Inn Ann - OOE Omakase

PorkyBelly · January 1, 2019, 8:20pm

Located on the fifth floor of the cavernous and elephantine hollywood & highland compound is japan house, a culture center that features a library, gallery, event space and a restaurant. Inn ann is japan house’s latest restaurant aimed at showcasing “japanese culture, traditions, and rich heritage through the lens of its cuisine.”

The restaurant will rotate japanese chefs seasonally. The opening chef, taro araki, served as the personal chef to the consul general of japan in la.

The highlights of my $190 (gas, parking, tax, tip, supplemental rice, second dinner, and aggravation for just being at hollywood & highland) meal at inn ann were the toto and jade noodles and moo ping at luv2eat.

yuba sashimi
gomafu, yomogifu - japanese mugwort gluten cake
saikyo - miso-marinated grilled cheese
sesame tofu croquette
temari sushi - round-shaped sushi
ichimatsu - salmon and nagaimo yam
kohaku shrimp - shrimp in dashi jelly
japanese omelete with truffle
simmered vegetable
couldn’t tell you much about this, pretty unmemorable.

chef’s choice sashimi
fine

scallop

tai

kanpachi

salmon

grilled kagoshima wagyu beef with saikyo miso
This overcooked beef dish was the best thing on the menu. I had to ask for a 2 dollar bowl of rice so I wouldn’t die of starvation before making it to luv2eat.

sushi - kanpachi, tai, salmon, tuna zuke
Cold fish, cold rice, I’ve had better in a supermarket.

baked orange pudding

toto

luv2eat

jade noodles

Luv2eat Thai Bistro
6660 Sunset Boulevard P
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 498-5835
http://www.luv2eatthai.com/

OOE Omakase with Mori-san

homemade tofu with cherry blossom, dash-ponzu, cherry blossom salt

karei (spot flounder)

tai kobujime (japanese sea bream cured in kombu)

sayori (japanese halfbeak)

buri (winter yellowtail)

shima-aji (striped jack)

akami (lean big eye tuna)

chu-toro (big eye tuna)

saba (mackerel)

kohada (gizzard shad)

tako (octopus)

mirugai (geoduck)

akagai (ark shell)

engawa (flounder fin)

kamasu (barracuda)

ikura (salmon roe)

santa barbara uni

hokkaido uni

miso soup

anago

uni

himokyu maki (ark shell mantle, cucumber)

tamago

kanpyo maki (dried gourd)

tekka maki (big eye)

bonus santa barbara uni

orange custard, supreme orange, candied orange peel

hojicha ice cream

yuzu sorbet, pepper

toto

Inn Ann
6801 Hollywood Blvd Japan House 5F
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 677-5557
https://www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles/restaurant/index.html

J_L · January 1, 2019, 8:27pm

Ate there in its first week. Mori-san was there, but only as FOH and not working in cooking. I was kindly asked by Mori-san not to post any reviews until he starts in the kitchen (which I understood). FWIW.

CiaoBob · January 2, 2019, 5:41pm

I wanted my money back. Shitshow.

Chowseeker1999 · January 3, 2019, 1:07am

Thanks for taking one for the team @PorkyBelly. Sounds terrible.

catholiver · January 3, 2019, 1:54am

Ah, so you post/publish your review elsewhere?

J_L · January 3, 2019, 2:08am

No, I did as Mori-san requested and held off on the writeup.

catholiver · January 3, 2019, 2:10am

Sorry, what I meant was do you have reviews in/on other sites?

matthewkang · January 4, 2019, 3:27am

oof I’m not rushing to go here…thanks for the intel

ebethsdad · January 4, 2019, 6:59am

How did you ever end up at Hollywood and Highland? I sometimes have to go there for work, but avoid it like the plague otherwise. Never mind - thanks for letting us know.

PorkyBelly · March 16, 2019, 10:26pm

It may be time for a re-visit now that mori-san is back in the kitchen.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BteHtLWhELh/

J_L · March 16, 2019, 11:43pm

Dozo…

Chowseeker1999 · March 17, 2019, 2:39am

Thanks @PorkyBelly. Wow, my friend confirmed that with this change, Mori-san is out at Shiki(!). I guess it was always not permanent, so maybe these were always going to be “pop-ups” for him post-retirement?

onelabneh · March 20, 2019, 10:33pm

Chef Mori is definitely back in the house.

Enjoyed a meal at Inn Ann (which means peaceful retreat in Japanese apparently) last night and he was front and center, affable and humorous as ever. The restaurant itself is beautiful, with an upscale lounge feel to it and panoramic views of the city.

I opted for the $130 sushi-focused omakase. They have less expensive sushi omakases that include fewer pieces and also composed-dish focused options, a la Shunji.

It started with a riff on the tofu appetizer that is still a staple at Mori (the restaurant). This one came with ponzu and cherry blossom salt on the sides, and had a pickled cherry blossom on top. It was delicious, although less creamy than the version at Mori. I also think I prefer the simple wasabi / shoyu accompaniments to ponzu and salt. Regardless, a nice (and pretty) start to the meal.

Next came an assortment of small bites: Hotaru ika (firefly squid) with miso and a Japanese vegetable I missed the name of but was similar to brocolli rabe, kumquat, marinated tuna, marinated celery root, boiled tofu with edamame and a baby mountain peach in jelly. The only miss was the tuna, which was hard and cold and reminiscent of canned tuna (which I like, but not in this context). Also, I’ve decided mountain peaches are my favorite fruit.

After the openers the sushi procession commenced. The rice was classic Mori style, earthy, fairly neutral in flavor, and cooked just under al dente. I think his rice achieves perfection for more delicate white fish (tai, sayori, hirame, etc) since it doesn’t interfere with the subtle flavors. I also like it for more assertive-flavored silver fish . However, and this is me nitpicking, I wish it was more sour when eating fattier fish like buri, golden-eyed snapper, fattier cuts of tuna, etc, to cut the richness. I know asking a sushi chef to maintain two batches of rice when it’s hard enough to create a single perfect batch is a ridiculous ask, but hey, this internet.

I ate (if my memory serves, might have missed some):

Tai (sea bream)
Tai again but this one marinated in kelp - was fun to do a side by side comparison to see the difference that kobujime makes.
Isaki (grunt fish)
Sayori
Buri
Big eye tuna akami
Big eye tuna chu toro
Ark Shell
Giant Clam
Kohada
Saba
Barracuda
SB Uni
Hokkaido Uni
Ikura
Tamago

Dessert was a yuzu jelly which was a perfect finisher.

Suffice it to say I’m hugely excited for the Mori residency at Inn Ann, especially since the restaurant is a short walk from my place. It’ll be in my regular rotation for sure.

moonboy403 · March 20, 2019, 11:33pm

Do I need to call and ask to sit in front of Mori-san at the counter when I reserve? Do they even have a counter?? Do they have a nigiri only omakase?

onelabneh · March 21, 2019, 12:20am

They do have a counter that seats eight or so. I believe Mori-san is the only sushi chef working there (plus people in the back helping prepare the composed dishes), so you should be served by him by default. But doesn’t hurt to call ahead to make sure.

I believe what I ordered was as close to nigiri-only as offered on the menu, however, I’m sure if you asked them to skip the two openers for more fish they would. The current set up is pretty much identical to Mori (the restaurant) where even when you order nigiri-only you still receive a couple of openers.

moonboy403 · March 21, 2019, 1:43am

Thanks. Just made a reservation and the hostess said she will get back to me whether I can go with a nigiri only omakase once she speaks with Mori-san.

PorkyBelly · March 24, 2019, 6:25pm

@moonboy403 and i had an akagai (ark shell) sighting last night with mori-san at inn ann (@Chowseeker1999, @beefnoguy, @J_L, @BradFord, @Sgee). I’ve never seen or had this in the states. So sweet with a great texture, delicious.