Sasaya - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 11613 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Items Ordered:

• Agedashi mochi
• Skewers: chicken meatball (tsukune), asparagus wrapped pork (buta maki), ribeye
• Salted grilled mackerel (saba shioyaki)
• Tuna sashimi and spicy tuna over rice (maguro don)
• Not pictured: snow crab porridge (kani ojiya), fried eggplant & ground chicken (nasu soboro), simmered pork and egg in a sweet soy sauce (kurobuta kakuni), cheesecake

I love everything here at this neighborhood izakaya. There are so many interesting dishes,and everything is flavorful and unique. Of the dishes I've tried so far, I highly recommend the nasu soboro (you can also order it over rice), the fatty and delicious kurobuta kakuni, and the maguro don since it's a large portion of rice that you can use to eat with the other dishes. I wonder how many trips it might take for me to try the entire menu--I'm sure I'd leave each visit with a satisfied belly. This is a great place to bring friends who enjoy good food, but just be aware the restaurant is super small, but they take reservations. If you visit, let me know what are some other must try dishes!

--y

Old Town Sushi, Newark, California

Address: 34942 Newark Blvd., Newark, CA 94560

Items Ordered:

• Chicken Katsu
• Miso Soup
• Katsu Calamari
• Dynamite Roll
• Miso Soup
• Grilled Saba Fish

This is the first in my Bay Area series. Just an update, I am now back from the UK and living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since I haven't really lived here in so long, I am really getting started with exploring restaurants around here. More to come as I eat my way around the Bay!

The first thing I have to say about Old Town Sushi is that the portions here are huge! We ordered a 2 item combo meal and each of the items was a dish in itself. The food is pretty good and definitely good value - I even feel like it might be too much. The Katsu Chicken was probably my favorite dish, and I'm still in awe of how much they gave. The free Miso soup was nice too. However, this time I only got one roll - the Dynamite Roll and it's not my favorite. I didn't like the fish(?) inside - it tasted dry. Next time, I'd definitely want to try more of their other rolls. Besides that, looking forward to going back there to try the other rolls and to get more food enough for like 2 extra leftover meals! :P

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas filled with friends, family, love, and of course, delicious food!!

--V

Geisha House - Santa Ana, California

Address: 2773 N Main St, Santa Ana, CA 92705

Items Ordered:

• Spicy tuna on crispy rice
  
• Beef robata
  
• Rock shrimp
• Black cod with miso (not pictured)
  
• Various sushi rolls

I would probably never go to Geisha House if they didn't offer 50% off food and drinks on Monday nights. It's not because I'm cheap, but because the food is way overpriced. With that said, I do enjoy myself whenever I happen to visit Geisha House. The spicy tuna on crispy rice is the highlight of their menu. The spicy tuna is fresh, packs some heat, and the crispy rice provides a nice contrast to the texture of the dish. The miso black cod is also a fantastic dish to try. The stellar seafood quality makes up for the inexperienced wait staff and overpriced drinks. A word to the wise, if you're not an 18 to 21 year old Asian teeny bopper (which I am NOT), I would avoid visiting the club/lounge on Friday and Saturday nights.

--y

Musha Restaurant - Santa Monica, California

Address: 424 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Items Ordered:

• Tofu French Fries
• Spicy Tuna Dip
• Salmon Sashimi
• Musha’s Risotto
• Pork Belly
• Seared Mackerel
• Takotama
• Saikoro Steak
• Crispy Shrimp
  

Love at first sight. Or should I say love at first bite? I love Japanese tapas and this place was full of everything I love about Japanese Izakayas. We got our own room in the back so it was definitely an all around fun experience. The mackerel was seared at the table with a blow torch and the risotto was stirred right in front of us – how cool is that! I love fries and I love tofu, so tofu in French fry form, nothing could go wrong. The pork belly just melted in my mouth and the fish was fresh and delicious. The crispy shrimp had a perfect amount of breading and crispiness and the mayo sauce on top sealed the deal. Each of the items we had were great and I’m getting really hungry thinking about it. I think I need to make a trip back there soon!

--v

Sushi Masu - Westwood, California

Address: 1911 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Items Ordered:

• Spicy Tuna Roll
• Octopus Sushi
• Shrimp Tempura Roll
• Spicy Tuna over Crispy Rice
  

Yum, sushi! Everything tasted really fresh. My favorite is the spicy tuna over crispy rice!

--v

DineLA Restaurant Week - Nobu - West Hollywood, California

Address: 903 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069-4709

Items Ordered:

• Mango Cocktail
• Family Style DineLA Menu
• Course 1: Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno
• Course 2: Salmon New Style Sashimi (With Sesame Seeds)
• Course 3: Peruvian Lantern Scallops Tempura with Yuzu Koshio, Roasted Garlic Aioli
• Course 4 (Part 1): Black Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Truffle Teriyaki
• Course 4 (Part 2): Chilean Sea Bass with Jalapeno Miso
• Course 5: Dessert - Bento Box, Froyo, and Banana Caramel Soy Tobanyaki

I have been eating VERY well. DineLA Restaurant week happens twice every year and it features restaurants all over LA with special Prix Fixe menus at 3 different price tiers. Really, its just an excuse to indulge at ridiculously expensive restaurants. Nobu was the choice of the night and boy was it amazing! We chose to do the family style menu that was special to Nobu - every course was so tasty. My favorite was Course 2 - the Salmon Sashimi, but everything else was so delicious too! Since the portions were small, I made sure to savor every bite I took. From the yellowtail and salmon sashimi, to the scallops, to the beef tenderloin, to the sea bass, it truly was culinary heaven. I'm not a big desserts person, so I'd say those were just okay. Hmm...when can I go back?!

--v

Torafuku - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 10914 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Items Ordered:

• Fresh homemade tofu with grated wasabi and light soy sauce
• Udon and sushi dinner: udon soup, salad, 1 piece each of tuna, yellowtail, salmon, albacore, assorted tempura and side dish of the day
• Kamado rice set with miso soup
• Spicy tuna roll, rainbow roll, negi toro (chopped fatty tuna with scallions)

Connie had heard good things about Torafuku, especially the Kamado iron pot used to cook the rice and the homemade tofu so off we went for our long 2-mile drive to the restaurant. The interior was well-decorated, and when the dishes arrived, the plating was arranged in a cute manner. After the first taste of the highly-raved about Kamado rice, I didn't understand the hype--it just tasted like regular sticky rice but nothing spectacular stood out from the cooking process. The homemade tofu was pretty tasty, but it had a hint of sweetness so we decided to eat the tofu as dessert instead of during the meal. The BEST part of the meal had to be the sashimi. Each piece of fish was so buttery and smooth that I couldn't wait to take my next bite. We even ended up ordering an additional rainbow roll. Overall, the quality of the fish at Torafuku is amazing, and I would save my money for the fresh-tasting sashimi/sushi choices at Torafuku over the superfluous items.

--y

Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi - Gardena, California

Address: 2015 W Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena, CA 90247

Items Ordered:

• Hakata Ramen with chasu, spicy miso, bean sprouts
• Takana fried rice
• Cold tofu with bonito flakes

Ramen is delicious. I don't know if it's the loads of MSG or pork fat in the broth, but I'm always up for ramen even when it's 80+ degrees outside. My current roommate had recommended Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi (HRS) to me before we visited Daikokuya b/c she said it was her ultimate ramen destination. I arrived around 5:30p on a Sunday and luckily there was no line. I chose my medium-oil miso broth with firm noodles and added spicy miso for a kick. When the bowl arrived, I immediately took a sip of the broth and while it was rich, it wasn't as fatty and full of flavor as Daikokuya's miso broth. The chasu was tender and flavorful though, and the noodles were just the right firmness, however, I still prefer egg noodles over white noodles. Overall, the ramen was excellent, but Daikokuya is still the reigning ramen champion. If you visit HRS definitely get the fried rice b/c my sister and I managed to finish off a bowl of ramen each, tofu, and the fried rice b/c it was so tasty.

--y

Orochon Ramen - Los Angeles, California

Address: 123 S Onizuka Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012

Items Ordered:

• Orochon Ramen (Spicy Levels of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in Salt & Miso soup flavorings
• Gyoza

Lured here by the publicity of appearing on Man vs. Food, each of us set out to test our spice thresholds. They really aren't kidding when they say this bowl of noodles was spicy! I got the Salt #3 (Impact) and even though I was so hungry, I had difficulty eating it without gulps of water between spoonfuls. Adam Richman took on the Special #2 - the challenge was to finish the entire massive-sized bowl (noodles and soup and all) within a 30 minute period. I would be scared to even attempt it! Overall, I enjoyed my meal but I think my taste buds would have appreciated it more if they could actually taste it all after being numbed by the spiciness. Yes, I realize I just got the 3 (fifth spiciest), but I swear the Salt one is spicier than the other soups! Be prepared for long waits for the small restaurant, but definitely worth going to attempt the challenge (special #2 or otherwise)!

--v

Daikokuya - Los Angeles, California

Address: 327 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Items Ordered:

• Daikoku Ramen: noodles in pork bone broth with boiled egg, bamboo, & bean sprouts

Finally got to try Daikokuya's ramen, and it definitely lives up to the hype. Quite possibly the BEST ramen we've had in L.A. yet. The broth was rich and savory, the noodles were cooked perfectly, and the pork was melt in your mouth tender. Large enough of a bowl to keep us stuffed throughout the night. We arrived at 5pm on a Sunday and waited only 5 minutes for 3 seats at the bar. This place is a must visit!

--v & y