My mom lives in West LA, and I periodically drop by with Japanese food from her area. We both enjoy Japanese curry, and throughout the years, we have enjoyed curry dishes from restaurants in West LA that no longer exist. I was happy to learn about Menya Tigre, a restaurant serving curry ramen. Menya Tigre…
Japanese
Sōgo Roll Bar Elevates Japanese Hand Rolls
While I’ve sat at the bar at many sushi restaurants, I’ve never experienced a “roll bar.” No, I’m not talking about the accessory on a convertible car, but a bar-like restaurant featuring Japanese hand rolls. Since my daughter volunteers in Hollywood, I took the opportunity to meet her at Sōgo Roll Bar. The Japanese roll…
RIKE Features Exquisite Japanese Onigiri Rice Balls
When most people visit Little Tokyo to dine, they usually search for good sushi or ramen. The RIKE owners elected to focus on the Japanese love for rice and open a restaurant featuring onigiri rice balls. The name RIKE is a play on the words Rice and Like. Located on 1st Street in Little Tokyo,…
Sushi Gen Continues Impressive Omakase Offering
Because Torrance and Gardena are neighborhoods close to my house, I have many great choices for Japanese food. Consequently, I am less motivated to frequent Little Tokyo because it is 45 minutes away from home (with no traffic). Recently, I spent a long weekend in Little Tokyo to see what I have missed. Sushi Gen…
Tokyo Fried Chicken Serves Crispy Bone-In Experience
Fried Chicken is hot in LA and Angelenos are fortunate to have many different types of fried chicken available. They range from the conventional Honey’s Kettle, Nashville hot fried chicken with Hotville Chicken, and Korean-style fried chicken with Honey Dress Fried Chicken. When Tokyo Fried Chicken introduced Japanese fried chicken, I became interested in trying…
Kaz the Soba Place Prepares Unique Soba Dishes
While Japanese ramen and udon noodles are well known, soba remains a favorite to those who are familiar with Japanese food. Ramen and udon are made with wheat noodles. Conversely, soba noodles are made from buckwheat. I recently visited Kaz the Soba Place, a restaurant that specializes in soba. Kaz the Soba Place is just…
Kurisaki Delivers Premium Quality Sushi to the South Bay
Sushi is trendy in the South Bay. While some of the best quality sushi restaurants reside inland, a few South Bay restaurants warrant the attention of sushi lovers. One, in particular, is Kurisaki, a sushi restaurant located in Redondo Beach. Kurisaki is owned and operated by Chef Haruo Kurisaki, a chef who spent 19 years…
Anzu Gourmet Scores with Japanese Fusion in Sawtelle Japantown
A ¾-mile stretch of Sawtelle Ave in West LA has an amazing collection of Japanese eateries. Named Sawtelle Japantown, you can find restaurants specializing in sushi, ramen, tsukemen, udon, Japanese curry, yakitori, and bento. One of the more recent restaurants to open is Anzu Gourmet, a place specializing in karaage fried chicken. Karaage is a…
Katsu Sando Features Japanese Katsu Sandwiches To-Go
Three years ago, one of the most popular sandwiches to appear on Instagram was the katsu sando from Echo Park’s Konbi. In fact, Bon Appetit featured the recipe for their pork katsu sando. While I haven’t frequented Konbi, I recently visited Katsu Sando, a restaurant located in downtown LA’s Chinatown. If you aren’t familiar with…
Izakaya Hachi Delivers Amazing Japanese Tapas
Prior to the pandemic, Izakaya Hachi was one of the busiest restaurants in the South Bay. Their brick-and-mortar is located on Carson St near many Japanese eateries. Reservations were required and sometimes you had to book a couple of weeks in advance. As an izakaya, they operate similar to a Spanish tapas bar. Izakaya restaurants…