Interesting, since I had his sushi at lunchtime. Now I’m curious about the shari consistency at dinner service.
Just had another good meal at U-Zen. A few apps, ~14 courses of nigiri, a hand roll, and a bonus round or two: ~$135/head.
4 Likes
In West SGV, I like the old-school Taihei in Monterey Park on Garfield. Reminds me of small mom-and-pop places I’ve been to in Japan. I’m no sushi expert by any means but their chirashi, uni, etc. all very fresh and reasonably priced. Cooked items also very good too
3 Likes
The first place I ever had sushi. And the first place I had ikura. I remember the chefs clapping when I popped it in my mouth as a kid. Thought it was SOOOO gross.
5 Likes
Kiriko Sushi - Sawtelle
Somehow the words “budget” and “Kiriko” don’t seem compatible and that’s because of the superior offerings. Helmed by itamae, Ken Namba, Kiriko is a no fuss, no pretense charmer with a pleasing price. 
Sake
Menu only notes the brand/brewery, Hakkaisan, with a description (dry and a bit spicy with subtle flavors of stewed apples, lightly toasted nuts and wood). It was recommended as a favorite and quite complimentary to Kiriko’s offerings.
Tempura & Sashimi… because hubs cannot live on lunch omakase alone. I think he ordered 2 tempura.
Salmon, Yellowtail, Albacore
9 Piece + Handroll Lunch Omakase (now $60)…
Salad & Miso Soup
Toro, Bluefin Tuna & Snapper
Amberjack
King Mackerel & Golden Eye Snapper
Halibut & Needlefish
Halibut was my least favorite, texture & flavorwise.
Smoked Salmon w/Caviar.
Caviar wasn’t super bursty, but the flavors together made it a great bite. 
We immediately re-upped.
À la carte Ikura
Bursty!
Toro Handroll
Nice touch is you get a choice of the day’s seafood offerings for your handroll. The list was rattled off pretty fast and not wanting to ask for it to be repeated I chose toro, but something with a little more texture would be good too.
As we’ve discussed about restaurants and sushi-ya in general they were understaffed and had a “hiring” sign on the door. All part of the post-pandemic dilemma, so. The service was charmingly harried and diners were enjoying themselves. If we lived in the ‘hood Kiriko would definitely be in the regular rotation.
Happy Best Budget Sushi Eating!
17 Likes
Not really a restaurant, but budget wise, can’t beat Yama in San Gabriel for price point? I’d even go as far to say impossible to find a better price point for quality sushi for any establishment period. They’ve made some changes so it’s not as agonizing as a line now, and are really good at keeping items stocked and have more people working there now.
4 Likes
ikura … SOOOOO gross
I was introduced to sushi by a friend in my mid 20’s (this was early 90’s).
She was explaining to me what the various bits were and which ones were more ‘challenging’ to a novice.
“This,” She pointed to a picture “is salmon eggs. Ikura. You won’t forget it. It has ‘Ick’ right in the name.”
4 Likes
I’ve heard this before from other people, and have always wondered if there were such preconceived notions about caviar (sturgeon eggs)?
3 Likes
I would also say that ftc is kind of it’s own little elitist sounding board, the average palate on this board is prolly 5-10x that of the normal American.
For many Americans the idea of having any types of eggs other than cooked chicken eggs is a non-starter let alone preserved “raw” fish eggs.
I just got this anecdote the other day from one of my friends whose parents live in a small town in Ohio “ I learned my very Midwest parents tried sushi for the first time and didn’t like it. They tried it from the buffet bar at a Ryan’s steakhouse” this is what a lot of the country is like lol.
15 Likes
@hungryhungryhippos coming in with the sobering thought. My in-laws subscribe to that ideology though.
On the flip side, I feel like the folks here are also more adventurous…and we just choose to spend our disposable income on food, drink and the dining experience.
7 Likes
Absolutely. Or, put a diff way, very sophisticated. And I think LA in general is also really sophisticated b/c so many different types of very good food have been available for so long (and, over the past 10-15 yrs, some many diff types of EXCELLENT food have been readily available). And then FTC is at least a step or two above the culinary sophistication of even the average Angeleno.
When I’ve traveled to non-metro areas, the contrast (incl for food prep, w/ our plentiful farmer’s markets here) really opens your eyes to the existence of food deserts and such (incl the existence of those places in LA).
9 Likes
The bar for quality is so much higher now, at least in LA, and that does make a big difference. 30 years ago, I couldn’t stand uni, until I was served it live out of the shell, and I realized what it should taste like. It was an educational experience and a game-changer. So yeah, trying sushi for the first time at a Midwestern buffet would be a buzz-kill. I lived in the Midwest in the 90s, and just getting my colleagues to try California rolls was a challenge.
4 Likes
“He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.” – Jonathan Swift
7 Likes
And when uni is bad, it is SO VERY BAD. I’ve had that happen once at a place in San Rafael where I should have known not to order anything ‘interesting’ in the first place. I always ask the itamae if the uni is good. Anything but an enthusiastic “Yes”, and I choose something else. Ditto monk-fish liver.
4 Likes
Taste-wise, it’s a crapshoot if that any live uni (though undoubtedly fresh as it is) which is just extracted out of its shell will be an A-plus or C-minus experience. Being freshly taken out of its shell doesn’t hurt, of course, but the actual taste of any specific piece of uni is not directly correlated with its freshness. Uni mongers/sorters are the true experts in discerning the likely flavor quality of any uni which is to be sold.
Glad you like uni, now, though! 
4 Likes
I often think about that when I eat. It’s like, “Who would’ve thought that X would be edible? And how many people died along the way???” 
5 Likes
Well, I suppose I got lucky and had some at the “A” end of the spectrum. This was decades ago, but I remember how impressed I was by the taste of that uni; if it had been “C” grade, it would have done nothing to change my mind, no matter how fresh!
2 Likes
anyone tried the sushi at costco?
1 Like
there’s what i’d describe as ignorant provincialism which is common in the midwest from whence i hail, but there’s also malignant provincialism; i once met a texan who proudly told me that he’d never put anything in his mouth that he hadn’t already identified. my classmates gave me grief for eating preserved eggs until i asked them if they knew how cheese was made. i struggled with how to describe a dong zi whereas now i wouldn’t even hesitate to call it a chinese tamale. the point is with ignorant provincialism, if you can find an analogue within their world view nothing remains exotic. of course, if they have a natural aversion to the analogue it’s no longer provincialism.
being chinese, there is no such thing as good or bad food. the only distinctions are along the lines of the expense and how much effort is required to make it palatable. otherwise, it if can be eaten, it is.
then you have situations such as where my friend just hated shrimp chips. when i asked how he fried them, he responded: “you’re supposed to fry them?”.
7 Likes
Uhhh I think we are both speaking english but I’m not entirely sure 
but if you are saying that there’s both purposefully and unintentionally ignorant ppl in America, I agree lol.
It’s funny that you mention cheese though because most chinese people think cheese is bad…
1 Like