Wakcano has several locations in Los Angeles and I’ve been meaning to try it out for a while, so when I got the chance to checkout the Santa Monica branch, I decided to try it out.

The first thing I noticed was the nice ambiance of this place. I’m sure it gets pretty crowded on weekend nights. The entry greeting “center” looks like a I.T. control center with about 4 LCD monitors all around with some type of seating application running on them.

My friend got a roll, but I decided to get the standard nigiri combination called “Sushi Deluxe,” which comes with 9 nigiri and a tunu cut-roll as you can see above. Although the sushi was fresh, there was nothing very exciting about it and it’s a tiny bit pricey for what you get. Compare this to something like the combination at Izayoi and you’ll see what I mean.

This place is a Asian fusion type place so don’t expect the perfect sushi here. They do have chicken and plenty of other non-sushi dishes which I think I’ll come back and try.  This is more of a meet & greet, lounge than a sushi bar.

Wakcano, Santa Monica
1413 5th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401-2401
(310) 458-3080
wokcanorestaurant.com

Once again, I got an opportunity to return to Maru in Valencia. You can read my original review here.

This time around, I decided to try the regular sushi combination instead of ordering piece by piece.

My friend and I were both tricked by the name of the appetizer we picked. The name of it was “Crisp Duck Risotto,” and I somehow thought the duck was crisp. Instead it turns out that the risotto was crisp, which isn’t exactly the way I like my risotto. If anything, I like my risotto mushy, and not crunchy. Nonetheless, the small pieces of duck was good and everything was right in the world again.

The sushi combination was fresh and well prepared but not as spectacular as on the last trip when we ordered each piece separately.  This seems to be the same at almost all sushi places, where you get better stuff when you order them one shot. There was nothing to complain about here except for the price. You can get the same or better for less money at places like Izayoi.

Moreover, unlike the last trip, the service was not up to snuff for an upscale sushi restaurant. The waitress seemed very rushed and out of sorts and when our sushi combination arrived, there was no soy sauce dish.

In my opinion, at a sushi restaurant, this is worse than the waitress at a steak house not bringing the steak knife. We did eventually flag down a waitress but at any good restaurant, the waitress should return soon after the dish arrives at the table to make sure everything is fine.

However, I will still give this place good marks for their upscale ambiance. But ambiance alone cannot sustain a restaurant. Ask any of the thousands of great looking restaurants that have closed over the decades.

Oh, and one last thing. The hot tea $1.50. Nuff said.

Maru
24250 Town Center Dr. #180
Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 290-2595
maruvalencia.com

After declaring that you should try rolls here in my last review of this place, I never did come back to review a roll. On this outing, we tried the Dragon Roll.

The Dragon Roll is made from fresh water eel (unagi) over shrimp tempura and kaiware sprout roll with plenty of unagi sauce. It wasn’t the best unagi I’ve ever had but it was much better than the worst I’ve had and the price is reasonable. Overall, I’d rate this roll above average and tasty enough for even a picky sushi eater like me.

This place offers a bunch of other rolls to try. Good place for drinks and rolls.

Joy Mart Restaurant
Sake bar and sushi
137 Japanese Village Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-9868
Map

Alth0ugh my first review of Honda Ya was not glowing, the more I go to this place, the better I like it. My current favorite plate there is their “Assorted 5 Kind Yakitori” for $9.95. It’s yummy and tastes even better because of the great price. The chicken leg meat is the best.

Honda Ya
333 South Alameda #314, Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 625-1184
Tuesday-Sunday: 5:30pm to 1am (last call about 12:30am)
Map

In case you missed it, see my first review of this strange no-sign Mori Sushi restaurant.

This time, we decided to try the 8 course meal as shown below. Click on the thumbnails to see a bigger version of the picture.

As you can see, as last time, there were a lot of yummy plates to try. The Hiyayako appeared to be home made tofu, which would be surprising at any other restaurant but not here. When the waitress brought out the second dish, she said that it was considered a “delicacy” in Japan. Then, she giggled the same way the Joker laughs on Batman. Scary stuff. The desert was the same as the last time so I didn’t take a picture of it.

At the end, we both agreed that 8 courses was too much and decided to stick with 6 courses for next time.

Mori Sushi
11500 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 479-3939
morisushi.org

My friend David sent me this picture of the menu from a Japanese restaurant called Taiko, in Manhattan Beach.

On a hot day, there’s nothing better than some cold Bukkake noodles. Yummmmm.

Although the word “Bukkake” has become known for it’s use in pr0n, it’s a Japanese word that means “strong pouring of liquid,” and apparently, in Japan, there are noodle dishes where such pouring is done.  Nonetheless, I don’t think I’ll be trying this dish anytime soon.

If you’re ever in Westwood, or anywhere near UCLA, and in the mood for some really cheap desert, checkout Diddy Riese on Broxton. Basically, you create your own ice cream sandwich and they make it in front of you and hand it to you at the counter for only $1.50. You can also buy just the cookies for 35 cents, or Hawaiian shaved ice for $1 ($1.50 with ice cream added).

It’s a great way to save money on a cheap date but be aware that on weekend nights, there’s sometimes a line down the block.

Have you ever had a meal that was begging for some Champagne but you didn’t want to drink alcohol? What if I told you that there’s a Jasmine Tea sparkling drink that tasted a little like Champagne?

I drink a lot of tea but sometimes feel like drinking something different. I happen to come across this sparking tea drink from Golden Star Tea. It does contain a tiny bit of alcohol but they won’t card you when you buy this bottle. It’s slightly sweet but very light and refreshing. It leaves a tea type after taste that’s hard to describe, especially since I’m not a drinker.

The MSRP is about $13 but I found it in downtown for about $8. It’s a little pricey for a non-alcoholic drink but I recommend it to anybody with a taste for something a little different.

Since this sushi restaurant was listed as the best sushi in Los Angeles in a magazine, I decided that I had to try it out.

However, when I drove to the address, there was what appeared to be some type of business with just a fish logo on a sign, with no address showing or the name of the business. Very strange.   I’m not sure where their parking lot is, or if they even have one, but I just parked on the street right in front of the restaurant. We walked in to find a very non-Japanese, modern looking restaurant, with all white walls.

We decided to order their 6 course meal (around $80 each) and see what we get. Well, you can see from the pictures below, the dishes were prepared perfectly and tasted as good as it looked. Mori Sushi’s website says that each plate and serving dish are specially made for the restaurant. Click on the thumbnails below to see a larger version.

One note about the service at this restaurant. Whenever I would take a few sips of my green tea, the waitress would bring me a brand new cup of green tea. The service was off the charts and almost to the point of being ridiculous. The problem with getting new tea so often is that it’s hot again every time you get a new cup. Then you have to cool it down a bit, then you take a few sips and they bring you a new cup. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think that I would complain about service that was too attentive, but that’s what I experienced here.

The meal was expensive but definitely something to remember. The sushi that comes with the 6 course meal was good but not the best I’ve had. I’m sure that if I were to order the sushi separately, it would be better. I’m definitely going to have to return to this place and try the sushi only.

Mori Sushi
11500 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 479-3939
morisushi.org

It was once again time to check out another sushi place I’ve never been to. My friend suggested we try Teru in Studio City since neither one of us had gone there. As with other restaurants in this area, parking is in limited supply and valet parking is required.

The building almost looks like a fake sushi place from a Hollywood movie lot at Universal. Although the inside is very narrow and long, they’ve really squeezed a ton of seats into a very limited space.  The service is good and the atmosphere is okay.

That’s about where the good news ends.

We ordered Crab cakes ($13) which were okay, and my friend ordered the Crunchy Roll ($10), which he declared was not the best he’s had.

Of course, I had to get the Sushi Combination ($21) and green tea ($1.25). The fact the green tea is not free should already clue you in to what I thought about the sushi combination. The quality was marginal at best, and the roll was below restaurant level, just slightly above Ralphs level.

Next time, I think I’ll just call ahead and see if their green tea is free or not.

Teru Sushi
11940 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 763-6201
terusushi.com