Having opened in February to no particular fanfare, Sushi One slipped my notice until recently when a sushi chef I know mentioned it to me in passing (we both live in Koreatown). Given the location and price point ($60), I wasn’t expecting much, but as it’s effectively within walking distance for me, I had to take one for the team.
We started out with a typical green salad with whatever that dressing is… (miso?). Greens are fresh, fine. Miso soup is actually good - less salty than usual, but has a nice flavor and aroma to it. Americans might rate this poorly compared to the usual, but I thought it was a little above average. Ginger is also fine - doesn’t seem store bought, at any rate.
Then I am served sushi, and the failures are numerous and bizarre. The ordering of fish unconventional at best, completely schizophrenic at worst. The knifework is poor - most of the fish is cut far too thickly, some unevenly. This isn’t a huge problem until we hit the halibut fin, which at this thickness is far too chewy, almost gristly. The kurodai does not taste fresh at all. The hotate is torched, which completely obliterates its flavor. I am served two large slices of albacore (?!) sashimi in what I optimistically hope is a chili ponzu sauce, but is actually a watered-down cousin of sriracha. The live amaebi wriggles very enthusiastically after it’s been decapitated, but tastes like a bog-standard amaebi, with none of the fresh brightness I associate with the live version. The orange clam - I can’t even begin to describe how awfully it was treated. The two usual points of failure for sushi restaurants catering to the less discriminatory - the uni and ankimo - are actually fine, if unexceptional. Seafood chawanmushi comes near the end, but between fish. This is my first time eating it so it’s hard for me to judge it properly - it tasted vaguely briny (in a not entirely unpleasant way), but that’s about it. Not a huge fan, but I’ll have to try it somewhere respectable to know for sure.
The service was actually very good, and I’m sure they execute their small lunch menu competently, but I’m never coming back here. Avoid at all costs.
Sushi One
3905 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
