Ichimi-Ann Bamboo Garden
Yuzu oroshi soba. Yuzu peel, yuzukosho, and lots of daikon oroshi made this bowl of cold noodles very refreshing.
Shiki Beverly Hills
Ankimodofu. I’ve had tamagodofu, kanidofu, and gomadofu, but never ankimodofu. It was quite nice - clean, with the ankimo essence.
Otsumami plate: shirako in dashi, zuwaigani wrapped in pickled daikon with sumiso sauce, nibitashi vegetables, kanpachi no nanbanzuke, edamame, and persimmon gelee. Lots of textures here - creamy, crunchy, silky, snappy, crispy. Favorites were the snow crab and the nanbanzuke which had just the right pitch.
Otsukuri plate: ohtoro, mirugai, madai no konbujime, aori-ika, saba. Great stuff.
Abalone with mushrooms and mitsuba in ankake sauce. Great slippery and chewy textures - my favorites were the enoki with the abalone and the refreshing mitsuba.
Nigiri:
madai no konbujime (kelp-marinated bream)
sayori (“needlefish”)
modorigatsuo (bonito)
kohada (gizzard shad)
kanburi (winter mature yellowtail)
akamizuke (marinated lean bluefin tuna)
aji (horse mackerel)
kinmedai no aburi (seared golden-eye snapper)
ebi with ebi oboro underneath (shrimp, from Mexican Gulf, with dried ground shrimp)
otoro (fatty bluefin tuna)
nodoguro no aburi (seared “blackthroat” sea perch)
ikura (fresh salmon roe)
uni (sea urchin gonads)
saba (mackerel)
anago shirayaki (saltwater eel)
anago with nitsume and pickled kelp (saltwater eel)
kanpyo maki (pickled gourd roll)
torotaku maki (fatty tuna mixed with pickled daikon roll)
warabi mochi with vanilla ice cream and fruit
Corner Beef Noodle House
Great rec, everyone. Big pieces of tendon, good beef, powerful soup, and nice noodles.
Tamaen Japanese BBQ
This is out in Lomita but they’re one of the very few to serve genuine Kobe. Well worth the drive.
Kimchee
Yukkhe
Wagyu nigiri
Iberico “Secreto” cut
Grill heating up
This was awesome with wasabi and beer.
Wagyu ribeye, A5 from Miyazaki.
American grown “wagyu-style” beef tongue. We liked the cubed version even better for its thickness.
Heart with miso pepper sauce. Fun texture.
28-day Dry-aged wagyu chateaubriand, A5 from Kobe. This had a distinct cheesiness to it, like some charcuterie. We undercooked it a touch at first, for fear of ruining it, but I preferred it medium.
compared to Yazawa - Yazawa’s “noharayaki”-style ribeye is still the stunner when it comes to beef in LA, but Tamaen is more relaxed, and the Iberico “Secreto” cut and the thick cut tongue were awesome. If you’re in the South Bay, this is a great choice. The Kobe chateaubriand was unique; I can think of some nice wine pairings with it but I usually stick with beer when eating yakiniku.
