Forget the lobster rolls most sushi restaurants extoll: this is the real thing.
For a tiny hole-in-the-wall with low visibility from the street and odd signage (the marquee simply reads “SUSHI” followed by the names of adjacent businesses “Mom & Me Spa” & “So Cal Co-op”), Tarzana’s Mon Restaurant—not to be confused with sushi train chain Sushi Mon—serves the best lobster, pure and true.
Sweet, juicy chunks of lobster claw meat peek out from a triangular projection of soy paper, flavored with sautéed garlic, trickling with ponzu sauce and oozing with spicy mayonnaise. Everything is then complemented by fresh avocado, flavorful smelt eggs and the ever-requisite spears of cucumber.
I am delighted that such an amazing hand roll, which is listed on their board menu as the “Sautéed Garlic Lobster Hand Roll” costs only $12. Not only is it the undisputed king of crustaceans, but there is plenty of meat—the owner doesn’t exactly serve it sparingly.
“I only use real lobster,” said owner Yuji Keimi with a grin, adding that many of his customers have praised him for using the real thing (too many sushi bars these days serve langostino as an alternative, which isn’t classified as a true lobster and grows no longer than three inches in length). Yuji currently offers East Coast lobster even though he actually prefers to serve Pacific lobster, which he explains is a seasonal catch.
Yuji is smart; he knows the sushi wars on Ventura Boulevard are fierce. On Mondays, Mon Restaurant even offers all-you-can-eat sushi at the bar ($25 for lunch and $32 for dinner). I want to tell him he has nothing to worry about; plenty of other places on this famous thoroughfare offer such specials but his food is so high-quality, he easily outshines his competition. But I still plead with him: Please don’t ever change this lobster roll. I revealed that a particular restaurant I used to frequent in Long Beach has taken the cheap route and what used to be a high-end lobster roll is now a deflated, sorry version of its old self—it appears to have been cut with something less expensive, like imitation crab. The bulging chunks of lobster have disappeared, and what’s left appears to be and tastes like a California Roll.
Another unique one at Mon Restaurant: the spicy baby octopus hand roll. With a filling of lettuce, spicy mayonnaise and chili oil, this hand roll literally has cutesy mini octopi tumbling out once it’s placed on a plate. The chewy critters with their little heads still attached (squeamish Americans beware!) are just slightly crispy, their tiny tentacles an integral part of the texture.
On a Saturday night, owner Yuji can be seen presiding over the sushi counter, whipping up items ordered off the menus as well as innumerable special requests—one sushi connoisseur demanded a tekka maki with chili oil, right after expounding the reasons he prefers his octopus “thinly sliced, with sea salt.” For the less experienced sushi-goers, Yuki offers fun Americanized rolls with names such as the "Lady Go-Go" roll and "Fabio" hand roll.
Open 7 days a week, this lantern-filled sushi haven has been owned by Yuji for nine years, and from what it looks like, there is plenty of prosperity yet to come.
Mon Restaurant
19463 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana
818-342-0307
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
A Convenient Alternative: Bui Sushi
Most Malibu locals might agree that Nobu undoubtedly remains at the forefront of Japanese fine dining in this coastal city. But for those in search of slightly less pricey sushi in a more casual, modest joint that is open all day, Bui Sushi, less than a mile from Nobu, offers a decent alternative.
Located in the Malibu Colony Plaza, Bui—pronounced Booey—Sushi may still be considered to be slightly on the expensive side by most, but by this affluent town's standards, the prices are average.
The five-piece Paradise Roll, for example, costs $18—there's not much that's paradisiacal about it, save for a tropical flower garnish that I had to remind the chef to apply (a waitress informed me that a flower is used to decorate this roll; the chef stated it depends on his mood). Were it not for the efflorescent centerpiece, the roll would have been quite unappealing visually—brown bits of crispy fried onions almost completely cover the baked lobster pieces which sit upon the soy paper-wrapped roll beneath, which consists of a crab mix, avocado and asparagus. Both the blackened, baked mayonnaise and crunchy onion effect make this roll rather worthwhile, but you are somehow left anticipating more.
Another popular roll on the menu is the one called “27 miles,” an obvious reference to the city’s “27 miles of scenic beauty” along the coast. This five-piece roll, which costs $15, is encased in a cucumber wrap, and contains tuna, scallop, avocado and sprouts, with a final drizzle of spicy ponzu sauce.
One of the best and most distinctive items at the sushi bar is the pepper-crusted tuna, which may be ordered as nigiri topped with jalapeno salsa, consisting of chopped tomatoes, red onions and Serrano chili. Not only is the fish exceedingly fresh and perfectly spiced, but the unique topping gives it an extra kick.
If you’re considering a hot specialty appetizer, choose the Lo Mein Garlic Noodles with Tiger Shrimp for $8, which are mind-blowingly good in the way that only garlicky noodles can be good. In the mood for something crunchy? The Crispy Rice Cakes come laden with your choice of spicy tuna (with spicy mayo and wasabi tobiko) or spicy albacore (with truffle oil and chopped cucumber).
With its relaxed atmosphere and surf-themed wall art, Bui Sushi offers a beachy feel with a touch of class, Malibu-style.
Bui Sushi
23733 Malibu Road, Malibu
310-456-1500
Located in the Malibu Colony Plaza, Bui—pronounced Booey—Sushi may still be considered to be slightly on the expensive side by most, but by this affluent town's standards, the prices are average.
The five-piece Paradise Roll, for example, costs $18—there's not much that's paradisiacal about it, save for a tropical flower garnish that I had to remind the chef to apply (a waitress informed me that a flower is used to decorate this roll; the chef stated it depends on his mood). Were it not for the efflorescent centerpiece, the roll would have been quite unappealing visually—brown bits of crispy fried onions almost completely cover the baked lobster pieces which sit upon the soy paper-wrapped roll beneath, which consists of a crab mix, avocado and asparagus. Both the blackened, baked mayonnaise and crunchy onion effect make this roll rather worthwhile, but you are somehow left anticipating more.
Another popular roll on the menu is the one called “27 miles,” an obvious reference to the city’s “27 miles of scenic beauty” along the coast. This five-piece roll, which costs $15, is encased in a cucumber wrap, and contains tuna, scallop, avocado and sprouts, with a final drizzle of spicy ponzu sauce.
One of the best and most distinctive items at the sushi bar is the pepper-crusted tuna, which may be ordered as nigiri topped with jalapeno salsa, consisting of chopped tomatoes, red onions and Serrano chili. Not only is the fish exceedingly fresh and perfectly spiced, but the unique topping gives it an extra kick.
If you’re considering a hot specialty appetizer, choose the Lo Mein Garlic Noodles with Tiger Shrimp for $8, which are mind-blowingly good in the way that only garlicky noodles can be good. In the mood for something crunchy? The Crispy Rice Cakes come laden with your choice of spicy tuna (with spicy mayo and wasabi tobiko) or spicy albacore (with truffle oil and chopped cucumber).
With its relaxed atmosphere and surf-themed wall art, Bui Sushi offers a beachy feel with a touch of class, Malibu-style.
Bui Sushi
23733 Malibu Road, Malibu
310-456-1500
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Opulence at ONYX in The Four Seasons Hotel
Life is good when you dine at Onyx, a luxurious Japanese restaurant inside the equally luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village, a peaceful incorporated community of Thousand Oaks.
Surrounded by beautiful Japanese art and antiques, fancy chandeliers and a behemoth of an electric-blue saltwater aquarium, Onyx offers pure escapism through ambience. Its name, after all, could well be derived from the semi-precious stones which glitter from wall panels in the dining room. For those who prefer a wide-open view of the resort’s majestic waterfall, there is even seating available on the terrace.
Although the prices for most of the menu items here are just as you’d expect them to be at a luxury resort—high—Onyx does feature “Sushi on the Rocks,” otherwise known as Happy Hour (from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on each night that the restaurant is open). In this specially priced section of the menu, nigiri starts as low as $4 for an order of two pieces, such as the robustly red “big eye tuna,” which can be enhanced with the pure and authentic wasabi that is served (one would find the imitation powder-based version of the green stuff blasphemous in such an upscale dining establishment, right?).
Get ready to be really happy during this hour: for only $5, you can choose a Crunchy Shrimp and Jalapeno roll, or opt for the trite, yet tried-and-true California roll, which at Onyx contains real snow crab, again demonstrating they accept no imitations here.
A few choices of sake and beer, as well as appetizers like dumplings and vegetable tempura, are also less expensive during this hour.
Now for the pricey stuff: $22 for the decadently delicious, soy-paper-wrapped Lobster Tempura Roll with avocado, yamagobo, sprouts and cucumber, which is served with a tangy garlic-and ginger-infused aioli. A leafy green salad, which could be dismissed as nothing more than garnish, forms the centerpiece of this eight-piece order. The most expensive item appears in the "Yakimono Grill" section of the menu: the Whole Pacific Snapper, which comes with bok choy, macadamia nuts and Chinese black vinegar, costs $45.
Although I have to concede that a better Miso Black Cod can probably be found at Nobu, Onyx did blow me away with a spicy scallop gunkan-style sushi that was seared to smoky, crisp perfection.
Onyx
Four Seasons Hotel
2 Dole Drive, Westlake Village
818-575-3000
Surrounded by beautiful Japanese art and antiques, fancy chandeliers and a behemoth of an electric-blue saltwater aquarium, Onyx offers pure escapism through ambience. Its name, after all, could well be derived from the semi-precious stones which glitter from wall panels in the dining room. For those who prefer a wide-open view of the resort’s majestic waterfall, there is even seating available on the terrace.
Although the prices for most of the menu items here are just as you’d expect them to be at a luxury resort—high—Onyx does feature “Sushi on the Rocks,” otherwise known as Happy Hour (from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on each night that the restaurant is open). In this specially priced section of the menu, nigiri starts as low as $4 for an order of two pieces, such as the robustly red “big eye tuna,” which can be enhanced with the pure and authentic wasabi that is served (one would find the imitation powder-based version of the green stuff blasphemous in such an upscale dining establishment, right?).
Get ready to be really happy during this hour: for only $5, you can choose a Crunchy Shrimp and Jalapeno roll, or opt for the trite, yet tried-and-true California roll, which at Onyx contains real snow crab, again demonstrating they accept no imitations here.
A few choices of sake and beer, as well as appetizers like dumplings and vegetable tempura, are also less expensive during this hour.
Now for the pricey stuff: $22 for the decadently delicious, soy-paper-wrapped Lobster Tempura Roll with avocado, yamagobo, sprouts and cucumber, which is served with a tangy garlic-and ginger-infused aioli. A leafy green salad, which could be dismissed as nothing more than garnish, forms the centerpiece of this eight-piece order. The most expensive item appears in the "Yakimono Grill" section of the menu: the Whole Pacific Snapper, which comes with bok choy, macadamia nuts and Chinese black vinegar, costs $45.
Although I have to concede that a better Miso Black Cod can probably be found at Nobu, Onyx did blow me away with a spicy scallop gunkan-style sushi that was seared to smoky, crisp perfection.
Onyx
Four Seasons Hotel
2 Dole Drive, Westlake Village
818-575-3000
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Color, Sauce, Sushi!
Sushi resembles a prismatic palette at Sakana of Montecito.
With its sauces of vibrant hues and brilliant flavors, Sakana, a cozy yet upscale little restaurant tucked away in a shopping plaza, serves artistic concoctions with sauces made with everything from red beets to parsley, from habanero to white truffle.
Lured by the creative names on the seashell-embellished menu outside this eatery, I decided to give it a shot. After all, Sakana has garnered many rave reviews online, and so far, with my positive dining experiences at Ahi Sushi in the vicinity, I’ve had nothing but a good impression of sushi in the Santa Barbara area.
An oversize flatscreen behind the sushi bar displays ever-changing underwater scenes—it’s a digital aquarium, really, showing colorful reefs, darting tropical fish. Large sake bottles line the opposite wall, and a blue glow radiates, reflecting the oceanic theme.
Prices may be slightly on the extravagant side, but that doesn’t keep locals or tourists from packing this modest-sized joint on a nightly basis. Expect to pay $12 for the impeccable Aburi Toro nigiri, which is topped with roasted ginger, garlic, and balsamic ponzu vinaigrette; $9 for the Champagne Crab sushi (champagne yuzu vinaigrette and caviar inclusive); and $8.50 for the M.S.C. (Monkfish, Scallop, Caviar) sushi, which is served with a creamy “sea urchin lobster sauce.”
Other nigiri may be more moderately priced, but the plates quickly add up because you find yourself indulging in one item after another after another. The sashimi menu and the sushi roll menu also feature many of the same ingredients and sauces as the nigiri choices, so for the sake of maximizing your opportunity to sample as many varieties in one sitting as possible, it might be wise to stay on the two-piece sushi side.
The Basil Fluke, along with the Aburi Toro and Kobe Beef, may well be one of my favorite sushi choices at Sakana. With a dressing of basil oil, habanero sauce, truffle yuzu vinaigrette, and cilantro leaves, the Basil Fluke is a grand explosion of flavors. Being a member of the truffle craze, I find that I am also partial to the Yaki Shiitake sushi, with its white truffle soy and habanero sauces. At only $5, the shiitake selection is the least expensive of the nigiri here.
The “Red Wine Eel” sushi sounded rather exotic, but in reality this unagi, with its edible adornments of tempura shiso leaf and yellow soy paper strips, was simply paired with a red wine balsamic sauce. It was quite tasty, but like the Champagne Crab, it might have been better (although certainly less colorful) if regular nori had been used in place of the yellow soy paper. The "Green Tea Smoked Scallop," which came with dijon smoked paprika sauce and scallions, was indeed aromatic, but the scallops tasted less like shellfish than they did like smoky fishcake.
Splashes of red from the beet sauce, green from the parsley mixed with olive oil, and brown from the balsamic vinagrette streak the basic canvas of almost every plate, and for good reason: each offers its own essence—the red one is slightly tangy, the green a bit salty, and the brown syrupy-sweet. Swirl the three together on the plate and you have the most perfect blending of flavors.
Sakana
1046 Coast Village Rd., Montecito
805-565-2014
With its sauces of vibrant hues and brilliant flavors, Sakana, a cozy yet upscale little restaurant tucked away in a shopping plaza, serves artistic concoctions with sauces made with everything from red beets to parsley, from habanero to white truffle.
Lured by the creative names on the seashell-embellished menu outside this eatery, I decided to give it a shot. After all, Sakana has garnered many rave reviews online, and so far, with my positive dining experiences at Ahi Sushi in the vicinity, I’ve had nothing but a good impression of sushi in the Santa Barbara area.
An oversize flatscreen behind the sushi bar displays ever-changing underwater scenes—it’s a digital aquarium, really, showing colorful reefs, darting tropical fish. Large sake bottles line the opposite wall, and a blue glow radiates, reflecting the oceanic theme.
Prices may be slightly on the extravagant side, but that doesn’t keep locals or tourists from packing this modest-sized joint on a nightly basis. Expect to pay $12 for the impeccable Aburi Toro nigiri, which is topped with roasted ginger, garlic, and balsamic ponzu vinaigrette; $9 for the Champagne Crab sushi (champagne yuzu vinaigrette and caviar inclusive); and $8.50 for the M.S.C. (Monkfish, Scallop, Caviar) sushi, which is served with a creamy “sea urchin lobster sauce.”
Other nigiri may be more moderately priced, but the plates quickly add up because you find yourself indulging in one item after another after another. The sashimi menu and the sushi roll menu also feature many of the same ingredients and sauces as the nigiri choices, so for the sake of maximizing your opportunity to sample as many varieties in one sitting as possible, it might be wise to stay on the two-piece sushi side.
The Basil Fluke, along with the Aburi Toro and Kobe Beef, may well be one of my favorite sushi choices at Sakana. With a dressing of basil oil, habanero sauce, truffle yuzu vinaigrette, and cilantro leaves, the Basil Fluke is a grand explosion of flavors. Being a member of the truffle craze, I find that I am also partial to the Yaki Shiitake sushi, with its white truffle soy and habanero sauces. At only $5, the shiitake selection is the least expensive of the nigiri here.
The “Red Wine Eel” sushi sounded rather exotic, but in reality this unagi, with its edible adornments of tempura shiso leaf and yellow soy paper strips, was simply paired with a red wine balsamic sauce. It was quite tasty, but like the Champagne Crab, it might have been better (although certainly less colorful) if regular nori had been used in place of the yellow soy paper. The "Green Tea Smoked Scallop," which came with dijon smoked paprika sauce and scallions, was indeed aromatic, but the scallops tasted less like shellfish than they did like smoky fishcake.
Splashes of red from the beet sauce, green from the parsley mixed with olive oil, and brown from the balsamic vinagrette streak the basic canvas of almost every plate, and for good reason: each offers its own essence—the red one is slightly tangy, the green a bit salty, and the brown syrupy-sweet. Swirl the three together on the plate and you have the most perfect blending of flavors.
Sakana
1046 Coast Village Rd., Montecito
805-565-2014
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