Sakura - Columbia SC

Sakura is one of the better Japanese restaurants in Columbia, in my opinion. The quality of the fish is usually decent, and they have a wide variety of traditional Japanese cooked dishes to choose from, which I am quite happy about. Also, it is one of the only good Japanese restaurants that is open for lunch on weekdays and weekends, which is a huge plus for me, especially when I have a hankering for Japanese food at noontime. =)

So, I know what you're thinking - what in the world does the photo of this random store have to do with Sakura Japanese Restaurant? Quite simply, looking for Coplon's is the only way you will be able to find Sakura. Although the address for Sakura lists it on Forest Drive, you can't see it while driving on Forest - it is actually behind Coplon's and not visible from the street, so as soon as you see Coplon's, drive past it, and you will find Sakura at the back corner. You can thank me for saving you the time of finding it another time. =)

A simple order of two of my favorite types of sashimi: salmon and yellowtail sashimi. The cut of the fish is decent for this area, and the quality and taste is also pretty good as well. The reason Sakura isn't the best in this area in my book is because the sashimi has occasionally suffered from the "frozen" problem I've encountered at almost every Japanese restaurant in this area - namely, sometimes the sashimi, when served, is still a tiny bit frozen (which I know is probably a problem that can't be avoided, considering where we are and the difficulty of obtaining fresh fish for sashimi, but still).

Any decent Japanese restaurant should have chirashi to order off the menu (chirashi is basically a combination of various types of sashimi, tamago (cooked sweetened egg), and shrimp, served over a bed of sushi rice. As it stands as far as I know, Sakura is one of the two restaurants in Columbia that I think even serves chirashi.

Here is a photo of one of my personal favorite cooked dishes at Sakura - a combination platter of chicken teriyaki, tempura, and hosomaki (referring to the sushi that you see in the bottom left hand corner, composed of california and cucumber rolls). Fortunately for me, the chicken teriyaki is actually cooked sort of in a traditional manner here, meaning it isn't prepared in large chunks teppanyaki style (or as someone I know aptly put it, Japanese chop-chop style) like in a lot of other Japanese restaurants in this town.

Sakura also has a lot of different cooked dishes, from various combination platters of chicken or beef teriyaki, tempura, to other dishes, like udon. The large variety and good quality and taste of the Japanese cooked food which is one of the biggest draws for me, and one of the reasons I will keep coming back here.

Matsuhisa - Los Angeles

As far as Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles (and probably the United States, for that matter) go, this place almost needs no introduction, but I will give it a try anyway. For the past two and a half decades, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa has been at the forefront of Japanese fusion cuisine. Many people probably know of the restaurants he started up with actor Robert DeNiro - the simply named "Nobu", that have been springing up in all major metropolitan areas (Iron Chef Morimoto used to work at the Nobu in New York before starting his own line of restaurants). But Matsuhisa, on La Cienega in Beverly Hills, is the one and only original restaurant of Nobu Matsuhisa. (As a random side note, it is right across from Lawry's The Prime Rib...If I died and went to heaven, I would live right smack dab in the middle of these two restaurants). Unlike Nobu, which tends to be a lot trendier and more modern, Matsuhisa is a simple, clean, and unassuming Japanese restaurant on the outside and inside. The food is anything but unassuming. For me, it is the among the best (if not THE best) in Los Angeles. The omakase here is absolutely phenomenal (please look at my post for "The Hump" if you don't know about omakase), although it definetly can get on the expensive side. I've had the omakase here many times, and I've never been disappointed. If you love Japanese food, then the omakase here is one of the places you have to try at least once before going on to the great beyond. Here are the omakase dishes we were served the last time we went there:

First, we were served a seafood appetizer. It was an eggroll (with shitake mushroom and shrimp inside, with caviar on top). It was served with a maui onion sauce, a daikon pepper, and a small cherry tomato.

Next was our first main course: From the left upper corner: monkfish liver with sweet miso, a lobster ceviche, conch with parsley and butter, and halibut sashimi with olive oil and sesame seeds. The ingredients here were top notch, but I have to admit, I wasn't really a fan of the conch - it was a bit too chewy for my tastes.

A sashimi salad, with tuna and baby squid from Japan. The red sauce on the plate is jalapeno sauce on the left and a citrus sauce on the right.

Next, we were served a chilean sea bass with truffles (the pink vegetable is baby ginger, btw). The sauce was a citrus soy sauce with butter. I liked this dish a lot, but I was sad - I was really looking forward to Matsuhisa's black cod with miso, and this dish just didn't compare.

For the past decade and a half, Matsuhisa has been including Japanese kobe beef with every omakase (at least, every omakase that I've had so far). Here is a japanese kobe beef topped with crunchy onions and mushrooms, served with a miso peppercorn sauce. I could have enjoyed another two or three of these. =)

No omakase would be complete without assorted nigiri sushi - from right to left: sea urchin, silver needlefish, clam, golden snapper, otoro. And as always, as you can tell from the color and texture of the fish, the quality of the fish was as good as you can get anywhere.

Time to clean up the palate before dessert - this was a snapper head soup, bushido style. Very warm and comforting.

So, here is the first of our desserts - a shaved ice with a green tea sauce, and a wafer flake on the side.

A picture of the inside: white chocolate ice cream with red bean on the bottom.

A creme brulee - probably the least popular of the desserts we ordered (the omakase actually came with one dessert, but being the dessert gluttons that we are, we ordered a WHOLE bunch more. So much that after we finished ordering it, our waiter asked us in suprise, "All of it?!" Yes, all of it...and yes, we are pigs =). But well-fed pigs).

A chocolate souffle, with vanilla ice cream.

A banana cake.

And the last of the desserts, which was definetly the most popular of the night. From right to left: brown tea ice cream, asparagus ice cream, and nobu beer ice cream. The nobu beer ice cream flavor was absolute genius, which I can only describe as sweet creamy beer goodness. And yes, the asparagus ice cream in the middle had a faint asparagus flavor - not for the timid. All in all, an excellent meal - thank you Matsuhisa!

Japanese with a twist at 242 Cafe Fusion Sushi

"242 Cafe Fusion Sushi" is in Laguna Beach, California, right along PCH highway. It is a tiny sushi bar, with only room for about 16-20 people, approximately, but I think it is a must-visit for anyone traveling to Laguna Beach for one reason, and one reason only: there is a sushi-chef/owner there, Miki Izumisawa, who has a very interesting and distinctive take on sushi and sashimi. As both an artist and a female sushi-chef (very rare, even today it seems, among sushi chefs - I remember watching on Iron Chef that there was a old (and silly) belief that females couldn't become sushi chefs because they believed woman's hands produced more heat, which was harmful to the fish while cutting it, but I digress), she creates dishes that reflect both her feminine and artistic nature, which is wonderful to experience in person. Additionally, her restaurant is also filled with her artwork, which makes it an interesting place to sit in. She is more a reflection of the artists' colony side of Laguna Beach, rather than the OC Laguna Beach reality show vibe (*bleh*).

A photo of the sushi bar, with one of the assistant sushi chefs behind it. As you can see, the sushi bar isn't a typical one; the only way I can describe it would be that it is more organic, with a lot of stonework.

We ordered the omakase (as usual - please look at my other posts for more info on what omakase is), and the first dish that came out was albacore sashimi.

The next dish to come out was tuna tartar, on crispy rice. What is interesting to me about this dish is the presentation, it reminds of some kind of wild, natural ocean-inspired sculpture in a way. It tasted great too - I always like the combination of soft and crunchy textures.

A cucumber candy roll (spicy tuna, salmon, and crab wrapped up in cucumber).

This is a presentation of three types of sashimi (salmon, tuna, and yellowtail), with pickled ginger on top. I think this is a beautiful expression of the sushi chef's artistry and femininity: the presentation of the sashimi is beautiful in its simplicity, and to be honest, I don't think a male sushi chef would think of presenting the sashimi this way.

A baked oyster, with crab on top.

Seared salmon sashimi, with peppercorn on the seared edges.

Assorted nigiri sushi.

We ordered one of the rolls off the menu: a Laguna Canyon roll (it is a seared spicy rainbow roll wrapped with seared calamari and topped with salad greens).

And a simple creme brulee for dessert. A very good Japanese meal!

Tama Sushi

We went to Tama Sushi for my mother's birthday. I heard very good reviews of this place, and of the sushi chef, Katsu, who is reputed to be one of the best sushi chefs in Los Angeles, able to get the freshest fish around and of course, cut it well. (Btw, Tama Sushi is now closed and moved from Studio City to Beverly Hills, and renamed Katsu Sushi).

Yes, we love omakase (here is a wikipedia explanation, if you are unfamiliar with the term: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omakase), and we were looking to be wowed. Were we? Well, I don't want this post to become a critiquing session, so please go to Yelp if you want my personal opinion. I apologize for my distinct lack of enthusiasm in this post, but I think this was one of those cases where our expectations were set really high before we entered. Sometimes, that is not a good thing. Regardless, I did take photos, and the sashimi was excellent, so I feel like I should post them:


An order of their spicy tuna tar-tar. There is a crispy rice on the bottom, topped with the spicy tuna and a jalapeno. This seemed to be a favorite of a lot of the reviewers. The fish quality was good, I have to admit.

Sorry for the lack of detail for these next three dishes - I forgot to take notes on the dishes we were ordering...after we found out the omakase really wasn't a true omakase, we ended up ordering a lot of different appetizers to try to approximate the experience.

We ordered a sushi combination from him. As you can see, the quality and cut of the fish is extremely high. The sweet shrimp, yellowtail, red snapper, and fatty tuna were all excellent.

So here is the omakase dish he offered...I am going to note this isn't what a omakase usually is - it shouldn't be just an assortment of sashimi. Regardless, the sashimi was very good; I don't know about Katsu being the best sushi chef in Los Angeles, as I have had fish of similar quality and cut elsewhere (Matsuhisa and the Hump are two that come to mind, and they have true creative omakase offerings there), but he is clearly a master of his craft, and the fish quality is definetly among the top five in los angeles/orange county.

Quick Eats - Bento Boxes at Bentoss

The other day, I heard from my friend David about a new good Japanese take-out restaurant that opened up, named Bentoss. It is right near the Mitsuwa market off Paularino, in that 7-11 plaza. I ended up thinking about bento box meals throughout con law, and by the time class ended, I was starving for one, so I sped over to Bentoss, in hopes that it didn't close before I got there. I was lucky that it was still open (closes at 8:30 pm, I believe), and here are the results of my drive...


A photo of the inside of the restaurant; they have a whole bunch of bento box meals which you can choose from...tasty! And although the photo doesn't show it very well, there are two small tables in the restaurant - don't plan to sit there, because it is really more of a take-out place.


So, I took a photo of the take-out menu because I was amused by it - they advertised Bentoss as a healthy take-out alternative, so I guess that is why they included a painting of green fields and yellow flowers, to evoke a feeling of natural ingredients and healthy living...ah, I feel better already.


Along with the main meal I ordered (below), I bought a spam musubi (or a spam onigiri/rice ball.) The one thing that was a little different about this was that the seaweed came separately, and had to be wrapped onto the rice ball, which turned out not so well for me =P.



So here is the bento box I ordered: the "Bentoss Makunouchi", with (starting from the upper left, going clockwise) fried pork and fried shrimp, beef (it was cold, but it tasted good), potato salad, mixed vegetables, and a piece of fish on a bed of rice (normally salmon, but evidently they ran out, and gave me saba instead). They are right - this is a lot healthier than getting other fast food (except for the fried foods)- thank god for options in the OC! =)

Quick Eats - Downtown L.A. lunch eats with my LBBS Friends

Here are a couple of places that I love to eat lunch at in downtown Los Angeles while at work (and beyond). There are two notable favorite places of mine that are missing, which I hope to get photos of someday: Papa Christo's (greek) and Phillipe's:


Langer's is one of my favorite places to eat lunch at, but only if I have a lot of time - they don't really go fast at this deli. Langer's is one of the classic downtown places that I think everyone should try at least once!




Here is the sandwich that I love from there - they make a killer pastrami and coleslaw on rye, with russian dressing. The combination is absolutely great for me - especially the saltiness of their pastrami with the cole slaw. And of course, no deli sandwich is complete without a pickle.


If you order fries at Langer's, you get the classic krinkle-cut french fries - it personally reminds me of memories from my elementary school cafeteria!


Next place on the list - a vietnamese sandwich (banh mi) place named Buu Dien - the only one I know of in downtown Los Angeles. It is in Chinatown, and is really kind of hard to find - the official address is 642 broadway, but it is a definite hole in the wall.

Funny note: "Buu Dien" literally means "post office" in Vietnamese. The restaurant is named after a very famous banh mi restaurant in Vietnam that is actually next to a post office (although the one here isn't, as far as I know).


So, this is what they offer - for all us non-vietnamese, it doesn't help very much, lol. And no english spoken. I always order the #1, which I think is the special? A new note: So, my Vietnamese friend Huong took a look at this post, and pointed out to me that the menu is in three different languages - vietnamese (on the left), english (center), and chinese (right), but it is all the same kinds of banh mi. Ah!


Anyway, so it has all the normal stuff for a special combo vietnamese sandwich - pate, various meats that I am never able to identify, pickled vegetables, and cilantro. When the french bread is fresh, this is one of the tastiest vietnamese sandwiches I have ever eaten. When it isn't, it is only ok =P. But, still better than driving out to the San Gabriel Valley just to get a banh mi.


The next place on my list of favorite lunch places in downtown LA is Angelique Cafe. It is a cute little french cafe in the Fashion district, and has lots of great french dishes, as well as salads and sandwiches. The photo above is of my favorite sandwich - a chicken salad sandwich, for those of you that know me well. Their fries are excellent for those that like thin crunchier fries ( as opposed to the thick, soft steak fries).


Here is another sandwich from Angelique Cafe that my friend Chris likes to order - a pate sandwich.




Ok, so these two last photos aren't from a place in downtown LA, but since my work friend Chris first introduced me to this place, I figure this is as good place as any for the posting.

There is a sushi place in Beverly Hills that is a favorite of Chris's named Mako - it is Japanese/Mediterranean fusion cuisine. It is very good, and I suggest going there if you have the opportunity. The first time I went there, I had an excellent meal, and one of the best desserts I have ever had - it was a dessert bento box, with 5 different desserts that I could eat. What a great idea!!! Anyway, so we went back this past summer.

The photo above is of their special lunch bento box. Sorry, I didn't write down what the various dishes were - although I can tell you that I personally thought that the first lunch bento box I had was better, because it had less meat, and more fish. This bento box seemed geared towards a more americanized palate this time - two different kinds of meat and noodles - the kobe meatballs were good, and the other one was ok. I didn't really like the noodles - they were completely ordinary, and not something I would expect from Mako, because he is a really good sushi chef - maybe the cook who made this messed up? Anyway, it was still a good bento box overall.


And here is our desserts. Not as great as the first dessert bento box I got (I think probably because my friend Chris knows Mako well), but it still had a lot of delicious desserts to choose from. We ordered two desserts, and they provided two more - the ice cream with fruit, and the cookies. They have really great desserts here, especially for a Japanese place, which is why I like coming here.