Restaurant: Sushi Sushi [1, 2, 3, 4]
Location: 326 1/2 Beverly Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90212. (310) 277-1165
Date: March 30, 2011
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
Rating: Old school sushi – fantastic fish and presentation!
Sushi Sushi is fast becoming one of my preferred sushi places. I had actually intended to try out Sushi Zo, but they were closed for the week so I had to “settle” for this new favorite. We decided to try out the “large omakase” this time, as I had done both ala carte (HERE) and the medium one (HERE). It was great as expected, although not much different than the medium, which I think is a better value.
One of the chefs with the big slab of home ground real wasabi. This is one of many ways in which the men are separated from the boys. Accept no powdered green stuff.
Japanese bonito sashimi, lightly seared. Marinated seaweed and pickles. Soft and flavorful.
Each of us got slightly different sashimi plates. This one is the “no sea urchin” version.
Ankimo (monkfish liver), with scallions and pickles in a ponzu. Perfectly fresh, with that rich creamy texture that it’s supposed to have, a hint of grainy, a hint of fishy, but very mild (no such thing as monkfish liver with NO taste of the sea — what would be the point of that?)
Raw Japanese scallops with salmon roe.
Saba Mackerel with miso paste.
The urchin plate, only the middle is different.
Two kinds of uni (sea urchin). Santa Barbara and Japanese. It tops a pile of squid bits and includes pickles and wasabi. The combo is delicious, and all texture.
The rounds of regular sushi begins. Note that all the sushi here has been pre-applied with sauce, even when it’s just soy sauce. This red yummy is maguro (Blue fin tuna). This is some of the best tuna I’ve ever had, totally melts in the mouth.
Yuzu, Japanese citrus. Shavings or juice from this little fruit are added to a number of dishes. The chef keeps it sitting on the freezer pipes in the fish case so it’s easy to shave.
Tai (Red Snapper), with a ponzu and shavings of the yuzu. This is a lighter fish, but I’m very partial to it.
Chu-toro (medium grade fatty tuna belly). This is also melt in the mouth amazing.
Kampachi (young yellowtail). Like Himachi, but more tender.
The chu-toro was just a warmup for this o-toro, the even more fatty toro. It melted in the mouse like butter. Always one of my (and everyone else’s) favorites.
Some very specific kind of yellowtail, “vury yellowtail?” It was hard to remember the exact name. But it was darn good.
This was a piece of scottish salmon. One of the best pieces of salmon I’ve ever had. Incredible!
Aji (Spanish Mackerel), with only the very slightest bit of fishy. Again, a great mackerel. Somehow I missed the photo of it AGAIN!
Kohada (Japanese Herring) This was great herring, but is certainly a bit fishy — herring always is.
Saba mackerel, not as good as the Spanish one, but nothing to mock either. There is a bit of “batera” seaweed on top and some pepper.
A fiery new dish in the works.
Seared toro on the bottom, scottish salmon on top. Both delectable. They taste very different half cooked. Warm, fattier, with a bit fo char flavor.
Another round of sashimi. Sweet shrimp, Japanese scallop, giant clam, and taco (octopus). Are were prefect examples of the breed, and doused with a little bit of yuzu (just the fruit, not with the pepper) to test them up. The shrimp had a wasabi “ebi brain” sauce. This is really a mix of shrimp guys (liver). Sounds awful, but tastes good.
And it continues.
Ikura (salmon roe). Perfectly fresh, with just the slightest hint of brine (good). Wonderfully taught, they explode in the mouth like little brine balls.
They say you should judge a sushi chef by his tamago (sweet omelet). By those standards Sushi Sushi rules.
Kampachi cheek. This was marinated in one of those sweet broths I would frequently get in Japan. There was a bit of bone but the meat was incredibly soft (consistency like tuna fish?) and delectable. I really enjoyed the heavily marinated root vegetable. I don’t remember what these are, but I’d get them in Japan all the time.
Asari miso (clam broth miso soup). This is a very light miso, with a clam brothy quality. Not too salty, very nice.
Uni (sea urchin) sushi. I can’t get enough of this. It amazes me to think that even just a couple years ago (bear in mind that I have been eating sushi since 1978) I didn’t like the stuff.
Diced Toro handroll. This shiso leaf and shaved yuzu inside, which added texture, tang, and the exotic and wonderful flavor of the leaf.
Unagi (Fresh water eel). BBQ, with the sweet eel sauce. This was some damn fine eel, as good a piece as I’ve had.
The omakase included dessert, this concoction of fruit, green tea ice cream, green tea panna cotta, sweet bean sauce, and whipped cream. Oh yes, and with a “mens pocky” as garnish and corn flakes underneath. Pretty good, and all Japanese.
If you like sushi — and how doesn’t? — then you owe it to yourself to try Sushi Sushi. This is some seriously good fish.
CLICK HERE for a review of the Sushi Sushi medium omakase.
CLICK HERE for a review of Sushi Sushi ala carte.
Or here for the LA sushi page.
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