Dinner Omakase (Light) at Shunji Japanese Cuisine: A Pictorial Essay

[J_L]

I stopped by Shunji just because I was in the neighborhood. Having already had dinner, I wanted to just say a quick hello. Always the great hosts, Yuko-san and Shunji-san beckoned me to stay and chat for a bit.

And alas, there’s absolutely no way for me to resist the gravitational pull exerted by Shunji & crew’s famous cuisine. So I sat down and had a light meal. “Whatever’s in season right now” was the theme of this impromptu mini-dinner. Onto the food!

Sextet of Appetizers: Hotaru ika (firefly squid) with shiro miso, takenoko (young bamboo shoot) steamed with vegetable, pickled turnip with ocean trout, mochi with steamed shrimp, takenoko fish cake with yolk glaze, and grilled tachiuo (beltfish) with mustard… What can I say? All delicious, especially that bamboo/fish cake/yolk glaze, which was completely superb!

Honey-Gorgonzola Tofu with Cherry Tomato & Sake… This is a new creation from the kitchen. You eat the tomato and the tofu together, then chase it with a (recommended) shot of sake. To be fair, not all of Shunji’s past creations have hit it out of the park for me. But this one truly, truly does - Spectacular.

Leek, Spring Onion & Karasumi (Bottarga, or Mullet Roe)… Gently steamed in kombu dashi broth, these spring vegetables reach an achingly good level of tenderness that is hard to describe. Shunji-san has always been one of the most vegetable-adept sushi chefs I’ve known, and his skills are most definitely on display here.

And now, onto the nigiri!!! Need I say that the shari (sushi rice) was wonderful in all facets?

Gari (Sweet Pickled Ginger)…

Hata Kombu-jime (Grouper with Seaweed Marinade)… One of the meatier fishes of the evening, the grouper was quite a nice way to start off the nigiri.

Shiro Ebi (White Shrimp)… Always one of my favorite treats, these small shrimp may not look like much, but they are collectively sweet in their own way. It is unusual to see shiro ebi in U.S. sushi-yas.

Shirauo (Japanese Icefish)… From Shinji-ko (Lake Shinji, in Shimane Prefecture)… Another rare treat. These tiny, thin fishies possess a crunchiness that is so satisfying on bite.

Shunji-san showed me the label describing the provenance of the icefish…

Sakura Masu (Cherry Trout)… Another relative rarity in sushi bars, the cherry trout is salmon-like in appearance, except a touch more delicate in flavor.

Tai Shirako (Red Snapper Milt Sac) with Nikiri Sauce… Soft, with a taste closest in similarity to ankimo (monkfish liver), tai shirako is available only in spring, and is served with nikiri sauce to cut the richness a bit.

Ikura (Salmon Roe)… There was less salting for this batch of ikura, which resulted in an even fresher taste than usual. Texturally, theses eggs each “pop” in the mouth, an extremely pleasurable experience.

Hamaguri (Hard Clam) with Nikiri Sauce… Boiled and served with nikiri sauce; many sushi eaters outside Japan may not commonly encounter this shellfish.

Dessert time!!!

Tea is served…

Dessert Platter: Mixed Berry Sorbet, Oroblanco Grapefruit Sorbet, Truffle Ice Cream, Hoji-cha (Roasted Tea) Ice Cream, with Seasonal Fruits (Blood Orange, Ataulfo Mango, Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Viva Elisa Strawberry, Persian Mulberry & White Mulberry)… The truffle ice cream alone is worth the price of admission.

The fruits are all impeccably curated by Shunji-san. They are all supremely, mouthwateringly fantastic!

The spring omakase at Shunji Japanese Cuisine includes some inventive new cooked dishes, expertly prepared veggies, hard-to-find yet tasty neta, and fruits at the height of season. Shunji-san may be a jovial, easy-going guy in demeanor, but make no mistake - This itamae takes his work seriously, and delivers the goods night after night.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Shunji Japanese Cuisine
12244 W. Pico Bl.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310.826.4737
shunji-ns.com

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @J_L,

Nice! Great pics and review. How did you manage to tackle all of this and beautiful desserts after your earlier dinner?! Amazing.

Shunji has Sakura Masu in again? Can’t wait to go back (love that fish).

And totally agree about the Truffle Ice Cream, I’d go back just for that.

[Ns1]

That is some intense looking Shari these days.

[beefnoguy]

Definitely doing a return visit when I’m in town again! Good stuff, thanks for reporting!

Did they tell you what was the sake they served with the tomato and tofu dish? Is it their house sake (Ichigo Junmai Ginjo, brewed by Suehiro / Fukushima exclusively for Shunji?)

How was the shari with regards to the salt and sour balance?

[J_L]

The sake was indeed Shunji’s own Ichigo.

The shari was pretty much unchanged from my last visit, The akasu which Shunji-san is using is delicate in taste (though it imparts a deeper color to the rice itself). In summary, good shari.

[beefnoguy]

Did you save some sake to try with the leek, spring onion, and in particular, the karasumi?

[J_L]

@beefnoguy

Did you save some sake to try with the leek, spring onion, and in particular, the karasumi?

Ah, you know me well. Yes indeed I really liked the sake/karasumi pairing. AND I compared the experience with beer as well. Count me in as a convert - In a sushi bar, I now like sake with my karasumi. But if ever I find myself in a roadside bar in between Taipei and Kaoshiung serving bottarga, then I’ll still have a beer, please.

[beefnoguy]

Tastebud brother from another mother!

There are some distinct differences between Japanese karasumi and Taiwanese wuyuzi. For starters the great quality Japanese karasumi come from ocean / saltwater species of mullet. In Taiwan, the mullets are for the most part freshwater and farmed. The curing / drying technique differences I don’t know enough to comment on, but in Taiwan they do grilling of karasumi in addition for a number of places, sometimes marinated in local liquor of some sort before the grilling. If anything I’d say Taiwanese style karasumi is far more firm, concentrated, a lot more savory, and is suited for the likes of Chinese hard liquor or beer (particularly if grilling is involved, and paired with more than just daikon slices). Karasumi is more delicate in relation. I’m sure there are low grade karasumi available that are not too far off from wuyuzi in some ways. But go to a Japanese department store basement in Japan, karasumi can be quite expensive.

Maybe Shunji can cure or procure some uni (shuto style), and get some konowata (marinated sea cucumber intestines). Then you get the holy trifecta of chinmi (and salt bomb pleasure) to enhance that sake (the definitive pairing) to further heights.

So yes, karasumi with sake, and wuyuzi with beer!

[Funtimes]

What was the cheque JT

[lectroid]

Anything you can’t afford is immoral.
Anything you can afford is unworthy.

[J_L]

What if someone in your family treats you to a meal?

[lectroid]

Then the immorality is THEIR problem.

[NewTrial]

The honeyGorgonzola-tofu tart was indeed outstanding–it would make a wonderful dessert as well. The night I was there, I think Shunji was wrapping the milt inside a slice of the Tai–kind of reminded me of the Paul Simon song, “Mother and Child Reunion” (which was named after a chicken and egg dish at a NY Chinese restaurant).

[TheCookie]

Fantastic report J_L. Looks like you pretty much had the place to yourselves.