2.33 Sashi Sake + Sushi lounge
Posted on September 29, 2008
Filed Under American, Japanese | 3 Comments
I was invited to dinner at Sashi by the restaurant’s PR firm. I was very excited to try Chef Makoto Okuwa’s sushi, who worked under Chef Morimoto of Iron Chef fame. I’ve found that people’s standards about sushi VARY greatly, so here’s my disclaimer: I’m by no means a sushi connoisseur, but I’ve been to a few great places around our delicious city. I don’t mind an occasional venture out to some creative rolls but will largely judge a sushi place by the quality of its traditional nigiri sushi.
Sashi is called a sushi and sake lounge. I was glad to see a good selection of sake, including some unfiltered varieties. I was ecstatic to find one of my favorites, “Yuki no bosha” (雪の茅舍). We open with a small glass of it to share. The menu includes short descriptions of each sake, which is much appreciated.
We started with a couple appetizers, here is the crispy rice and spicy tuna. The mini rice cake on the bottom is grilled like a rice ball but it’s not crunchy, and the spicy tuna didn’t really have the kick I was looking for. Overall it’s pleasing but didn’t stand out. The presentation is amazing, though, extra points for the presentation.
This is the yellowtail with jalapeno, the sauce is good but it seemed to overwhelm the yellowtail, the jalapeno has a good kick but unfortunately I don’t think it worked any magic with the fish. $14.
Jidori chicken cigars. These humble spring rolls stuffed with ground chicken were transformed by the spices they were dipped in. They had fantastic flavors even without the extra kick from the wasabi dipping sauce. $8.
Black tiger prawn tempura. At first I only ate these lightly battered and perfectly fried prawns by themselves, which seemed to lack something even though the shrimp were cooked just right. I tossed in a bit of baby endive with the shrimp and it completed the flavor perfectly. $16. Definitely recommended.
This is the famous steamed chilean seabass and it did not dissapoint. The fish is so fine and tender, perfectly cooked and flavored by the sauce and vegetables. One thing I must mention is that this tasted very much like something you’d find at a high-end Chinese restaurant, I felt very much at home with this. Highly recommended. $23.
We ordered a selection of sushi as well. I believe that Chef Okuwa is hard-core with his sushi and fully expected it to show here. From top to bottom, left to right: Sea urchin (Very good) Yellowtail (Outstanding) Salmon (Blew my mind, best salmon ever) Japanese Mackerel (Good) Japanese wagyu beef (Incredible buttery beef flavor, but not for everyone, try it seared.)
We also ordered a Toro. The flavor is incredible but I think it suffered a bit from being too thin of a cut. From past experience, a thinner cut improves the flavor but takes away from the tenderness. This toro had excellent flavor but didn’t melt in my mouth. Please note that sushi quality will change from day to day and you should ask your sushi chef when you sit down at the bar for his advice on what to order that day.
We had to try the Sashi roll since it’s their signature roll. Bluefin tuna and albacore wrapped with seared yellowtail topped off with sweet tare sauce. Overall it’s a tasty roll but for me there was just way too much going on here, I’m sure the ingredients were all top notch, but unfortunately nothing jumped out at me. $15.
To finish it off, we ordered a Toban Yaki. Bananas, peaches, strawberries, kiwi, and an apple drenched with a passion fruit white chocolate sauce and baked in a Toban pot, topped off at your table with coconut ice cream. This was incredibly good, we were afraid that it would be too sweet and ruin the taste of the fruits, but it all came together beautifully. Creamy, fruity, punctuated with some caramelized sugar, every bite was different and surprising. This is a must have. $12.
The lounge itself is beautifully designed. The bar is gorgeous and the sushi bar looked spectacular. (That’s Chef Okuwa in the white at the end of the table.) We sat outside and it was very comfortable. Service is excellent but the food came out at a leisurely pace, so expect to spend a good hour or two to eat. The majority of the dishes were excellent, the sushi definitely passed the “Kevin test.” The only drawback is that it’s pricey and the amount of food doesn’t justify it. It’s a great date place if you are prepared to drop a couple bills to impress your date. For your reference, our bill would have come out to $190 including the glass of sake. My advice? Order the seabass, skip the appetizers, concentrate on the excellent sushi, and don’t forget the Toban Yaki.
Sashi
451 Manhattan Beach Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-0411