Sankai: A simply satisfying sushi lunch

A dear friend of mine, Tony, recently reminded me of a decent little Japanese eatery that I used to stop by occasionally.
I hadn't been to Sankai (across the street from South Coast Plaza, on the Santa Ana side of the street) for years, mostly because so many other good Japanese joints had opened up in the area in recent years.
But when Tony commented (on my Facebook Wall, natch) about Sankai, letting me know how much he and his wife like the place, it made me remorseful about neglecting it.

I was also happy to hear Sankai is still in business after at least 10 years - and still run by Japanese owners, with Japanese chefs.

It's a small, airy restaurant located in retail center at the corner of Bristol Street and Sunflower Avenue, which houses a number of casual-but-not-quite-fast-food, sit-down eateries serving up decent "ethnic" fare, like Vietnamese, Mexican and Greek food.
Sankai's food - including the sushi - is not phenomenal, but it's definitely above average, and it's definitely the highest quality among its neighbors.

It's the perfect place to enjoy a lunch break, or a light, refreshing but satisfying meal after hours of shopping.

So when I had a shopping errand at South Coast Plaza recently, I decided to pay a visit to this reliable old friend.

The restaurant has undergone a subtle redesign that incorporates soft, peaceful colors and blond wood, creating a refined ambience that makes it ideal for business lunches.
The lunch menu is also restrained, offering only about a dozen choices, ranging from a sushi plate to noodle soups.
Tony had especially raved about the chicken udon soup, and indeed, I was tempted to try one of the noodle soups.
But I was in the mood for sushi at the time - just some simple, clean tastes, and Sankai delivered.

First came the standard salad - a staple at Japanese restaurants.
But this one offered you a choice of tofu or chicken to provide a bit of protein, and the shredded chicken I chose tasted freshly made.
The typical Japanese dressing - a tart mix of rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar, sometimes made creamy with the addition of mayo, ketchup and ground sesame seeds - was also better than I'd tasted at many a Japanese place.
This one was refreshing - not too tart, nor too sweet and cloying.

Then came the sushi plate. And as you can see from the photo at top, it was simple and satisfying.
The fish all tasted clean and fresh, but none of it had that out-of-this-world, melt-in-your-mouth goodness like some other places just up the road.

This lunch came to about $12 and also included miso soup.

I'll definitely stop by again.
It's a pleasant place to get a quick - but unrushed - meal, a standout among the many "fast-casual" chain eateries that serve mediocre food.
And next time, I'm going for the udon.

Sushi Sankai
3940 S. Bristol St. #112
Santa Ana, CA 92704
714-241-7115

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Koi redux: Reliably delicious

I've mentioned my favorite Seal Beach sushi place,
Koi, many a time on this blog, one of my Top-10 sushi spots in Southern California, easily rating 5 stars for its total package of highest quality, prices (not cheap, but not outrageous) and casual, friendly atmosphere.

But I hadn't been in a coupla months, and was just starting to crave it when my friend Susan invited me to join her and new friend Mike there.
Mike's a globe-trotting (from Mississippi to Japan to Nigeria, with lots of countries and U.S. cities in between), Zen-Buddhist-Kabbala kinda guy & Asian food fan, who recently settled in Long Beach.
Susan had told him that Koi serves up the best REAL sushi in this area, and she suggested he read Rawfishionado to study up.
Mike doesn't have a lot of sushi experience, but what he's had has been good. He's a yellowtail sashimi fan, but is also very enthusiastic about trying new things.

Plus, he did read Rawfishy before our meal!

So we enjoyed a nice time sitting at the sushi bar, where we chatted with fellow diners & made a new friend (another Rawfishionado and Koi regular named Susan!), and I introduced Mike to some fish that promise to be new favorites for him.

I didn't take a lot of photos on this outing, but just look at the few I took and you'll understand why I love Koi so much.


Koi's long daily list of fresh fish reflects the exceptional quality and variety you get when you've been in business for close to three decades - which means you have great fish-monger connections.
So on this outing, we only ordered simple nigiri sushi, which really allowed the Koi Quality to shine:
Bluefin tuna

Albacore - just look at how buttery these cuts are. I think the angle makes this photo look like the pieces are swimming in citrus soy sauce, but actually, this was a very light-tasting ponzu, not overwhelming at all.

Kanpachi. Look at this slender, exquisite beauty - like a leggy supermodel, except with fresh, unvarnished taste. No wonder Mike fell in love.
(And hey Mike, if you forget the name on your next sushi outing,
just look up this post on your iPhone!)

Snapper (with a dab of yuzu on top)

Blue mackerel
I think I was the only one who ordered this one. I just love Koi's saba: it's marinated in vinegar but it's a very balanced flavor, not overwhelming. And the paper-thin slivers of kelp on top provide a subtle, refreshing touch.

We also enjoyed some perfectly broiled unagi (with a light touch of sauce - yes!) and amaebi (sweet shrimp) - though Mike wasn't too enthusiastic about the fried heads. That was fine with Susan and me - that just left more crunchy goodness for us!

And on Chef Taka's recommendation, Susan and I ordered a couple of Kushi oysters - walnut-sized, sweet and clean-tasting, tender morsels topped with a light ponzu and delicate smattering of scallions and a tiny dollop of grated radish.
(I'm really sorry I didn't get a photo of them, but I scarfed them down!)

We also enjoyed this bottle of sake:
The bill came to about $70 each (that's including tip). My stomach and soul confirmed it was worth every penny. Another satisfying Koi evening.

Koi
600 Pacific Coast Hwy, #100
Seal Beach, CA 90740
562-431-1186

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Tokyo: a gaijin's gastronomic tour

About a month ago, I posted about a friend who was preparing to go to Tokyo on a business trip.

Well, Deron Richens went, ate and conquered.
He learned that you'll never go hungry in Tokyo.

Deron kindly agreed to be a guest blogger on RawFishionado, to share his food experiences, in particular, with us.

His delightful account, in text and photos, follows.
Reading it may inspire you to book the next flight out to Japan.
Don't say I didn't warn you!

By Deron Richens

When I was asked to go to Tokyo by my company for meetings with our joint-venture partner, I honestly did not think of Tokyo as a Top-10 world destination for me.
I planned on flying out, doing the meeting, then coming home.

However, my wife made me book a couple of extra days to sightsee, even though it would keep me away from the family for a week.

I am very glad she nagged me to stay longer.

To give you the short and skinny about Tokyo: it’s New York times 10, except cleaner, more efficient, less smelly and more courteous.
New Yorkers don’t fret - I still love NYC.

What follows is a gaijin’s culinary tour of a great city.

Our Japanese hosts catered to our western palates by taking us to American, French and Italian restaurants.
Here we are at a French place for lunch:

What I found was that most restaurants have set menus, and you can choose between a couple of items for each course.
Here, I started with a nice salad of greens, tomato and cheese; then the local sole prepared over creamed cauliflower, followed by this "Cherry Blossom Dessert":

Excellent! There was much pride and skill displayed by the chefs at this and all the restaurants I visited.

After the Italian dinner that night, I told my English-speaking host that although I had been in Japan for two days, I hadn’t had sushi or seen the world-famous cherry blossoms, which only appear for a short time during the year.

Off to the 24-hour sushi bar!

Late-night snack of tuna, snapper, sweet shrimp and mackerel.

My host told me that he likes to order the egg sushi when trying a new sushi bar.
He told me it’s like ordering the minestrone and the carbonara to make sure an Italian chef knows the basics.

Good times!
The next night I was on my own, and headed over to the Ginza Corridor, which became my favorite street. It's right behind the Imperial Hotel and is loaded with all kinds of bars and restaurants.

A side note about Tokyo: if you don’t like sushi or raw things, no worries - there are so many choices, even the pickiest American can eat well here.

Above is the Shabu Shabu restaurant I went to.
Mmmm ... meats. All-you-can-eat for 2,800 yen ($28) - meats, noodles, vegetables, etc.

After a slow, steady gorging at Shabu Shabu, I wandered the streets of Ginza, taking pictures and basically being a tourist.

Then I stumbled upon drinking heaven.

This sign and a dark staircase was all I saw at street level - so I headed down.

This amazing little 10-seat bar had the largest collection of scotch whiskey this side of Zanzibar - close to 8,000 bottles.

And the precision and effort that these two craftsmen put into a drink was remarkable!


God bless bourbon. And yes, that is an ice-cube ball, the best part of the drink. What a beautiful thing.
(RawFish editor's note: Ice cubes would melt too fast and dilute the liquor. My people hate to taint good liquor!)

On to the Imperial Bar, which is a redo of the original bar designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, way back when.
Mr. Wright designed the original hotel, which was quite the place to see royalty, celebrities and the well heeled.

Fun fact: The woman who created the Barbie doll lived at the Imperial for a year in 1957, when she was brainstorming the idea for the doll.
She basically hung out in the lobby, watching the hoi polloi go about their business, to get clothing ideas for Barbie.

On to the drink!

Now this is a late-night snack and beverage. What you have here is mixed dried fruit with a Manhattan. I feel like royalty.

The next day was spent exploring the city, in particular the Meiji-jingu Shrine in the Shibuya section of town.
Then I needed a snack.

Mmmm ... meat on a stick.

Gotta wash it all down. I love that you can buy a beer out of vending machines in the park.

After a great morning in the park, I needed to eat again - imagine that!

One thing I loved about Tokyo is that all the major department stores have restaurants. I’m not talking about American franchise fast-food crap that we all love over here, but real, sit-down restaurants that rock.

This quant little place was at the top of the Takashimaya department store. Great food and a view.

I love meals like this that have a bunch of different tastes. While I couldn’t read a thing on the menu, pointing and nodding did me well.
I enjoyed delicate tempura, cold soba noodles, pickled cucumbers and some unknown vegetable.
The waitress told me the sauce in the cup is for the soba.

Later in the day, the snack monster attacked, so I stopped by a bakery on the Ginza Corridor.

Don’t know what these were, but they were good and sweet!
Because almost all signs are in Japanese, I sometimes didn’t know what I was eating. But I wanted to be adventurous and try different things, so I dove right in.

That night, I stopped by a Spanish tapas bar I had seen the night before. Good choice, Deron-san.
Have you ever wondered where prosciutto came from? That is the hind quarter of a pig that has been salt-cured into prosciutto.
When a request came in, my friend would slice your ham to order.

Next on the menu: a selection of cheeses with a fine sherry.

I love my cheese.

But the best dish was a well done, sizzling garlic and shrimp plate:

I was sopping up the oil with a biscuit!

I had a great time at this place. He didn’t speak English that well and my Spanglish needs work, but we had a fine time chatting about this and that.

On my last night in Tokyo, I had already done so much walking during the day that I didn’t want to go far.
So I stopped at the diner within the Imperial Hotel, and enjoyed the fried prawn sandwich - so good!

You can’t believe how a simple sandwich like this can taste so good.

At this place, I came to realize something about the Japanese people. I was observing my waiter put together an ice cream sundae.
At my seat was a little picture of what he was making, so I knew what the result should look like.
He spent 10-15 minutes, painstakingly putting together this treat. The sauce was ladled on just so, the cookies were placed in the correct areas, the chocolate straw inserted perfectly, the strawberry placed at a 45-degree angle.
The attention to detail and the pursuit of perfection really hit home for me.

Oh and when he was done, it looked like the promotional picture at my seat.

Whether it was this waiter, the bellhop, the guy raking leaves at the park, or the bartender, I realized that no matter what the job, whatever level the person, the only thing on their mind is doing that job at the highest level possible, with the highest level of professionalism and pride.
I appreciated this and really think Americans can learn from this work ethic and pride in their work.

My last day, I had a snack at the Imperial Hotel lobby bar: Champagne, scones and finger sandwiches.

There's nothing better than a cucumber sandwich on white with the crusts cut off.

This was a great trip.
I met some really nice people, ate great food, shopped at some fine stores and saw amazing art, shrines and temples.

If you ever get a chance, go to Tokyo. It’s expensive, but worth every yen.

And by the way, I finally found my cherry blossoms - I’m happy!

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Sushi Saurus: Take 2

Sushi Saurus in Belmont Shore has reopened!
The small, reliable sushi joint closed around the end of 2008 for renovation, amid word of new ownership.
I got several local tips (thanks to Claudia, and the ever-dependable Yelp) that it had reopened in recent weeks, so I was anxious to get over there and see if the food had changed.

I'd avoided the place for a long time because of the name - and, to be honest, the location in trendy Belmont Shore.
But I finally visited about a year ago, after reading Yelp reviews that mentioned the small size of the place and a focus on traditional sushi more than crazy rolls.

The food won me over on that first visit.
It was a good "every day" sort of place - not the most sublime, incredible sushi in the world, but solid quality, when you need a quick fix but don't have the time or money to go for out-of-this-world omakase.

But under new ownership, would Sushi Saurus still satisfy, even on a weeknight?
I rallied gal pals Susan, Erika and Brooke to go check it out with me.


The physical renovation is an improvement, indeed.
Compare just the exterior shots: the old sign and awning (pictured at right) was ugly and hard to read, while the new sign is clean and clear on the stucco wall (left):
Inside, I found a mural along one wall very distracting and ugly, but I really like the wooden dragon piece on the wall behind the sushi chefs (pictured at top of post).

I also like the lanterns.

The new owner has kept the sushi chefs from before, which is a relief.

And most of the menu is the same - a good mix of traditional sushi and other dishes, with a short list of rolls (some of them unfortunately involving cream cheese, garlic butter and jalapenos) for the sushi novices.

The sake menu remains diverse, with very good offerings, and the beer lineup had a good, lesser-known option: Yebisu.
But there were three very noteworthy (and alarming, for us) omissions on the food menu:
* No unagi don (broiled freshwater eel served in strips atop rice)
* No agedashi tofu (fried tofu in a light broth)
* No monkfish liver

Brooke and Erika, in particular, were fans of the unagi-don on the old menu: a big bowl of rice with strips of unagi freshwater eel on top, teriyaki sauce drizzled on top.
This is a food staple in certain parts of Japan - very yummy, filling and comforting food.
But here in California, it's not easy to find an eatery serving unagi-don.

It's clear to me that the new owner is trying - understandably - to streamline the menu for cost and efficiency.
I'm guessing that besides Brooke, Erika, Susan and I, there probably weren't many other diners who ordered these three dishes.
The clientele is mostly young (20- and 30-somethings) and white, adventurous diners but probably inexperienced in authentic Japanese food.

Cutting monkfish liver from the menu isn't such a tragedy: it's a delicacy that can be costly, and monkfish is listed as a fish to "avoid" on sustainable fish guides.

But the ingredients for unagi-don and agedashi tofu are among the most inexpensive and readily available.
This is a sushi place, with plenty of unagi in stock for sushi, and a kitchen stocked with tofu and tempura fixings (for those ever-popular "crunchy rolls" and such).

So ... I asked if we could still order unagi don and agedashi tofu.
And sure enough, they delivered.

The unagi bowl looks a bit messy in this photo, but it's a good kind of messy - a complete meal in a bowl.
As I expected, I'm already craving this bowl as I write this, a day later:
The big bowl is filled with rice and topped with (clockwise from top):
* The requisite strips of unagi, served with a much-appreciated light brushing (not a dousing) of the sweet sauce, and topped with slivers of nori (dried seaweed) and bonito flakes.
* Slices of tamago (the ubiquitous, slightly sweet egg omelette). Several of us thought these were mango slices because of their unusual shape; tamago is usually cut in small rectangular pieces.
* Pickled cucumber salad
* Octopus salad

I've never had such a cornucopia of an unagi bowl (unagi-don is typically simple, just unagi on rice) but this combination worked, thanks to a balance between milder, slightly sweet flavors (rice, egg, unagi) and stronger tastes (pickled vegetables, salad).
Of course, I wanted MORE unagi - which, Brooke noted, is how everyone feels even after a regular unagi bowl. You just can't get enough unagi!

The agedashi tofu was good - nothing spectacular. Comforting, as it should be:
I also ordered an appetizer that sounded refreshing: salmon radish roll - "Salmon wrapped in reddish pickle," says the menu.
But no, you don't get raw fish served up in a pickle dyed red.
What you get for $9 is a lovely cut roll of silky salmon sashimi wrapped in daikon radish, sliced paper thin:
Brooke ordered a salmon-skin salad, anticipating a small, simple dish of greens and crunchy, salty salmon skin. What we got was Tranny Hot Mess Salad:
In contrast to the unagi bowl, this was too much of everything - including clashing flavors (strong salmon and super tart pickled vegetables).
And to add insult to injury, it was served on a bed of iceberg lettuce - blech.
It was like a bad Cobb Salad, when we were expecting a simple yet sophisticated, fresh dish to whet our appetites. The four of us each took a few bites before abandoning it.

Call this "What NOT To Order" at Sushi Saurus.
I'll provide another WNTO example later.

Luckily, the rest of our meal was a stellar lineup of very good cuts of fish - all melt-in-your-mouth quality with clean, subtle flavors:

Bluefin tuna

Albacore: our favorite of this bunch.
So tender, enhanced with just a dab of ponzu. Heavenly.

Amaebi (sweet shrimp)

Aji (spanish mackerel): Another meaty but tender morsel.

I've been enjoying so much good aji lately, I was happy that Sushi Saurus kept up and didn't disappoint.

The total bill for all this great raw fish, plus some beers, came to about $40 each (including tip!).
So glad Sushi Saurus has come out of hibernation.

Oh, one more WNTO (What Not To Order) tip: The Stinky Roll.
The young couple next to me ordered it and kindly allowed me to take a photo:
It's a California roll topped with albacore (OK, so far not bad, right?) and then topped with daikon radish slivers and a garlic butter sauce - hence, "The Stinky Roll."
I like each of those individual ingredients on their own (even a good California Roll on occasion), but this combination sounds like another Tranny Hot (Stinky) Mess.
As Brooke noted, wouldn't garlic butter sauce ruin the delicate raw albacore?

Sushi Saurus
5260 E. 2nd St.
Long Beach, CA 90803
562-439-1950

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Will sashimi soon be extinct?

I just noticed this interesting feature out of Washington, D.C., on the "sad state of sushi," and non-raw-fish sushi trends.

It brings up the question of sustainability of fish, too.

Yes, sushi actually isn't about raw fish. It's about the rice. So technically, raw fish isn't necessary for a good sushi bar.

But will raw fish disappear completely from sushi bars soon?

Will I eventually need to change the name of this blog?

Sad thought for this raw fish fiend ...

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La Mar: Tasty Peruvian raw fish

Leafing through the latest issue of Travel + Leisure magazine, I was excited to read their list of "50 Best New U.S. Restaurants."

Of course the list was annoyingly heavy on New York City restaurants - always the case with East Coast-centric magazines.
There were only two Los Angeles spots noted (Palate Food + Wine in Glendale and The Bazaar by Jose Andres on La Cienega, both of which I've been meaning to try), and of course NO MENTION of any O.C. eateries that opened in the last year or so. (Ayame?)

But San Francisco garnered prominent coverage with eight freshman eateries, and I was delighted to see La Mar Cebicheria Peruana among them.

This may be the first time a non-Japanese-cuisine eatery has rated posting in RawFishionado!
But it's almost shameful that I haven't posted it earlier, since La Mar is all about high-grade raw fish, served up deliciously.

I had the pleasure of trying La Mar when I was in San Francisco during New Year's. It's a beautiful restaurant on The Embarcadero, next door to that foodie paradise, the Ferry Building.

As the full name implies, the restaurant specializes in Peruvian cebiche (ceviche), the Latin-American method of "cooking" seafood with a citrus bath.
I had never tried the Peruvian version until I ate at La Mar.

Peruvian cebiche is typically prepared with shark and other white fish bathed in lime juice, peppers and onions, and served with chunks of cooked potato or yam and corn.
The lime-and-peppers marinade is also typically served up in shot glasses - and called "leche de tigre" (tiger's milk) - at cebicherias.

Of course, I also love Mexican ceviche, which is often prepared with a mix of seafood, especially shrimp and octopus, and can include tomatoes and avocados as garnishes.

While La Mar focuses on Peruvian style, the menu reflects variations that give an admiring nod to other cultures, from Asian to Central American.
A tasting of five "leche de tigre" shots is also offered.

My girlfriends and I got a nice table in the bar area, next to a big window looking out at the city. We ordered several of the different types of cebiche so we could conduct our own taste tests and see which we liked best.

Needless to say, I liked the entire lineup we ordered, a very small sampling of the menu ...

Cebiche Mixto: Mahi mahi, calamari, octopus, habanero pepper in aji amarillo with cilantro, red onion, Peruvian corn (the big white kernels that look like pearls in the pic) and yam.
Fresh tasting, with a nice hot KICK. Didn't even taste the cilantro!

Cebiche Clasico: Halibut and red onion in a habanero leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Melt-in-your-mouth goodness and surprisingly mild despite the habanero and lime bath.

Cebiche Nikei: Ahi tuna, avocado, cucumber, red onion in tamarind leche de tigre bath.
Very Japanese in flavor - yum.

Cebiche Chifa: Yellowtail with peanuts, scallions, ginger, pickled carrots, daikon, wonton strips and habanero pepper in a cilantro-sesame leche de tigre.
Yummy Thai-South Asian sesame flavor.

We also tried a potato dish:
No, this isn't dessert. It's Causa Cacera: mashed purple potato forming the base, topped with artichokes, asparagus, avocado and tomato confit with basil-cilantro oil.
Loved the flavors, which mingled perfectly in a balanced, comforting way, with no one taste dominating the dish.

Sitting in the airy, lovely restaurant with good friends, nibbling on these refreshing tastes and sipping on a glass of Latin American wine or a cocktail made with Peruvian Pisco (a liquor made with grapes), is a little slice of heaven, indeed.

La Mar Cebicheria Peruana
Pier 1.5
The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-397-8880

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Origami Bistro & Bar: Get happy, for cheap

If you work or live in or near Downtown L.A., Origami Bistro & Bar's Happy Hour is a good way to enjoy good food and a cool vibe during these recessionary times.

Origami offers Asian fusion food served in the now ubiquitous "small plates" style (aka tapas or izakaya style, long before the current mainstream trend).
And the raw fish offerings are pretty good - not premium, but good enough quality to warrant regular visits by RawFishionado - but only at Happy Hour, when you can get two fist-sized Hama Hama oysters on a half shell for $2.95 and decent salmon and snapper nigiri for $2.50 (2 pieces per order).


I'm afraid I don't have any photos of our Happy Hour eats late Sunday night because my friends and I dropped by on a whim and didn't have a camera with us.
My two gal pals and I headed to Origami for drinks after enjoying several hours of great music, dancing and people watching at the Cuban Festival just up Spring Street, at the 740 club.

I'd passed by Origami several times in the past and admired the decor (sleek woods, pretty lighting and a wall of subtly sparkly mosaic tiles), and wondered how the food stacked up.
Post-Cuban Festival seemed a perfect time to stop in for a snack.

It WAS a perfect time: we stumbled into their weekend Happy Hour, which goes from 5:30 to 11 p.m. (Weekday Happy Hours are 5 to 7 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m. Monday-Friday.)

There are 23 items (some raw, most cooked) on the Happy Hour menu, ranging in price from the $1 Kobe Beef Taco to the $8.95 Super Tuna Roll.
Besides the aforementioned nigiri sushi and oysters (which were topped with green onions and a dash of wasabi, garlic and ponzu sauce), my friend Stacey also enjoyed an order of the Shrimp Tempura Tacos (2 pieces for $2.95) that were satisfyingly tasty.

There was only one other table of three in the dark, lounge-y spot on this Sunday night. We had a very green, new waiter (just two days on the job) but he won us over with his enthusiasm and honesty.

With Little Tokyo's authentic Japanese food just a few blocks down the way, I can't see myself ever going to Origami for a full meal.
But I'll definitely return to Origami for Happy Hour - especially the late-night version, when it's harder to find inexpensive but craving-worthy food in a nice atmosphere.

Origami Bistro and Bar
257 S. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-687-8606
(Also a location in Valencia, Santa Clarita area)

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