A Taste of Yanagi Japanese Bistro

Furikake Popcorn Shrimp

Salmon Sushi with Avocado, Red Onions, Shaved Bonito

Spicy Garlic Tuna Tataki Sushi

Warm Springs Roll with Rice Paper

Yanagi Japanese Bistro of Redondo Beach

Named after the Japanese word for willow tree, Yanagi Japanese Bistro is a quaint, casual affair situated on the main thoroughfare of Artesia in Redondo Beach.

Although not exactly a formal dining establishment, Yanagi is certainly a more upscale alternative to the fast food-style “Rice Things” Japanese dive just across the street, where one can pick up simple rolls of pickled radish or gourd for just $2.99, or sushi combinations served with miso soup that start at $7.99.

The menu at Yanagi is fancier than that, and while its wall menu boasts traditional sushi fare such as toro, blue fin and uni, there are also a few surprises, such as furikake popcorn shrimp for $11 (six curly pieces of shrimp tempura slathered with a sweet mayonnaise sauce and dusted with seasoned seaweed bits known as furikake), and albacore sashimi with crispy onions for $14.

I notice the chef preparing salmon sushi laden with avocado and shaved bonito, and my mind flashes back to something similar I once saw at Koi Restaurant in Seal Beach. It was exactly that, salmon sushi with avocado and shaved bonito, only Koi had added white onions to it as well. (I’ve met picky sushi snobs who will only eat salmon sushi with chopped raw white onions.) I ask Yanagi's chef if he has white onions in his sushi station and am told he only has red onions. “Even better,” I say (I personally prefer red onions anyway). Then I request that ponzu sauce be added to all of this and suddenly feel very much like a picky snob myself.

Other types of sushi may be ordered: “spicy garlic tuna tataki” or “spicy garlic albacore” ($4.50 to $5 for two pieces), although in my opinion there was no spiciness at all, only a garlicky essence mixed with ponzu sauce.

The owner suggests I try the “Warm Springs” roll, an unconventional six-piece hunger-squelcher for $12.50, which features the uncommon yet delightful rice paper as a wrap, the gooey, slippery alternative to soy paper and seaweed. “Warm Springs” encases spicy tuna, imitation crab, soft shell crab, avocado, and shrimp tempura in its translucent folds, and after it is placed on puddles of spicy mayonnaise and eel sauce, it gets sprinkled with furikake as well. And why not? It’s a medley of color and flavor as it is, although after this saccharine, syrupy overload, you’re bound to want to skip dessert. Yet the desserts here, too, sound tempting: you can choose from green tea cheesecake or the ever-unusual fried plum wine ice cream.

Yanagi Japanese Bistro

2400 Artesia Blvd., Redondo Beach

310-372-6500

Selections Abound at Sakura Ichi of Pomona

Sayori (Half Beak)

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

Shima Aji

Orange Served with Plum Powder

Showcasing Sakura Ichi of Pomona

It’s always a pleasant surprise to stumble across a new sushi bar, especially in an unlikely area, and especially one with such great personality behind its service.

With its funky little name and spacious, sophisticated dining room, Sakura Ichi, tucked nearly out of sight in a plaza in Pomona, is a local’s delight, and there is a certain chef named Eddie whose sunny disposition and zeal for all things sushi will brighten anyone’s day.

Chef Eddie informs me that this sushi bar offers rare fish such as Sayori, known as Half Beak; as well as Shima Aji, which is also called White Trevally. On the wall menu, even Ankimo (monkfish liver) is offered as an appetizer.

For the first time, I learned why the silvery-gray fish is called Half Beak; quite literally, the fish boasts a prominent, beak-like projection from its jaws, in which the lower jaws are remarkably longer than the upper ones. And I had learned this only because Chef Eddie chose to serve Sayori sashimi-style, with the hacked-up pieces of this raw fish flanked by its head and tail as decoration, upon a bed of lettuce, and with masago topping and a stem of yamagobo to boot. Ponzu sauce comes on the side, for those who like to add zest to their sashimi with this citrus-based dip.

I caught sight of a grooved glass platter upon which one of the chefs was arranging blocks of spicy tuna on crispy rice, topped with slivers of avocado, slices of jalapeno, chopped green onions, ponzu sauce and Togarashi powder (I asked for the omission of eel sauce, which it normally comes with, because in my opinion it would have oversweetened the dish), and I ordered the plate immediately.

This six-piece version of Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice is a twist of my traditional favorite dish of the same name at Katsu-Ya in Studio City, which comes topped with slices of Serrano chili. To my relief, not only was Sakura Ichi’s rendition tasty, but the crispy rice base was not overly crunchy and hard as it tends to be at some restaurants; rather, it had a toasty, buttery crisp to it, about what you’d expect out of the version at Katsu-Ya.

I ordered the Spider Roll because unlike most sushi bars, Sakura Ichi uses minced crabstick, rather than the standard imitation snow crab mix, as a filler next to the softshell crab in its roll, and I was curious as to how this would result in the texture. Although I ultimately prefer a Spider Roll to be served sans any imitation crab-filler, and I still think Nobu’s Soft Shell Crab Roll holds the standard, the Spider Roll at Sakura Ichi adequately satisfies the need for something fried and filling. The soft and stringy crabstick offered a nice contrast alongside the crunchiness, although it didn’t seem to make a significant difference than if it had been served with imitation snow crab mix.

I also tried the Shima Aji sushi and not only was it fresh, but the texture and flavor was just right, slightly reminiscent of yellowtail sushi.

Other noteworthy details that make this restaurant stand out: the edamame comes smothered with toasted garlic bits; and the half-orange that is served for dessert is sprinkled with plum powder, which, as Chef Eddie imparts, enhances almost any fruit.

Sakura Ichi
101 W. Mission Blvd., Pomona
909-865-2059

Tuna Sashimi, Amberjack, Spanish Mackerel, Orange Clam with Truffle Salt, Blue Crab Hand Roll at Sushi Zo of Culver City

Tuna Sashimi

Amberjack

Spanish Mackerel

Orange Clam

Blue Crab Hand Roll

For the Die-Hard Sushi Fans: Sushi Zo

It’s obvious that Sushi Zo caters to die-hard sushi aficionados, and ranks up there with Urasawa, Mori Sushi, Sasabune, Sugarfish by Nozawa, and countless other high-quality restaurants all over the world that serve sushi the traditional way.

The moment you walk through the door, the hostess will inquire if you know how it works there: it’s chef’s choice only. If you still act like a newbie, then she may forewarn you that the course costs $100 to $150 per person, depending on what is served that day. The timid may balk; the inexperienced might question the lack of a menu. The sign on the wall further daunts the neophytes: “OMAKASE ONLY. NO CUT ROLLS.” The cheap masses rationalize: “But I can eat so much more at the bargain sushi joint for that price….”

The truth is, if you’re going to try real sushi but you’re on a budget, you are probably better off eating fast food (or plain bread, for that matter) for a whole month just to save enough dough for one life-changing dining experience at Sushi Zo, rather than frequenting a discounted sushi hut once a week. Be prepared, however, to be forever ruined for most other mediocre sushi restaurants thereafter.

Each dish at Sushi Zo (served mostly nigiri style, although sashimi and a hand roll do occasion) is prepared with such meticulous precision that it borders on obsessive. To be fair, the server does ask you beforehand what you don’t like—if you’re opposed to exotic sea urchin, or anything chewy such as clam, this is your only chance to speak up and exert any influence over your meal; after this it’s literally up to the chef.

The small plates are presented one after another, usually with a single miniscule piece of sushi that is no bigger than a finger, and a line of instruction uttered by the server: “This is albacore sushi…already ponzu sauce, no soy sauce, please….” “This is scallop, add a little soy sauce.” The lines become somewhat repetitious until you hear slight variations, such as “This is amberjack, with lemon and Japanese jalapeno…” and then the kicker: “…no soy sauce.”

Out of the entire course which consists of slightly more than 20 items, only about three items are actually suggested to be paired with the soy sauce that’s contained in the little kettle on the table. Other than that, the bite-size masterpieces already come seasoned as the chef intended, such as with sea salt, ponzu sauce or the ever-pungent truffle salt. Some of the fish Sushi Zo offers is flown in from Japan, and even rare breeds like needlefish and perch are served.

Although I have observed differences in the seafood served during my four visits to Sushi Zo over the last two years, the meal generally begins and ends with the same items: to start the feast, a single perfectly prepared Kumamoto oyster, followed by four pieces of melt-in-your-mouth tuna sashimi, which is then followed by a tiny saucer filled with uni noodles; to end the party, a single hand roll is served (usually filled with blue crab, but during my last visit it was toro), with a shot of yuzu juice for dessert. The rest of the course may showcase crispy sea eel, sweet shrimp, Spanish mackerel, golden eye snapper, yellow striped jack, seared black cod with miso sauce, pompano, black snapper, and red snapper.

And then there are the standard sushi staples: yellowtail, albacore, halibut and scallop (although as common as these may sound, somehow at Sushi Zo they are anything but ordinary). Perhaps it has to do with the old adage “You get what you pay for,” because the fish quality here is so high you’ll swear it’s served straight out of the sea, for it certainly can’t be just a matter of seasonings, no matter how good the chef. Each piece dissolves in your mouth; the rice is sweet; attention to detail can be seen down to the very fact that the monkfish liver is served warm, rather than cold (this is reminiscent of the way Sasabune serves its ankimo).

At the end of the repast, the waitress will explain that dinner is now complete, unless you have special requests—this is the point at which you’ve earned the right to order whatever you desire from the kitchen, if your appetite permits it. If you’ve been here multiple times, at this moment you may want to order that one thing you liked last time, which perhaps the chef didn’t incorporate into his repertoire tonight (but keep in mind this compounds to the final bill, which you know is already high). In one of my visits, I special-ordered the orange clam with truffle salt; another time, I requested the blue crab hand roll (the chef had served a toro hand roll in its place and I, as is my wont, had a hankering for the crustacean).

Sushi Zo

9824 National Blvd., Los Angeles

310-842-3977

Making My Own Sushi, Part Two