Restaurant Myth

I talked to the chef at Urasawa (Hiro Urasawa) and he told me about an interesting story. He said a few of his customers told him of a sushi restaurant in LA that is supposed to be super high class and expensive. They say the restaurant charges over 500 dollars a person. It's supposed to be a small place that is very exclusive. But he said, people hear about it but he have never actually met anyone who have gone to the place. So, I guess it's a myth then. Anyone know about this place? He also added that his restaurant is one of the 3 restaurants from LA that make it in the top 50 ranks in USA (the others are Spago and another one I cant remember). Then, he had two thumbs up and smiled.

Shabu Shabu: Shinsengumi

Shinsengumi (remember the Ramen and Yakitori restaurants ?) also has a Shabu restaurant. I just found that out this past week from my friend. He said it's very good too. I will force my friend to take me this coming Tuesday and promise to blog about it.

Address: 1695 W. Artesia Blvd. Gardena Ca. 90247 (310) 532 0728

Ps My friend told me they also opened another ramen restaurant near the original one. It's supposed to be the same stuf though. I guess they are doing pretty good.

Shabu Shabu: Mizu

Another of my favorite place is on Sawtelle. It's called Mizu 212. It's on the same line up as Orris, on the corner of the street with parking in the back. They only have 2 to 3 tables. Most of their seats are counter seats. This place is more contemporary looking with contemporary music, usually Jazz. And their shabu is as good as the place looks. You can order beef or chicken or seafood or combination I think. They have 3 kinds of beef: beef, vintage, and wagyu. Their seafood isnt bad too (the salmon is fresh), so you might wanna try combination of beef with seafood if you are not a beef eater like me. The order comes with rice (white or brown) and vegetables. You can order side beef or chicken or others if you want. In doing the sause, they hide Thai chilli in the back too; so if you like spicy, go for it. On the menu, their ice cream is supposed to be award winning or something. Dont believe them, they are just normal ice cream.

2000 Sawtelle Blvd.West Los Angeles, CA 90025 (310) 478-8979

Shabu Shabu: still in little Tokyo

There's a prestige shabu place in little Tokyo too. It's called Kagaya (I think). Next to Sushi Gen (which is not that good of a sushi place). This restaurant has only about 5 to 6 tables with a few more counter seat. They will give you a course menu with appetizer (which is absolutely great) and deserts. You can choose for a variety of beef and seafood. You can beef quality from US prime to Wagyu to Miyazaki (?). The price increase respectively too. The prime cost about 40 bucks (including the set menu) but they only give you about 9 pieces of sliced beef. You are gonna have to order additional sides if you eat like me. The soup in this restaurant is great. They use soup not just water like other places. And the pot isnt too hot so the soup isnt boiling. This is good because when you dip the beef into the soup, you can actually make it medium-rare or how cook you like. This is the way shabu is supposed to be. Other places, the beef just curl up when it gets into boiling water. The sause is great too. It's dense; not like watery stuff other places serve. They also serve a variety of vegetables too. After the shabu, they will ask if you want them to cook rice or udon with the soup. I always choose udon, and its superb. Dont forget the desert because they also superb (this is unsual coming from a person who doesnt eat desserts). Do get the green tea moose. Oh, absolutely do not forget to order, raw beef. It's not on the menu but it's one of the best.

I would recommend reservations if you are going more than 4
418 E. 2nd St., Los Angeles213-617-1016

Shabu Shabu: little Tokyo

There's another place arcoss the street from Zakuro. I dont know its name but its fully packed everyday. The wait is around and hour no matter what time you go. And I'm surprise people would wait that lng for this place. It's not that good. It could be because it's cheap. The place is so fucken arrogant too. They wouldnt give their customers too much green onions (which I use a lot). They dont care about their customers. If you go and put down your name for a certain number of people, that cant change. If more people come, they will have to put down their name and wait. If less people show up than what you've wrote, they scold at you. I dont get that shit. I'm not there begging for food. So I went there once, and never went back again. The food isnt that great either.

It's in the little Tokyo complex. On 3rd street. You cant miss it; there will be a lot of people waiting in front of the place.

Shabu Shabu

There are some good Shabu Shabu places in LA. The first that I recommend and the one that I used to go all the time is Zakuro. This one is in little Tokyo. It's a small place with 3 tables on Tatami and a bunch of counter seats. It's a cheap and it's worth the price. There is usually a short line each night; you will have to go and put your name down and wait. This is the only place I know that serve Sukiyaki. It is eaten with raw eeg as a dip, vegetables, and rice. The shabu itself is pretty good too. I used to eat there quite a few times a week. It costs no more than 20 bucks each visit. But the place has been closed for about a year now. I dont know what happened. They have a sign on the front door saying its for renovation but I dont see any thing going on. Not sure when its gonna open again. I'm waiting for it.

356 E 2nd StLos Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 680-0003

Pho: on Sawtelle

There's another Pho restaurant that I go to. This one is on Sawtelle. It just opened this year I believe. It's right next to Manpuku (a Japanese bbq restaurant blogged about earlier). This place has a more variety of dishes including rice bowls, rolls, and various pho. I went there only once mainly because it's far from my house and when I'm around the neighborhood, I usually go to other restaurants instead. The pho in this restaurant is better than Pho LA mainly because the beef in the bowl is raw (how it supposed to be). Other than a more variety in the menu and the beef, the two Pho restaurant I go to are quite similar. They are interchangable for me.

Address: I dont know the exact address because I dont even know the name of the restaurant. But it's on Sawtelle and Olympic. Right next to Manpuku across the street from the Nijiya market.