When I first visited about a dozen years ago, I really enjoyed the food and the intimate, mom-and-pop ambience.
But over the years, other Japanese places diverted my attention, and Ango-tei was slowly forgotten.
When I did visit again about five years ago, the food was good, but not memorable.
Earlier this week, I gave Ango-tei another chance when foodie-friend Lisa and I were jonesing for sushi lunch.
I had passed by Ango-tei in recent weeks, and it made me think: I want to give it another try.
Because Ango-tei has all the elements to be a kickass sushi place: small and intimate (antithesis of the trendy rock-n-roll sushi places); Japanese-owned; in business for more than 20 years (though ownership changed a couple of years ago).
Lisa and I got there right at high noon, were seated at the nearly empty sushi bar, and ordered omakase.
Our experience, in photos and text ...
First up: a sashimi plate of (clockwise from upper left) toro (fatty tuna), tako (octopus), ankimo (monkfish liver) and tai (snapper):

But the colors and textures looked good, so we moved past the visual sloppiness and dug in.
The toro was buttery and nice, though I couldn't stop thinking that the large slices looked like Spam!
The octopus was tender and flavorful - clearly high quality, but mistreated by being cut in chunks.
The monkfish liver was silky-creamy, like tofu, with a nice, very subtle flavor of the sea. It was served in the traditional way: steamed, sliced into sashimi and garnished with scallions and grated daikon flavored with a dash of red pepper sauce and ponzu.
A note on monkfish liver: it's such a popular Japanese delicacy that there have been concerns about its sustainability and fishing methods. It's listed on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch as a fish to avoid.
The snapper was nice, but I've been spoiled by the exquisite version at Shibucho. The Ango-tei tai was good, not great.
Next up: A baked clam casserole:

It was similar to a good macaroni and cheese: crunchy on top, creamy inside (the Japanese love making stuff with mayo; they fancy themselves European in taste), and there were plenty of slices of clam inside.
Comfortingly good, but after a couple of bites, I was done.
The finale: a nice lineup of sushi:

Mirugai (giant clam): Tasty, with a nice mild taste, and a slight crunch in texture.

Kanpachi (of the yellowtail clan): Light, refreshing, with the yuzu packing a pleasantly stronger spice punch than expected. My favorite of the meal.

Maguro: Mild, tender, reliable.

Aji (Spanish mackerel): Unfortunately, the chef was a bit heavy-handed with the ponzu sauce. But I mustered up my deepest taste buds to seek the flavor of the fish, and actually succeeded - the mackerel itself was lovely, very mild and fresh-tasting.
The bill for this omakase was $50 each - overpriced for what we got.
I'd rate Ango-tei's sushi 3 stars: reliable, but not extraordinary.
It's not a strong competitor in the sushi arena, especially when there are heavy hitters within a 5-mile radius: Ikko, Shibucho, Murasaki among them.
Ango-tei
675 Paularino Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-557-2696
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