I don’t know how long they’ve been doing this, but apparently, you can get a 10% discount on your order if the clerk likes you.  It’s called a 10% neighbor discount.  I guess that means that you have to be a regular customer or something.  Not sure if you can just ask for it, or you have to go there a lot for the clerk to recognize you.  It doesn’t hurt to ask for it.  10% discount on $2.50 is a whopping 25 cents.  In this economy, you need to save every cent.

According to an inside source, Pinkberry will start offering Pomegranate flavored frozen yogurt starting November 11, 2008 for the same price as Coffee and Green Tea. We’ll find out later today if this is BS or not.

Sushi-Gen is on many sushi eaters’ top 10 list for the best sushi, and the sushi is top notch. They also have some really crazy stuff on their menu, including something that looked like live lobster.

I’ve been here several times over the last 10 years or so and I’ve never had anything less than great sushi here.  Having said that, I think you can find sushi that’s just as good for less money (e.g. Izayoi down the street).

Nigiri Sushi combination - $26

If cost is no object, and you just want a great selection of traditional nigiri sushi at the sushi bar, this is the ticket for you.  The service is friendly and very Japanese. Yes, they have free green tea, which as you know is a good indicator that they are a traditional Japanese sushi bar.

This place gets crazy busy on the weekends so come early or make reservations.

Sushi-Gen
Honda Plaza
422 E 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-0552
Map
Lunch Mon.-Fri. 11:15am-2pm
Dinner Mon.-Fri. 5:30-10pm
Sat. 5-10PM

Hama Sushi is located in the Japanese Village in Little Tokyo on 2nd Street.  This is a very busy area so you might forget about street parking and just go straight to the parking structure on Central.

Like Komasa Sushi (2 doors away), this place is microscopic.  There’s basically one sushi bar which seats about 16 people, and 2 tables near the front.  That’s it.

Since they open at 5:30pm, if you come around 7pm, expect to have a long wait, especially on weekends.

This place has been around many years and the last time I was here (about 3 years ago), I thought the sushi here was near perfection.

It’s amazing what 3 years can do.  The quality of the sushi has gone really down.  I don’t know if this is to save on cost or that’s just the way things are.  It’s interesting because the sushi price is moderate to high, so I would think that they could provide better quality.

But the quality is not the biggest problem here.  For some reason, the sushi chefs seems to be permanently on their periods.  Maybe they’ve been working here too long and just don’t want to be here anymore.  Whatever the reason, try to deal with the waitresses and not the chefs if at all possible.

Speaking of the waitresses, although they might not be the best, they are very easy on the eyes.  At least there’s that.

This sign tells you that they are serious about sushi here.

There was no reason to include pictures of the sushi here because it looks very average and not great.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not gross or anything.  Just nothing to write home about.  I was really hoping to write some great props for this place.  It’s really sad because this place used to be the bomb many years ago.

With all the sushi places around this area, avoid this place and walk down the street to another sushi place.

Hama Sushi
347 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012-4215
(213) 680-3454
5:30pm-11:30pm

Last time I visited this restaurant, I didn’t have much sushi because this a “Fusion” place, as the name implies.  But since this is a sushi review blog, I decided that this time, I’ll order more sushi.

Sushi Combo - $14.95

For my main course, I decided to get the Sushi Combo, which is basically Zip’s Nigiri sushi combo plate.  The price is very reasonable, and you get plenty for your money.  The fish was fresh but there was something strange about the way the nigiri was prepared.

Close-up of Tuna Nigiri. Notice the size of the rice

As you can see from the close-up above, the Nigiri is prepared with a microscopic sized rice. I’ve never seen anything like this before.  It really doesn’t make the taste very different, but it makes it very hard to pick up with chopsticks.  I found that you need to squeeze the fish and wrap it around the rice, as shown in the picture above.  This strange Nigiri was not to my taste but if you’re on some type of low carb diet, this might be the ticket for you.

Cold Soba - $7.95

Looking to see if anything else here was real Japanese style, I tried their Cold Soba as shown above.  First off, the it comes with what would normally be 2 portions.  It was too much Soba for me.  Also, their Soba is not the traditional Japanese style Soba.  However, it was acceptable and the dipping sauce was good.

All in all, don’t come here for any traditional Japanese food.  What you’ll find here is really “fusion” as the name says.  It’s good food if that’s what you want.

Zip Fusion (Downtown)
744 East 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 680-3770
zipfusion.com
Lunch: M-F 11:30am-2:30pm, Dinner: M-Th 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-midnight

Komasa Sushi is located in the Japanese Village in Little Tokyo on 2nd Street.  You can park in the large parking structure on Central.  This is one of the smallest Sushi restaurants in this area, but that doesn’t stop them from trying hard.

Nigiri Combination C - $16

As usual, I ordered the largest nigiri combination, called “C” shown above.  You get a good mix of different nigiri sushi but the portions are a little small.  However, you get a lot for only $16.  Personally, I’d prefer larger portions for a higher price but I think most people like the lower price structure here.

When I got here right at opening, there were already people waiting to go inside.  Once inside, people started rolling in quickly.  Since this place is so small, on weekends, it’s a good idea to get here early.

Albacore - $3.80 and Spanish Mackeral - $3.60

On top of the combination, I also ordered some nigiri Albacore and Spanish Mackeral, shown above.  Again, the price is very low but the portions are slightly small again.  In any case, all the sushi was prepared properly and fresh.  One thing to note is that because the sushi bar is so small, there’s only one sushi chef so he’s pretty busy back there, and you may have to wait a little longer for your sushi.

The service was good and very friendly, like a family owned restaurant.  As with all good sushi restaurants, the hot green tea was free.  You know how I like free tea.

All in all, a nice place for low priced, but good traditional sushi.  So, if you’re on a budget, but don’t want crappy sushi, this is a great place to try.

Komasa – Sushi and Japanese Cuisine
351 E. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-1792

Closed Mondays – Opens at 5:30pm for dinner

Nigiri Sushi A - $16

Oomasa is located in the Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo, so park in the big structure off Central.  This place has been around a while and used to be open until 3am on weekends, but no longer.  After clubbing in downtown, this used to be a great place to get some good sushi.

But I digress.

As you can see from the Nigiri combination A above, you get a fair mix of nigiri sushi, but it’s on a very plain plate and the portions are a little small.  But for $16, it’s a good deal, and it’s fresh and delicious.

I’m not sure if it’s because of their location at the corner of Central and 1st street, but this place gets a lot of traffic and sometimes there’s a line outside to get in.  You take a number and wait to be called like at the grocery store meat counter.

Along with my sushi, I also ordered some miso soup with nameko for $3.  Nameko is some type of Japanese mushrooms that are kind of slimy but very tasty in soup.  As per usual, I ordered hot green tea, which is free here.  As you know by now, this is an indicator that this is a traditional sushi place because of the free tea.

I’ve been coming here for over 10 years and one thing that’s consistent is the bad service.  It’s not only slow, but sometimes the waitress seems to be off her medication and/or just doesn’t want to be there.  It’s not horrible service, but not the level of service I expect from a good restaurant.  I get the feeling that they are either family members or maybe in-laws being forced to work there.  Or maybe not.

Come here for the food, not the service and you’ll be happy.  They also serve non-sushi Japanese food, including Ochazuke (rice in broth) and other cool traditional Japanese food.  The price is reasonable, and the sushi is fresh.

Oomasa
100 Japanese Village Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 623-9048

11:30am-12:30am (Wed-Mon)
11:30am-11:30pm (Sun)

Closed : Tuesday

What used to be a bank, then a clothing store, then Euro Chow, is now a chain Japanese restaurant in Westwood Village called Yamato Westwood.  The building is located in a triangular corner and with steps leading up to it, looks almost like a small museum or State run office.

Since the restaurant is a chain, I wasn’t looking for much, and as we approached the entrance and saw the cheap “Open” sign, I expected even less.  However, maybe because Euro Chow used to be here, the interior is spectacular, starting with the pair of gorgeous hostesses at the front podium.  There’s an alcohol bar on the left, the sushi bar on the right, and seating downstairs and also upstairs.

We sat in the middle area downstairs and ordered from an English speaking non-Asian waiter.  The ambiance here is definitely “fusion” and not Asian.  We ordered the Crunchy Rice Spicy Tuna ($7.50) appetizer, Spanish Mackerel Nigiri ($6 per 2 pieces) and the Sushi Platter Combo ($20).  We also ordered miso soup ($2.50) but the hot green tea was FREE.

Crunchy rice spicy tuna

Sushi Platter Combo

Spanish Mackerel Nigiri

Click on the thumbnails above to see a larger version of the pictures.  There are also some other pictures available there.

Personally, I didn’t care for the crunchy rice appetizer because it was too fusion for me, but I’m sure there are people that would love it.  The quality of the Sushi Platter was good but for $20, it seemed like you should get a little more.  The Spanish Mackerel nigiri was excellent, and I suspect if you order nigiri at the sushi bar, you’ll get more of this type of goodness.

For desert, my friend got the cookies and I got the Fruit cocktail with Pocky sticks ($6).  I would say pass on the fruit cocktail and get something else.

All in all, considering the ambiance, and the location, this place is priced very reasonably.  If you’re into strictly authentic sushi, try someplace else.  But if you like a mixture of authentic with fusion with some Western touches, this might be your kind of place.  It’s a good place to come for lunch or dinner, and nice enough for a special date, without breaking the bank.

Yamato Westwood
1099 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-0100
yamatorestaurants.com
Map

My friend told me about mochi toppings at Pinkberry so I decided to try it out.  If you’re not familiar with mochi, it’s Japanese food often associated with New Years, made from glutinous rice, pounded and molded into round shaped pieces.  Since I love mochi, especially in my Udon noodle soup, I was looking forward to trying it out with my Pinkberry.

Well, the excitement was the end of the good news because the bad news is, mochi and Pinkberry do not mix. My friend just loves it but I hated it. It tastes like Gummy bears with no taste.  It just doesn’t match well with Pinkberry.  I think I’ll go back to having it plain with no toppings.

$18 Sushi Mori

Takushi is a new sushi restaurant that replaced what used to be another older sushi restaurant in Little Tokyo. The interior has been spruced up and looks a little nicer.  I tried their top-end nigiri sushi plate (shown above). Although, it’s only $18, you don’t really get much as you can see.  Freshness is okay but the portions are tiny.  Click on the picture above to see a close-up of the ikura and you’ll see what I mean.

The presentation is not great either. I’m not impressed by this simple white plate, nor the layout of the sushi.

It was so hot on this day that I had to order iced green tea, which was $2 so I don’t know if they give you free hot green tea or not because I forgot to ask.  It really doesn’t matter because although the service was good, the sushi was marginal.  I’d rather pay more and get better sushi than save a few bucks.  I might try this place one more time to give them another chance.

333 E. 2nd. St.
Los Angeles, CA  90012
(213) 626-1793
takumirestaurant.com
Map