Fantastic Japanese Tapas (Izakaya) hits West Hollywood - Aburiya RAKU - pictures

sweet. thanks man.

my diet is fucked up to the fucking max.

doc’s orders.

but i have friends that are pescas for now.

exactly… consuming way too fucking much red meat. gotta cut back severely.

@kevin gotcha. Get healthy! :smile:

And there’s so much awesomeness via fish, veggies and grains anyways. :wink:

With all that money you saved from eating red meat, you know what you gotta splurge for?

White Truffle Tasting Menu! LOL.

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Which tasting menu are you speaking of???

I’ve heard there’s a grand truffle tasting menu from the Bistro LQ Foodings chef.

That should seriously be something else.

And that ain’t no fucking joke.

@ilykejordans, just teasing @kevin. :wink:

As kevin said, Bistro LQ has one. Providence can do one by request.

Maude has White Truffle for November.

Had a friend visiting with a hankering for Japanese izakaya, so off we went back to Aburiya Raku. :smile:

There were some real highlights last time so I was excited to go back and try more stuff and recs from the FTC’ers.

Started with Raku’s Tofu (1/2 Order):

Thanks to @js76wisco for the tip. The total opposite of the more commonly seen Agedashi Tofu (Fried), Raku’s Tofu is a homemade Tofu, chilled, and served with Bonito Flakes, Fresh Grated Ginger, Green Onions.

The server recommends trying a bit of it straight up with some Ginger, Green Onions and the Bonito Flakes. It’s clean and pure. Then she recommended trying it with some of the Matcha Salt (Japanese Green Tea Salt), even better. Finally tried some with their Shoyu blend and it was different and nice as well. Very cool.

Ken2 Salad (Arugula Salad with Organic Chicken Breast, Pine Nuts, Grilled Corn, Sun Dried Tomato, Organic Chicken Skin and Wakame Seaweed):

Thanks to @CiaoBob for this rec! SO GOOD! Usually at a lot of the local Japanese izakayas and yakitoriyas, the “Salads” there range from OK to kind of an afterthought. Not so here. [Last time’s Popeye Salad][1] was pretty awesome, and Ciao Bob was right!

The Ken2 Salad was great. It’s SO flavorful, with the Organic Chicken Breast (moist and juicy), nice texture with the crunchy Deep Fried Organic Chicken Skin LOL :smile:, the Pine Nuts and Sun Dried Tomatoes…

Some of the Yakitori Skewers arrived next, starting with Asparagus with Bacon Skewers:

Spot on. Nice balance of flavors.

Had to get a repeat of the Tsukune Grilled Ground Asajime Chicken:

The Organic Ground Asajime Chicken was as good as last time. Yup, consistent so far! :slight_smile: Juicy, fragrant.

Kanpachi Shio Kama (Roasted Amber Jack Collar (Salt version)):

When ordering the Kama (Collar) off of the Robata menu, the server gave us a choice of different Fish to have grilled (Salmon, Amber Jack, Shima Aji and like 2 others). Really nice.

Went with Kanpachi because it rocked last time (in Sashimi form). And it was perfectly roasted / grilled. Juicy, smoky, great!

One of the shocking surprises from my 1st visit to Raku was the fact that at an Izakaya type restaurant, their Kanpachi Sashimi was mind-blowing. I had to know if it was a fluke or not, so on their Specials Menu once again, they had 3 - 4 types of fresh fish for Sashimi preparation this evening. I had to try…

Shima Aji Sashimi (Striped Jack):

I took one bite and just had to stop: FLAWLESS! Super fresh fish, beautiful knife work, no sinewy issues, just drop dead GORGEOUS Shima Aji Sashimi! You have GOT to be kidding me.

Aburiya Raku delivered AGAIN with fantastic Sashimi, rivaling stuff I had at Shunji and Sushi Tsujita earlier this year. :blush: Highlight.

Fried Ice Fish:

This was… kinda tasteless. :frowning: Not so good. Something like the more traditional Shishamo (Smelt Fish) would’ve been much better.

Kurobuta Pork Cheek Skewer:


[1]: Fantastic Japanese Tapas (Izakaya) hits West Hollywood - Aburiya RAKU - pictures - Los Angeles - Food Talk Central

Thanks to @ilykejordans for the tip. Juicy, fatty Berkshire Pork Cheeks. Nice smoky taste. But personally too fatty for me (my friend loved it).

Pork Intestine Skewer:

I’m not too much into offal, but Raku’s version is a must try. Crisped outside, juicy, tender on the inside.

Had their Kobe Beef Tendon Skewer again… SO GOOD! :smile:

Teriyaki Kurobuta Pork Rib:

If you ever wanted to imagine what Berkshire BBQ Pork Ribs would taste like through the lens of a traditional Japanese Robata Grill it is exactly the Kurobuta Pork Ribs at Raku. The “Teriyaki” is really more of the traditional Yakitori sauce, lightly sweet, but thinner and adding a perfect flavor to the smoky tender ribs. Just great stuff. :smile:

Apple Marinated Colorado Lamb Chop:

Another awesome creation from Aburiya Raku’s grill masters. Super tender Colorado Lamb Chop.

Live Uni Udon:

I think many of us have tried various sorts of “Uni Pasta” and it has this charm to this interesting fusion-y creation. Raku creates an Uni Udon, using fresh, live Santa Barbara Uni (Sea Urchin) and using thin Udon noodles, Ikura and topping the fresh Uni sauce with more fresh, live Uni and serving it in its dramatic looking shell.

I thought, “Nice presentation, but maybe a bit showy. Probably be all flash and no substance…”

Oh how wrong I was! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEKEND! Super fresh, sweet perfect Live Uni melding flawlessly with the thin Udon noodles. :smiley:

This was the best Uni Udon / Pasta dish I have ever had. Ever. :heart:

Finished off with Grade A5 Kagoshima Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki:

This is another dish that speaks to the quality that Raku is going for, importing in Grade A5 Wagyu Beef from Kagoshima Japan. :open_mouth:

I was shocked to see this in a regular izakaya. The A5 Wagyu was absurdly tender, and the light poaching in the Sukiyaki broth was a great way to eat it, cooked just right. Awesome!

I am again shocked by the level of quality Raku can execute on. When they are on, they are ON! Some of the best dishes I’ve had this year in any restaurant. But they also have multiple misses and flaws on dishes that just don’t work at times (like their Fried Ice Fish this time, or the Poached Egg last time).

Still, the highlights are too great to pass up. And it’s Midtown LA’s first legit izakaya.

Aburiya Raku
521 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
Tel: (213) 308-9393

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Yum!
What a great report.
Raku is a real surprise - I never thought I’d be loving a Vegas Japanese import.

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@CiaoBob yah it’s surprising.

Did you try the Live Uni Udon when you went? If not, you must! :smile:

No - missed that. Gotta get back and try it.

Was that live fucking uni udon a special or on the regular menu?

How was the wagyu beef??? I know ipse has stated that he thinks hotpot is the best way to enjoy such fatty cuts of beef (I think)…

@PorkyBelly the Specials Menu. So many highlights from that menu. Definitely get it the next time you go. :smile:

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@paranoidgarliclover It was pretty epic LOL. :smile: I would agree with ipse about enjoying A5 Wagyu Beef (hot pot / poached) or some ridiculous sashimi which I think I saw on some reports back on our old board.

I’m no expert though, so we’d need to ask the expert FTC’ers on Japanese Wagyu. Paging @bulavinaka, @ipsedixit , @J_L_, @Porthos. Who else? :smile:

You folks are like elephants. LOL.

Teppanaki

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I believe the best preparation may depend on where the beef is from. Yes it depends on marbling grade, too (don’t want to grill anything higher than A5), but e.g. Matsuzaka beef is usually preferred grilled, while many in Japan told me that true Kobe is preferred shabu-shabu or yes sukiyaki. Maybe it’s a historical / regional thing, or maybe it has to do with how they think the beef renders its flavors best. Friends more informed told me Matsuzaka-gyu is king when grilled, though that could be personal preference. Of course, enjoy it to your personal liking; I’m just relaying what I’ve been told (which of course could be regional preference, too).

FWIW the best grilled wagyu I’ve had are from Matsuzaka and Ohmi, and when in Japan family told me that Kobe was prepared shabu-shabu a lot more than we see here. My thoughts? If you’re grilling it, you need some spice from something a la yuzukosho to cut it and maybe a nice glass of Pinot Noir. The benefit of sukiyaki in particular is the use of shungiku (chrysanthemum), a really underrated sweet floral leaf that is the perfect foil to wagyu’s richness.

Anyway, back to Raku, I will definitely visit on my next trip to LA. Menu sounds great!

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I’m actually not a fan of wagyu. That’s all JL and Ipse! :smile:

I prefer chu toro and even akami over o-toro and I prefer pichana from Brazil over A5 kobe from Japan.

Hi @markambrose73,

Thanks for popping in! I needed to page you as well. :wink: Great info about Wagyu. I’ve had Kagoshima and Hokkaido Wagyu before and one other prefecture (forgot now). I’d love to visit Japan and try Matsuzaka as you’re saying. One day.

Looking forward to your thoughts on Aburiya Raku when you visit. Hopefully Chef Mitsuo Endo is still here when you visit.

BTW, sanity check for all the sake experts out there @markambrose73 @beefnoguy , etc. does anyone remember if Otokoyama Junmai Daiginjo Sake is really $248 a bottle? :open_mouth: I’ve had it a few times over the years and never remember paying that much for it at all.

Also, has anyone tried Yume ha Masayume Junmai Daiginjo Sake? That one clocked in at $520 a bottle, LOL.

Boredom led to a string of internet searches, with $114 being the floor and $189 being the max for a 720ml bottle, based on a sample size of 3.

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