Cooking: What To Eat On a Hot Day -- Korean-Style Sashimi Bowl

One of my favorite easy, simple and healthy meals when temperatures rise outside is hoedupbab, which is similar to a sashimi bowl (rice topped with sashimi) but with a Korean twist, aka spice.

I like to use tuna sashimi that's usually purchased from a Korean or Japanese market. I make some rice (I do regular white or brown rice when I'm feeling extra healthy). Then I top the rice and chopped sashimi with some sliced cucumbers and thinly sliced perilla leaves. Red leaf lettuce and another type of aromatic green often used in Korean cooking, sootkat, are optional.

The key is the sauce. Depending on your tolerance for spice, mix about one tablespoon of Korean red pepper paste (kochujang) with about 1/2 a tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1/2 a tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds (ideally toasted but not necessary) and a tablespoon of agave for sweetness. It should be the consistency of maple syrup.

Then work your arm muscles to mix, mix and mix evenly.

Here's a sample of what it looks like before and after you mix it up.


Enjoy!

Wa Sushi & Bistro: Sea Urchin + Truffle Oil = Oishii

I must say I was suspicious of a sushi place that called itself Wa Sushi & Bistro. Bistro? Does that mean the menu will feature weird concoctions that veer far away from the purist sushi that I love and cherish? But it is in my 'hood so we decided to try it (and also contribute to the environment by walking).

The short-end of it is that the sushi was way overpriced for what it was. Some of the sushi was not bad, but the price tags weren't justified by the quality of the fish.

The biggest and perhaps sole revelation was having uni (sea urchin) sushi drizzled with truffle oil, which gave it a very interesting flavor combo that worked very well. At first glance, I didn't like the uni didn't come wrapped in seaweed like most of the other sushi joints.


There's something to be said for the texture mix of crunchy seaweed, warm rice topped with the creamiest and buttery uni. But I didn't get this here. It was a "naked" sushi, with no seaweed. As I was about to eat it, I realized it had an interesting aroma and realized it was truffle oil. This place, I must say, is a tad truffle oil-happy. With uni, at least, it worked. But more on that later.

The other sushi, including toro (fatty tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), albacore tuna and scallop were average to above average. The fish ok but my biggest beef with them was the craftsmanship. Yes, it does make a difference to get your sushi from a master or not. Sure, quality and freshness of the fish matter, but what if the freshest, best quality fish weren't cut properly and placed on top of some rice? It really alters the experience dramatically. At Wa, the fish was this big blob of an anemic rectangular-shaped thing that just didn't easily sit atop the rice. Some might say they like that because it's more bang for their buck, but it was truly cumbersome to eat (not easily pop-able in one morsel) and even when you're chewing it, it was a hassle.

The other one I liked was the sweet shrimp, which was very fresh and unlike the others, its size wasn't overwhelmingly massive as the other sushi. Actually, it was one shrimp turned into two pieces of sushi and two fishheads that were promptly fried and disappeared into our mouths. The shrimp flesh was sweet indeed and soft in texture. Truly a winner.

The one I had the biggest problem with was the fatty tuna sashimi pieces drizzled in truffle oil. Perhaps it was the fact that message boards raved about how amazing this dish was. But unlike the sea urchin, tuna, especially raw fatty tuna (what a waste!), was so clashing with the truffle oil that had such a potent smell and flavor that it not only overpowered the delicate sashimi but also didn't mesh with the tuna flavor at all.

The little red peppercorns didn't add much to the mix. All in all, not a good match but somehow got rave reviews. Perhaps all a matter of preference. It just didn't taste good to me.

I truly believe that such prized parts of the tuna such as fatty tuna should be consumed as they are. All manner of sauces and oils just distract from the essence of the truly amazing flavor of the fish.

You already know how I feel about fatty tuna, especially at a place like Hiko. Forget about it. It's my favorite sushi by far.

I lament that this tuna was not as good as Hiko and it also somewhat corrupted the purity of the fish by mangling it with truffle oil and other stuff that didn't enhance, in my opinion.

Not sure I'll be returning, when I know I could get far better sushi nearby at Jinpachi or drive farther to my trusty Hiko, which someone I know recently went on my recommendation and now can't get enough of it.

Haru Sushi and Roll Cafe: Just the Uni and Butterfish

I know I've often used uni (sea urchin) as a leading image but I can't help it if they're the most photogenic and yummy ones. Haru Sushi and Roll Cafe was no exception. It's somewhat hidden (I won't call it a gem and you'll find out why shortly), located in the no-man's land area on San Vicente between Wilshire and 3rd, just next to the not-so-good Spanish place, La Paella (avoid).

Haru is decent value but the sushi didn't exactly made me want to return. We had the standards, including albacore tuna, salmon, hamachi (yellowtail), toro (fatty tuna), red snapper and uni. Some unusual picks we had were butterfish sushi and crispy spicy tuna rolls.

None of the sushi was remarkable, except for the uni, as mentioned earlier, and the butterfish, which was pretty good, soft like buttah. That butterfish sushi (left) alone made trying this place worthwhile. I haven't seen many sushi joints carry this one, so it was a treat.

I would say my gauge for a sushi place is its toro, hands down my favorite kind of sushi. The excellent quality ones I've had were darker red in tone, almost like red meat, and tasted as meaty as well, ultimately melting in my mouth.

Unfortunately, while serviceable, this toro wasn't nearly as meaty and delicious as the one served at my perennial favorite, Hiko (and Sushi Zo: honorable mention although sushi chef isn't as nice as Shinji-san at Hiko). I also don't know about the cuts as shown in the toro at right. I understand the need to do that for, say, scallop or shrimp but not regular fish. I think it distracts.

I also wasn't crazy about the ponzu sauce happy chef, who seemed to drizzle every other sushi with the citrusy sauce and top them with chopped green onions. I like it sometimes, but not all the time.

Ironically, when the sushi could have used something, it came out bare. Like the scallop, for instance. Unless it's super fresh, I do like a bit of rock salt on top. This one would have benefited from this touch of saltiness but came solo. Still good, but could have been excellent.

Now for the kicker: the utterly reproachable crispy spicy tuna rolls. I'm immediately skeptical of anything that sounds gimmicky or catering to God knows what, like these crispy spicy tuna rolls.

We ordered them after Yelpers raved about them. I guess we never learn our lesson. They weren't good. Sauce was too sweet, quality of the tuna wasn't good (felt like spice tried to make up for a lack of freshness or natural tuna flavor) and the "crispy rice" wasn't really crispy. Ah, we'll know better to avoid these in the future. Remember Yatai?

Having said that, the service was good and prices were fine. Still, given the choices, I don't think I'd return. Well, maybe for the buttahfish...

Sushi at Jinpachi: Excellent and Expensive

I found a great new neighborhood sushi joint in Jinpachi. Not everyday prices for sure, but it's obviously a place that takes its sushi seriously. It's low-key but most importantly, serves fresh fish with warm rice in its sushi. I'm partial to this new style of warm rice + sushi. I wasn't crazy about the fact that most of its offerings (I didn't do omakase because it was my first time and wanted to check it out) had some kind of sauce drizzled on it. Still, the fish was very fresh and I'd definitely like to return for more.


Strangely enough, when we ordered a-la-carte and got an order of blue fin tuna, toro (fatty tuna) and hamachi (yellow tail), they gave us the toro first, which seems counter intuitive considering toro is the mother of all buttery tunas and serving it first would make anyone appreciate the lesser quality tuna served next less.

In any case, toro (right) was good but not as good as in other comparable establishments like Hiko or even Sushi Zo. It came drizzled with soy sauce with freshly grated wasabi inside. Loved the warm rice too.
Not surprisingly, the blue fin tuna (left) that was served immediately afterwards didn't really do it for me. It's like serving a Corona after having Hitachino Classic Pale Ale, which incidentally I was drinking this very evening.

But I digress. The hamachi, or yellow tail, was excellent. It too came with a bit of soy sauce drizzled on top, but it tasted so fresh that I hardly cared.



I'm also particular about the accompanying pickled ginger and that was very good too. No funky smell coming from some pickling issues.

Once I built up some confidence on the quality of the fish served here, I moved on riskier picks like scallop and Spanish mackerel, both of which were recommended by the chef, by which time I trusted. The scallop (right) that came with rock salt and beautiful specks of yuzu rind jewels was excellent. I'm not a big fan of shellfish sushi, not least because it's hard to find good ones, but this was well worth the risk.
The Spanish mackerel (top picture) was an even bigger risk in the sense that even at Hiko, my favorite sushi joint in LA, this sushi would more often than not come out fishy. But this one didn't have a hint of fishiness and the grated ginger and minced green onions it came topped with complemented well with the fresh flavor of the fish.

Then I got my standards like uni (sea urchin), blue crab handroll and last but not least, anago (salt water eel). The uni (left) was also excellent, albeit drizzled once again with soy sauce. The seaweed the warm rice was wrapped in was extremely crispy and I could tell it was very good quality seaweed.

The crab handroll was equally stellar. The crab was sweet and the warm rice wrapped in the seaweed was the perfect combination. I could have this for lunch every day.

The last one I had was anago, or salt water eel, which comes with the syrupy brown sauce that's slightly salty and sweet used for unagi. The flesh of the anago was so incredibly soft it (excuse the cliche) did melt in your mouth.




I also liked the beer selection. As much as I like Sapporo served in an ice cold glass straight out of a cooler, I can't help but love what's probably my favorite Japanese beer of all time, Hitachino Classic Pale Ale that has the cutest little owl on the bottle. But more importantly, it's fantastic beer that goes so well with sushi. The perfect pairing if ever there was one.

I'll be returning, probably for another special occasion. Prices are a bit steep for every day sushi. A meal for two with one beer came out to about $55 per person. I hear that omakase is $100 per person. I may just try that next time. Now I gotta find an excuse. It's very quaint and quiet. If you're looking for a scene, this isn't the place for you. I didn't like the fact that it also serves a lot of cooked dishes and the omakase also includes cooked dishes, which to me, seems so much like a contradiction. I came for sushi, not cooked foods! Anyhow, that's my rant. Enjoy!

Yabu in WeHo: Nab a Spot at the Sushi Bar

Just as I am very loyal to my fave burger joints, Hiko has been my go-to sushi place since I first stumbled on it almost six to seven years ago. But I'm also always looking for the next find, the neighborhood gem that has yet to be discovered. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the sushi at Yabu in West Hollywood. Sure, it wasn't a revelation like it was with Hiko, but some of the pieces were definitely worth returning for.

The most memorable was probably the scallop, which was contoured perfectly around the rice bed thanks to the precise knife-work of the chef who put incisions the size of tiny squares for easier consumption. I'm usually not a shelfish sushi person, but the scallop was so fresh and flavorful.


Another shellfish surprise: shrimp. It was so tender and packed with flavor that I vowed not to dismiss shellfish sushi again. It was also contoured to the shape of the rice block. I'm partial to warm rice, which Yabu didn't offer, but at least it wasn't super cold and too sticky.

My favorite kinds, such as toro (fatty tuna) and uni (sea urchin), were ok but not as good as at Hiko. The toro didn't melt in your mouth as much and the uni, while good, wasn't as rich, silky and fresh-tasting.

The giant clam was a disappointment. It smelled too much like the sea for my taste, and not in a good way. The squid, which came with a sheet of shiso leaf, which I don't usually like, was just so so. I don't understand the inserting of shiso leaf at every turn in sushi. I think it ruins the harmony of the flavors but that's just me.

We did omakase (chef's choice) and the chef made us a nifty little uni roll that had been deep fried and came with a side of fancy salt. I liked the interesting mix of textures of crunchy with the soft uni but there's nothing that compares to the great experience of having a fresh uni wrapped in the most delicate and crispy sheet of seaweed, like it's overflowing out of the seaweed (see first picture above). Plain and simple. Why deep-fry something that is perfectly good raw? It was good to see innovation in action but I'll go back to my no-frills uni dish any day. There's a reason I went for sushi. If I'd wanted cooked food, I'd have gone somewhere else. I don't like it when they mix and match raw and cooked food too much.

They made soup out of the shrimp heads left over from the shrimp sushi, which was ok.

I would advise to stay away from the fried calamari, which was so overcooked it tasted like rubber. So bad.

I didn't expect the sushi to be much good here because its west side location is known for its soba (buckwheat) noodles. I'm not a soba fanatic, so only went a few times even when I lived nearby. But the West Hollywood location is convenient, the service is good (we had to take back the sake more than once because it tasted off -- and they obliged and apologized profusely for the inconvenience) and sushi is definitely above average. Not the cheapest but reasonable if you don't go crazy with the expensive sushi.

Sushi Zo: Excellent But Too Sauce-Happy

I'm usually very loyal to my fave sushi joint in LA (Hiko Sushi), but I had to taste for myself the hype that Sushi Zo got in message boards galore. The sushi was excellent. The chef was also known to be a rude and forceful sushi chef, in the vain of the Nozawa "trust me" chef. Service was definitely rude but the sushi made it bearable. The best was squid sashimi cut in strips topped with uni. The combination of silky and chewy strips of squid with creamy, delicious uni was amazing.


The fish was top quality but the only gripe besides the service and arrogance of the chef was the over-saucing of fish that was so fresh it would have been perfectly fine without sauce of any kind. This yellowtail was an exception that only had minced yuzu and some rock salt as a topping.

Toro, or fatty tuna, is usually my favorite sushi but he bathed the toro in some soy sauce-based concoction that I felt masked the truly fresh flavor of the fish.

Another case in point was the sea bass, which was also topped with some kind of soy sauce with minced garlic and green onions. I thought the fresh could have easily stood on its own.

The time when I appreciated the sauce-happiness was the monkfish liver, which was deliciously topped with some fishegg sauce with green onions.


I must disclose that my favorite sushi joint, Hiko Sushi, also has a chef that people think is too arrogant and rude. But I'm biased, because I love me my Shinji-san (at Hiko) and he's never rude to me (he even accomodates my request of no wasabi in the sushi -- imagine that!).

Maybe this Zo guy is nicer to other regulars and he may have gotten ticked off when I asked him for his recommendations on what's most fresh. His answer: Everything is fresh. True, Shinji-san would have said the same thing and may have even added indignantly, "Stupid question." But Chef Zo was so belligerent in his ways that it really turns off the customer. What's with this sushi dictatorship trend?

Sushi Zo is worth trying but not sure it will replace my Hiko anytime soon.

Mori Sushi: Overpriced & Overrated

I must document the outrage I felt after having tried Mori Sushi for the first time. My first choice, Hiko Sushi, was closed for the holidays, so I figured I'd give Mori, which I had heard was decent, a shot. How would I describe my experience there? Sheer highway robbery.

First of all, restaurants or bars without signs are a pet peeve of mine. A drawing of a fish displayed outside doesn't count as a sign. Let's drop the gimmicks and focus on the food. It's also a bad sign when a supposed sushi joint serves things like "miso cod" and has different kinds of omakase (chef's choice) by price and number of pieces. Then I made the colossal mistake of ordering the all-out omakase that would later set me back quite a bit of dinero.

The first thing was good -- lobster tossed with some citrus juice that made the texture feel like the lobster meat was the actual citrus pulp. Then came two kinds of raw oysters and another two poached kinds. I'm not a big fan of oysters but they were fresh enough. Then came crab soup with fish in a pretty bowl that left me perplexed. Wasn't this supposed to be omakase as in sushi and sashimi? The soup was a bit salty but fine. But that's not what I had come here to eat. I decided to take matters into my own hands and asked the waitress to give us sushi and/or sashimi -- "no cooked foods, please." This was the first incident where I ruffled the sushi chef's feathers.

So they brought out two to three different kinds of sushi on a plate at once. I like innovation as much as the next person but there's probably a good reason sushi is traditionally served on a small plate either as a single piece or two pieces. It keeps it more fresh. There was a parade of sea bass, three different kinds of tuna and other more fishy sushi that were highly underwhelming. I asked that the wasabi be placed not between the fish and the rice as it is too strong for me (that even the notorious Hiko sushi chef Shinjisan gladly does for me) and I prefer to dissolve it in my soy sauce but the chef politely declined. There were some eyebrows raised for ruffling his feathers again.


I happen to be partial to sushi that is paired with warm rice and this one didn't even come close. The rice was cold to room temperature but more importantly, had been made a while back and was crumbly and flavorless -- just awful. The fish was not that fresh and I soon found myself seeking refuge in some sake. I couldn't get over the container it came in -- what looked like vintage crystal that I remembered seeing a lot of in Prague. Sake drunk in beautiful Czech crystal glasses? Nice but one more reason to believe this place seem to put style over substance. And yes, there was one final thing I asked for that probably didn't endear me to our waitress. I know this was omakase but given that the fish wasn't anything to write home about and our bill was adding up by the minute, I flat out asked for uni (sea urchin), one of my favorite things in the world, as our last one.

As it turned out, this was the best one, its final redeeming offering. It served Japanese uni and uni from Santa Barbara (the one on the right in first picture), the latter of which was creamier and delicious (minus the bad rice, of course). The anti-climactic finale came with dessert that was a tangerine jelly (when what I craved was tangerine sorbet or something more refreshing than, uh, jelly -- given the price tag, I think they can afford to do something a tad fancier than jelly). How could a place like this stay in business? Totally beyond me. To think that I spent upwards of $100 on this bad to mediocre meal is mind-boggling. But at least you won't have to make the same mistake. In fact, I won't even tell you where it is. If you want quality sushi, get thee to Hiko today!

Simply the Best Sushi in LA

I am both happy and sad that Hiko Sushi is no longer LA's best-kept secret, no thanks to LA Weekly's food critic, J. Gold, who recently reviewed this not-so-hidden gem and led us to stand in line for the first time since we stumbled upon it over fours years ago.

A few months after it opened in 2003, we were driving by and my companion suggested we try it, saying it "looks promising." I took one look at the storefront and nondescript mini-mall it was situated in, and dismissed it immediately. After he insisted we give it a shot, I broke down and agreed. We walked in, only to be greeted by a young woman who, upon knowing it was our first time there, proceeded to give us a laundry list of all the things Hiko does not do, including California rolls, teriyaki or anything cooked, stressing that it was "traditional sushi only."

She added that if we sat at the bar, it would be chef's choice, known as omakase. Forget it, I said, slightly put off by this imposition, we're sitting at a table because I want to order what I want.

The first experience was good, sampling tuna (maguro), yellowtail (hamachi), salmon and others.

The best was yet to come, however. We sat at the bar on our next visit, at the complete mercy of the chef, and have never looked back since. It's too bad that on food message boards and circles, sushi chef & owner Shinji-san is known more for his strict rules and lack of "Mr. Personality"-evoking friendliness than the amazing fish and the craft he masters so beautifully every time we go. The man is an earnest guy who takes his craft seriously and doesn't care about prominent food critics or A-list celebrities who seem to flock to his no-frills establishment time and time again.



Let me run down our usual sequence of jewels, infused by some anecdotes told by his daughters, who are also the wait staff. He starts us off with the most refreshing baby tuna sashimi salad, drizzled with ponzu sauce and sprinkled with tons of sesame seeds and finely-chopped green onions. Lovely.

Hamachi (yellowtail) is next. Good as always. I love that he pairs the slightly cold fish slabs with perfectly cooked, warm rice. The pairing is phenomenal. Like most things, I learned to appreciate the right chewiness of the rice grains after having one too many sushi where the rice crumbled or was too hard due to over-refrigeration. I couldn't help recalling a 20-series Japanese manga(comic book) entitled "Sushi King" about the art of sushi-making and the trials and tribulations of sushi chefs and their apprentices. One book was devoted entirely to perfecting the rice -- making it from the best rice grains grown from a tiny, remote village and cooked to just the right doneness.

As anticipation of our next dish starts to simmer, we dip into the freshly-grated wasabi on our plate alongside pickled ginger slices, and dissolve it with soy sauce. The light green wasabi tastes as fresh as it looks. It doesn't come cheap. A single root (photo: Wikipedia) may cost $8 to $10, and wasabi roots cost about $70 to $100 a pound.



Shinji-san then offers red snapper garnished only with rock salt and a dab of grated yuzu. "No soy sauce," he says gently, meaning this one doesn't need to be dipped because it's already seasoned. Fresh with just the right tart-ness from the citrus, score again. Yuzu is a key ingredient in the much-loved ponzu sauce and is used in many other east Asian cuisines to garnish. Koreans store sliced yooja (yuzu) in honey and dissolve it in hot water to make yooja tea, a cold remedy.



What's amazing about this chef, besides being a master, is that even though it is omakase, he remembers what his loyal customers like and serves them exactly in the sequence we always have it. We spotted another regular having multiple shellfish varieties that were totally different from ours. And despite outraged postings about his alleged rules of not allowing one to order the same thing more than twice, he never gave us a hard time about our requests. I, for example, prefer my sushi without wasabi in them and he was more than willing to oblige. In fact, he gets super apologetic when he happens to forget because his hands move so quickly.



But I digress again. I happily await as Shinji-san assembles my all-time favorite sushi, the utterly velvety toro(fatty tuna). It just doesn't get better than this. The fat gives it an almost meaty taste and texture, full of deep flavor and melt-in-your-mouth smoothness. Every time I pop one into my mouth, I can't help but hum "mmmmm" for extended periods of time as I savor this true gem.



Albacore tuna with ponzu sauce topped with chopped green onions is a winner too. Then comes a small amuse bouche of sorts, tuna sashimi with ponzu sauce nested in fried wonton skin. This was on the house but would probably cost a hefty $12 at a fancy restaurant with a velvet rope.

My second favorite is the blue crab handroll, a beauty that comes wrapped in a super-crispy seaweed sheet. He once told us in passing that a small box of these nori sheets cost $300. It certainly tastes like a million dollars. I appreciate his high standards even more when we venture to other much-hyped sushi joints like Sasabune and Echigo and are served sloppy handrolls on not-so-crunchy nori sheets that are torn or have pebbles of rice on the outside. These popular places have absolutely nothing on Hiko.



Shinji-san is credited for making me an uni(sea urchin) convert. It turns out that I like uni -- so long as it's as fresh as the one Shinji-san serves. Prior ones I've tried had a weird smell that reminded me of the sewage system. Not good. As soon as I took my first bite of his uni, it was sheer creamy goodness. Just can't get enough.



We usually wrap it up with anago (fresh-water eel) -- flash-broiled nice and warm with just a hint of the syrupy brown sauce. This one melts too. Just don't ask for more sauce. I never felt the need to ask for more, but I heard that it has historically irked the chef, to put it mildly. You won't get more, so my advice would be to trust him. You won't be sorry.

Other major pet peeves for the chef are cellphone users (that's a "no cellphones" sign you see below) and those who leave out the rice (I recently witnessed an offender who was politely told by Shinji-san's daughter, the waitress, that Shinji-san wouldn't serve her if she left the rice out) and those like Cameron Diaz who allegedly asked for more ponzu sauce (she was refused). I read a few complaints on message boards about how it was the worst service ever but it isn't surprising when they proceed to reveal that they had violated his rules and thus disrespected him. When they protested, some were promptly kicked out. I wish more restaurants had a zero-tolerance policy on obnoxious customers.



On occasion, Shinji-san has served up bonito (yes, the fresh version of bonito flakes, those animated shavings that dance when you sprinkle atop an okonomiyaki, Japanese pancake), sardine and monkfish liver. All were fresh but I wouldn't say they were my favorites.

Two very thin slices of fruit is the complimentary dessert. I should also add that Shinji-san has a disdain for loud people. When a group of young, bubbly and loud kids raved about how good the sushi was and that they would bring their friends next time, Shinji-san didn't flash an ounce of a smile and grunted, "Next time, be more quiet." Terrified, they smiled awkwardly and ran for the door. I suppose it's his prerogative to dislike loud people in his establishment. The funny thing is, the chef doesn't even know celebrities like Josh Harnett or Scarlett Johansson who allegedly stopped by for a bite -- not to mention a Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic who could give him a huge business boost (Let's just say he doesn't plan on framing the LA Weekly review and putting it up on his wall). And when asked what he thought about the positive LA Weekly review, he said it was true. When asked what he thought about the critic, he shrugged and said, "I don't care." His self-assuredness often passes as arrogance. He's an artist, what can I say?



Disclaimer: My budget hasn't allowed me to try perennial favorites such as Ursawa and Nobu (although I did try Nobu in Las Vegas and it wasn't all that), but I have tried the overrated Kiriko (blah) on Sawtelle, in addition to the aforementioned Sasabune and Echigo. In NYC, I have tried Tomoe Sushi (not worth the wait), Blue Ribbon Sushi (yuk), Nobu Next Door (not great) and more recently, Shimizu (innovative sushi), all of which were not as good as Hiko. At the risk of ruffling some feathers, I hereby anoint Hiko to be the best sushi in all of the US.

Make no mistake. This meal won't come cheap -- about $70 per person including tax and tip if you do omakase without drinks or miso soup. Lunch won't be any cheaper. The illogical but convenient trend of charging less for the same items for lunch doesn't apply here. I have also seen them turn away multiple customers who asked for take-out. How do you expect the sushi to hold up when the steaming rice is straight out of the rice cooker?

I am heartened that it's doing as well as it is, as I was concerned when I saw the empty tables on weekends throughout the years. It's a family-run business where wife and children all pitch in, and that makes me want to support it even more. If you ever decide to try it, tell him you read it here. He'll know it was me and I guarantee you he won't kick you out unless you violate his rules! My only complaint is that they need to diversify their music choices. Shinji-san is an avid fan of bossa nova singer, Lisa Ono, and he is in desperate need of some new music infusion. I'm tempted to bring him a new CD on my next visit.

I've decided to include an address for all restaurants I review from now on.

Hiko Sushi
11275 National Blvd. (at Sawtelle)
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 473-7688