Everywhere I go, people seem to be talking about Pinkberry. I’m not a big yogurt fan but since they seem to be multiplying like rabbits, I decided to try it out.

As yogurt goes, it’s very tasty and I can see how people get addicted to it. After my initial purchase, I decided to try the coffee and green tea flavors. To me, they all pretty much tasted the same, except for a faint coffee or green tea flavor added.

As for the basic taste of Pinkberry, It has a somewhat spoiled milk sour taste. But in a almost drug-like way, it makes you want more of it. I think it’s possible that there’s some type of chemical, natural or not, that’s inside every cup of this yogurt. Originally, Coca-cola used extracts from coca leaves (which create cocaine) in every bottle. No wonder it was a hit.

There could be something similar in Pinkberry. That doesn’t mean that it’s unhealthy or bad for you. Maybe whatever is in it that’s addictive is good for you. Or not.

By I digress. The reason for this post is that I noticed that sometimes they charge sales tax, and sometimes they don’t. I was so confused by this, I asked the manager at Pinkberry. She told me that the law requires a “dine-in” tax. Therefore, if you ask for the Pinkberry “to-go,” there’s no tax.

Huh? Really? But when I get my Jack-in-the-Box “to-go,” I still have to pay tax.  The only thing I could figure out is that yogurt is a diary product, and I know milk is sales tax free at the grocery store. So does yogurt fall under this catagory?

The Pinkberry manager went as far as to say that if I were to order my yogurt “to-go,” then just sat down at one of the tables, there’s nothing she could do about it. .

Hmmm. Very interesting. Am I the last person on earth to figure this out? For all I know, since I’m new to yogurt, people may have had this thing figured out for years.

All I know is, from now on, it’s “TO-GO” please!

Nigiri Sushi $21.50

Last time I went to Joy Mart, I tried their Ahi Sashimi, with ponzu sauce, which was pretty good.  This time, I decided to try their nigiri sushi plate since I didn’t have any nigiri sushi last time.

As you can see from the picture above, you don’t get a lot for your money.  That’s okay.  But what’s not okay is the way this was made.  Instead of it being hand made, which is what you would expect from a sushi place, it’s made using those molds that they use for the grocery store sushi packs.  You don’t expect to see that at a sushi restaurant in Little Tokyo.   In all fairness, just remember that this place is mostly for drinking.

By the way, I took this picture with my LG Voyager cell phone instead of my Sony digital camera, so it looks a little blurry.

But I digress.

The sushi was fresh and the spicy tuna (closest in the picture) was really good.  It’s just that I don’t want to pay hand-made prices at a restaurant for what I could get at Ralphs for less money.

Well at least the hot green tea was free and the service was good.  There’s that.  So, come here for the rolls, not the nigiri sushi.  Or better still, come here for the drinks.

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

A new vegan restaurant called Shojin has opened in the Little Tokyo Shopping Mall on Alameda in downtown.  They are located on the 3rd floor of the building so you’ll never accidentally find it by driving by.  The actual name of the restaurant includes “Organic & Natural,” and does not use the word vegan but that’s basically what it is.

Before we get into the dishes, I need to clearify that I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian.  In fact, if you read my review of Healthy Request Soup, you’ll know that I don’t even like low fat anything.

According to their website, they not only want to serve you healthy food, they also want you to give you super friendly service.  One thing I noticed right away was the people there going out of their way to make you feel at home here.  In fact, for me, it was a little too much.  Yes, I like friendly waiters, but I started feeling like I was in an interview after a while.  Let me just get my food and eat it please.  If I want to talk to the waiter, I’ll bring my own with me.

Cha-Soba Pasta $13.50

The main dish I chose was the Cha-soba pasta with tofu and vegies.  I love soba so I thought this would be a good thing to try.  It was spicy so at least there was some kick to it, but as most vegan dishes, it didn’t have that fatty taste that’s unhealthy but tasty.  But I understand I’m eating a vegan dish, and not fettuccine alfredo with extra sauce.  So although I didn’t really like it, I think any vegan would find this dish prepared perfectly.

Tofu Walnuts Chocolate cake $8

Not feeling full, I decided to order the vegan version of chocolate cake, knowing full well that it wasn’t going to be full of bad things.  In terms of the actual taste, it’s amazing how mild but flavorful this desert was.  It’s certainly light and I really didn’t even need the black coffee that I normally need to compensate for a chocolate cake.  In fact, it’s so mild, I felt like I needed to put sugar in my coffee.  However, the coffee comes with soy milk and honey.  No sugar here.  It’s all natural.

If you’re a real vegan, I’m pretty sure you’ll find this place to be wonderful with all the choices and interesting dishes they have here.  If you’re a meat slash fatty sugar lover like me, you might find the dishes to be a little mild and bland.  But if you were to be dragged here with your vegan friend, I think you’ll find something you can fill up on.

Shojin Organic and Natural
333 S. Alameda St. #310, Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 617-0305
theshojin.com
Map

Tengu in Westwood kind of reminds me of hip sushi places that they feature in a lot of movies.  It’s got the darker ambiance, good for a romantic dinner or drinks.  There’s no parking lot (hey, it’s Westwood) so just valet your car in front.

At the front desk, there are always hot female hostesses that look like they’re from “The Devil Wears Prada” talking on the phone.  They were probably laughing at my outfit after they seated me.  Or not.

There is a sushi bar with a couple of what appears to be real Japanese sushi chefs.  On this trip, my friend and I sat at a table and ordered rolls.  First up, some appitizer.

Yaki Hama $19.50 (Sliced seared Yellowtail with garlic-ginger ponzu sauce)

This seared Yellowtail was more fully cooked than seared but “Yaki” means cooked in Japanese, so I guess that’s the way it’s supposed to be.  It was good, especially with the ponzu sauce.  Nice start.  On to the rolls.

LEFT: Naminori $17 (Yellowtail, avocado, green bean tempura, asparagus, gobo, cucumber, yuzu ponzu) RIGHT: Tuna A La Tostada $12 (crispy rice topped with spicy tuna)

This place has some really unique rolls.  The Naminori seems like a great choice for vegans and again, the ponzu sauce really made this tasty.  The Tuna A La Tostada is made with crispy rice (like tempura?) and I didn’t care for it all that much.  It was too heavy for my taste.

Diablo $18 (albacore, gobo, cucumber, jalapeno, chili pepper, habanero ponzu)

My friend ordered the Diablo which sounded too spicy to me.  He tried one and he said it wasn’t crazy spicy so I tried a couple and it was a little spicy but not as spicy as you’d think with the name.  However, later, my friend did come upon a piece that was super spicy.  He said maybe it was a seed in the jalapeno.

For scientific comparison, I also ordered the Salmon nigiri ($6), and Unagi nigiri ($7).  A little pricy but very fresh and prepared perfectly.

All in all, this is a great place to try some strange rolled sushi but be prepared to pay a premium for being in Westwood.  Service was good, and the sushi was fresh.  If you’re a hip movie industry lawyer trying to impress your date, this is the perfect place.

Tengu Westwood
10853 Lindbrook Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 209-0071
tengu.com

Map

If you’ve been reading this blog, you’d remember me reviewing the Shabu-Shabu House in Little Tokyo.  What I said in that review was that their little secret was their great ponzu sauce.

Well, guess what?

What?

On my recent visit, I discovered this little bottle on the table next to the sign-up sheet.  I asked the chef and all he told me was, and I’m quoting here, “Coming soon!”

Yes, they are going to bottle their secret sauce and sell it.  This is very interesting from a business and marketing point of view.  On one hand, this will bring people to the restaurant.  But on the other hand, it might cause people to make their own Shabu-Shabu at home.

Well, that’s for business and economic brains to work out.  It doesn’t change anything for me because I can’t cook.

Shabu-Shabu House
127 Japanese Village Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-3890
Lunch from 11:30am – 2:30pm, Dinner from 5:30pm – 10pm
Closed Mondays
Map

While visiting Zip Fusion, I noticed another restaurant in the same building called East Third Steak House.  I found out later that it’s the same owner.   Normally, I wouldn’t review a steak house but since it’s the same owner, I decided to check it out.   This place also has no parking so you’ll either have to vallet or park on the street.

The setup is very strange in that there is a very narrow hall with tables for customers as you enter to get to the main room.  The main room has a DJ booth and a nice looking bar.  There’s more seating in the back area plus an outside patio with seating.  The ambiance is sexy and dark, and is meant for late night dining or drinking.  Next to the bar are soft chairs that you can move to accommodate your party.

Ahi Tuna $9.95

Although this is a steak place, I decided to try their Ahi tuna salad.  The Ahi was excellent but the salad itself was just barely okay.  They need to use better quality lettuce for a dish like this.  But overall it’s a good dish.

Fillet Mignon $29.95 with Kimchi mashed potatoes

For the main course, I picked the Fillet Mignon even though I know that the New York Steak is the way to test a good steak house.  The fillet was cooked perfectly and was so succulent that I didn’t really need a knife to cut. There’s a big choice for the side, but I chose mushrooms and a kimchi mashed potatoes.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Mashed potatoes with Korean kimchi in it.  I love kimchi but I’m ambivalent about it being in mashed potatoes.  I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.  Maybe it’s one of those things that have to grow on you.

Conclusion
Cool hip place for late night drinking or a date for the “in” crowd.  Ambiance is good.  The food is good.  The service is okay.  And, no.  I didn’t order green tea here.

East Third
734 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 680-3003
Mon-Fri: 5pm-1am, Sat: 11pm-1am
eastthird.com

This place doesn’t try to confuse you at all.  They have the word “Fusion” in the name of the place so you know what you’re getting.  This restaurant is located east of the Los Angeles Little Tokyo area, right near Crazy Gideon’s on 3rd street east of Alameda.  3rd street is one way going West so you’ll have to go East on 2nd street.

Giant Ponzu Oyster $5.95

First up, big ass oyster on a plate.  The oyster itself was delish but the Ponzu sauce sucked badly.  Instead of tasting vinegary, it was more on the sweet side.  The sauce pretty much ruined the oyster for me.

Nigiri sushi - Albacore $4 and Hamachi $5

Next, I had some nigiri sushi.  Although I didn’t like the sauce on the Albacore, it was still very good.  So was the Hamachi.  Excellent sushi here in terms of freshness, quality, quantity and simple presentation.

Ravioli $14.95

Since this is “fusion,” I had some Ravioli.  The plate was so hot, they put it on top of yet another plate.  However, when they first brought it to the table, they put it on the other side of my table, causing me to have to move it.  Nobody said anything about it being hot but I could tell that it was so I was careful.  After I moved the plate myself, the waitress came over to remind me that it’s very hot. Duh.

But I digress.

Although the skin of the ravioli is a little hard, I still liked it.  I don’t think I would order it again because it’s almost too much for me in terms of it being a little “heavy,” but it’s tasty.

There’s tons more stuff on the menu to try out here so I’ll have to return.  Yes, the green tea is $1.95 but this isn’t a sushi place.  They don’t even pretend to be.  It’s “fusion” baby.

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

Sushi Combo (B) $13.95

Driving down Central last Wednesday, I happen to notice a new sushi place called Tenno so I stopped by.  I didn’t know where to park so I parked in the mall lot down the street.  There’s some street parking and they told me later that they validate parking for the lot at the corner but I’m not sure which one they’re talking about.

But I digress.

This place has a fairly large sushi bar and and front and back area for table seating.  It’s got that dark ambience that these new hip places like to have.  The sushi bar was well lit but the tables were a little dark for my taste. It would be good for a date, however.

As for the sushi, the pricing is very reasonable.  I tried their sushi combo which was only $14.  Everything was fresh but only acceptable in preparation, size and taste.  Also, they charge $1.50 for hot green tea and if you’ve read this blog before, you know that’s an indication that this is not a true authentic sushi place.

Conclusion
Fresh and cheap but nothing to write home about.

Tenno Sushi
207 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 625-0602
Sun: 4pm-11:30pm, Mon-Thr: 11am-11:30pm, Fri-Sat: 11am-1am

There’s nothing more satisfying than having a friend tell you about a great sushi place that you’ve overlooked. I’m not a valley area guy so I was very surprised when my friend told me that there was a great sushi restaurant in NoHo.  “Are you sure?” I asked twice.  This Chiba place is in a strip mall with very little parking but there’s some street parking available.

Inside, it’s a medium sized place but there’s 2 sushi bars.  For a relatively small place, that’s a lot of sushi.  That was a good sign to me.  We sat down and I went straight for their best nigiri sushi set (Jyo Nigiri Sushi, $24 – see picture above).  Before the sushi, we got some miso soup which had something in it that was surprising.  It had miso in it.  Yup.  Tons of miso in miso soup.  What a new concept.  Along with my miso soup, I got some free green tea.  So far so good.

When my sushi dish arrived, I could tell that it was going to be good even before I took one bite.  To my utter delight, the sushi was absolutely great.  Not just good. Great. 

That’s the good news.  The bad, and weird news is the rice was a slightly dried out.  For a place where the fish is fresh and delish, it was very strange that some of the rice was not perfect.  Although the waitress was very nice, the busboy (or busgirl in this case) refilled my friend’s ice tea like we were at some outdoor Tijuana taco stand, spilling and overfilling the glass as if that was perfectly normal for her.

So it’s not perfect.  But I have to admit, the sushi was great.  So if you can look past some minor problems with this place, I think you’ll find that it’s a great discovery.  Well, actually, the waitress said they’ve been there for around 30 years, so I guess it’s nothing new to most people in the Valley.  Just new to me.

Chiba Sushi
11713 Satacoy St, North Hollywood, CA 91605
(818) 765-9119
Sun: 5pm-9:30pm
Mon-Thr: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-10:30pm

Tokyo Wako is a teppan-yaki place very similar to Benihana.   They have several in Los Angeles, but this one is located in the Paseo Colorado Mall.

In case you’ve never been to one of these places, people sit around a grill where a chef prepares your food in front of everyone.  Teppan in Japanese means “grill” and yaki means “broil.”  The attraction is that the chef makes a big show out of the cooking, especially using some samurai like skills to cut the meat.

As far as the food, it’s acceptable and if you’ve been to any Benihana, this one is almost identical, all the way down to the way the chefs make the onion volcano and cut the food. Okay, let’s be honest.  It’s a complete rip-off of Benihana.  I guess there’s no way to copyright or patent food preparation techniques in business.

Don’t come here for the sushi, but they do have it available for people who want more food than just the beef or chicken.

Tokyo Wako – Pasadena
330 E. Colorado Blvd., #239
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 440-0670
tokyo-wako.com