weird textures. Not everyone does. I’ve been really digging the seas cucumber this last year since my most recent trip to China.

1990 Domaine Leroy Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Narbantons. 94 points. Best Savigny I will ever taste, probably. Amazing nose of ripe fruit and mature whole-cluster notes (spices, soy, hoisin, stems), which, alone is worth the price of admission. The 1990 Leroy wines are showing more tannic structure than DRCs. The abundant fruit lets you get past the equally abundant tannins, but the overall persistent structure makes me wonder if this wine needs more time (after 25+ years?) or if this is how this wine will always be. A pleasure to drink, regardless.

Sawara Yuan Yaki Rice Pot. I forgot to photo this dish as a whole, as the various elements are presented on a tray together, but this is the fish ready to be prepped into the rice.

This is the miso soup with a spongy type of tofu or fish cake.

The pickles. They are traditional with rice at the end of a meal.

The fried rice itself. I had several helpings.

Roasted tea.

A different, green tea.

Brandon prepares the dessert.

Harry’s Berries with Kinako Infused Whipped Cream. I had these same strawberries the night before and they were amazing both times. Just a simple dish with two notes (strawberry and cream) but both where complex harmonic notes. The strawberries had a lot of zing, intense sweet and tangy berry flavor. Like a fresher (more acidic) but slightly less intense version of great French Strawberry puree or jam. The “cream” was nutty and served as a nice counterpoint to the acidity.

A bunch of gelatti brought (and made) by me:

Almond Amaretto Truffle Gelato — Amaretto Zabaglione (egg yolk, amaretto, and sugar custard) Sicilian Almond gelato base with stacked layers of house-made Valrhona Almond Amaretti Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #almond #amaretto #amaretti #cookie #ganache #ChocolateTruffle

Sicilian Tiramisu Gelato — attempting to reinvent Tiramisu with Sicilian flavors: Pure DOGC “Bronte” pistachio paste gelato base with lady fingers soaked in house-made orange syrup and layered with house-made “cannoli filling” (sweetened fresh ricotta with cinnamon and mini dark chocolate chips) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — this one will be a test of concept: too much? –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #pistachio #sicily #ricotta #chocolate #orange #ladyfingers #tiramisu

Nocciola Espresso Caramello Gelato — A classic nocciola base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste and then layered with a house-made Espresso Caramel Ganache then topped with fresh roasted hazelnuts — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #hazelnut #ganache #dulcy #ChocolateTruffle #nocciola #caramel #caramello

Brandon with the wines and Eve — who always makes livens up any dinner or photo!

Overall, stunning evening.

Hayato was some of the best food I had in 2018 and remains so in 2019. He’s mixed things up a little bit, but it’s still the same very focused style. He intensifies ingredients and brings forth this very natural expression of nature’s bounty. Every dish just tasted great.

Plus there was the intimacy of being right there with the chef — and our great crew — and our great wines. Really great wines. Brandon told us they were the best he’s had at the restaurant and I believe it. We had some real stunners tonight, and on the heels of our crazy old White Burgundy dinner the night before!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

More Foodie Club meals.