Hi @PorkyBelly,
Nice! 
Darn it, now you’ve made me hungry for Raku, LOL. I have to go back soon (love the Tendon and the Intestines (and whatever fresh Sashimi they have that day, and their Uni Udon, etc.
I didn’t see the uni udon on the specials board, ill have to come back again to try it.
Update 2:
Had more friends visiting, and they were hankering for some Japanese, so we stopped by Raku again.
Started off the evening the right way - Sake first, LOL. 
Kasumi Tsuru Kimoto Extra Dry Junmai (from Hyogo, Japan):
For a Junmai Sake, this was excellent: Smooth, but with a dry, clean finish. It was lightly, naturally sweet. Glad to have tried it.
Kanpachi (Amberjack) Sashimi (Kyushu, Japan):
Fantastic, yet again. Very fresh, supple. Loved the additional Kiku (Chrysanthemum Flower) as a garnish, it was a really nice palate cleanser.
One of my visiting friends (a sushi snob) was happily surprised at the quality of the Kanpachi served here at an Izakaya. 
Asajime Chicken Thigh Skewer:
It’s been a few months, but biting into their Asajime Chicken, you can really taste how deep and “Chicken-y” the flavor is. I really appreciate Raku’s Free-Range, freshly dispatched Chicken. You can taste a discernible difference.
Asajime Chicken Breast Wrapped with Chicken Skin:
The favorite skewer for one of my friends was their Asajime Chicken Breast Yakitori Skewers, wrapped in Chicken Skin, which is crisped to a crunchy exterior over their Japanese Binchotan Charcoal. It’s still juicy, tender, delicious! Same as my last visit.
Asparagus with Bacon:
Another classic Yakitori skewer, Asparagus wrapped with Bacon and slowly roasted over their Binchotan. Excellent.
Teriyaki Kurobuta Pork Ribs:
It’s a little sweet, but so good! Lightly smoky, tender Kurobuta Pork Ribs.
Agedashi Tofu:
Their Homemade Tofu done Agedashi style is delicious. No complaints.
Juicy Deep Fried Asajime Chicken:
Aburiya Raku’s take on traditional Japanese Karaage Fried Chicken, juicy, tender, awesome Asajime Chicken, and with crisped skin on the outside.
Tsukune Grilled Ground Asajime Chicken:
Their version of the Chicken Meatball Skewer, one of my friends blurted out, “So, Japanese Corn Dog, right?” ;), but once they took a bite of it, they stopped talking and devoured the entire thing, LOL. 
Still as tender, succulent as before.
Duck with Balsamic Soy Sauce:
Bits of tender Duck with some Duck Fat and slightly crisped Duck Skin.
Kobe Beef Tendon:
This was one of my other friend’s favorite dish of the night. So tender and gelatinous, yet has an outer crust / crunch from the great Binchotan Charcoal.
Steamed Foie Gras Chawanmushi (Egg Custard):
Still thanking @Ns1 to this day for the recommendation on this. SO good and silky and delicate. The Foie Gras is blended with the Egg Custard and steamed to perfection.
Grade A5 Wagyu Steak on Lava Rock (from Kagoshima, Japan):
The one misstep of the night, it was a pretty presentation, with them pouring some alcohol to cause a tableside eruption of flames onto the A5 Wagyu Beef. Unfortunately, it’s overcooked. It’s still quite tender, but they left it on the lava rock too long, or that fiery additional explosion cooked it beyond medium rare. So it was tender, but not spectacular. 
Grilled Rice Ball in Broth (with Grilled Salmon):
This is a hybrid Ochazuke / Grilled Onigiri dish, and it worked. Tasty Rice Ball, nice Grilled Salmon and the end Ochazuke Broth and flavors combined nicely.
Kikusui Perfect Snow Nigori Sake (Niigata, Japan):
Finished up with a bottle of Kikusui Perfect Snow, a sweet way to end the evening.
Shima Aji Sashimi (Striped Jack):
Friends wanted to try more stuff so we continued on with a round of Shima Aji Sashimi, which was as ridiculous as their Kanpachi we had earlier: So good!
Kurobuta Pork Cheek:
Slightly fatty bits mixed with lean Kurobuta Pork meat, it’s just delicious.
Yaki Shima Aji Belly:
So they had Shima Aji (Striped Jack) Belly portion roasted over Japanese Binchotan Charcoal. The outer layer is crisped, and the inner portion is tender and almost buttery (belly portion, duh).
Asajime Chicken Teba Wing:
Their Free-Range Asajime Chicken Wings, another winner.
I’m so glad we have a legit Japanese Izakaya in this part of town. I don’t mind driving to Torrance / South Bay for great stuff, but having Aburiya Raku here is welcome.
Aburiya Raku
521 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
Tel: (213) 308-9393
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Great post. Curious–which Izakaya(s), if any, do you think are on Roku’s level or better in Torrance?
Thanks @TheCookie.
Hi @Haeldaur,
Thanks. Hm, now that you mention it, good question LOL. I like our old board recommended Torihei, but Torihei doesn’t have super fresh, quality Sashimi like Raku. Some of the skewers are better at Torihei, some at Raku. I read from @bulavinaka and others that Bincho closed down; I went a few times on our old Hound recommendations and it was very good, but yah that’s gone now. They had some dishes that were better.
I like some stuff at Otafuku as well, but haven’t been back in a couple years. Will have to try it again. Thanks.
As long as we are discussing Otofuko, I feel I should put up a shout out for one of the South Bay’s under appreciated Izakaya - Fukuno
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fukuno-restaurant-gardena
Excellent Mom and Pop place.
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Ask for whatever the chef and waitress say is fresh and good that day - a lot of that is untranslated on a blackboard.
Loved the big snails, eel, grilled chicken with yuzo kusho, maguro balls
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Haven’t been myself, but Jonathan Gold had some good things to say about Kagura (specifically regarding their tonkatsu): Review: Kagura does a crisp business in the pork cutlet known as tonkatsu
I agree - that Tonkatsu is fan-fucking-tastic.
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I’m a Kagura regular–love the place. Also, even aside from the tonkatsu, just about everything is cooked really well. It’s also right around the corner from the best soba I’ve had in LA. Great little area to eat.
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Great food at Kagura. That tonkatsu is kuh-razy good. The crab and cream (?) korakke is more proof that they have serious deep-fry skills.
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You can’t dangle that without a name…
Whoops–wasn’t trying to hold out. It’s ichimi ann bamboo garden. I get the cold soba with unagi.
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Thanks - that is a great little spot.
Adding this from the weekend thread
##Raku
Sea robin sashimi
Enoki wrapped bacon
Teba wing 
Hamachi
Pig ears 
Pig cheeks
Pig ribs
Tsukune
Kobe bryant with garlic 
Fries with eyes 
Fried sea robin 
The fish was so fried it made snoop dogg look sober.
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Stopped by tonight and it was excellent.
The yakitori is very good. The chicken wings as good as any yakitori-ya in town.
Also, can’t come here and not get their signature foie chawan mushi with cold soba. It’s a bit more refined than the version I had at the Vegas branch 8 years ago, back when you could just walk in at 2am and grab a seat without reservations. It was also warm and not piping hot like before. Also I could have sworn it was topped with foie and not duck. Nevertheless it’s still very tasty.
Bluefin sashimi special
Chicken thigh. Good but could have been better if the skin was left on and cooked until crispy.
Chicken wings. Excellent. Skin so crispy tastes like it’s fried. Tender and juicy inside.
Ground chicken meatball. Excellent. Juicy and tasty little cartilage bits.
Pork jowl. Delicious.
Kurobuta ribs. Meaty and toothsome. Not fall off the bone which I prefer. Good flavor.
Pork belly. Very good. Spinach even better.
The infamous cold soba with foie chawan mushi for dipping.
Typing this I realized that we had ordered the iberico pork special on the chalkboard but it never came.
Corkage is $30 per bottle with a 2 bottle max.
Consider me a fan.
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I think you can ask for the skin to be left on…
Stopped by for a late night snack, you can’t beat raku if you happen to be hungry at 1am. I’ll have to come back for the soba and chawanmushi.
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