Ototo - Echo Park | Opening 5/22/2019

satsuma daifuku
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJRHTkthyxg/

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I tried to order some but already sold out for today

Is there anywhere else in the city doing fresh fruit daifuku?

Fugetsu in Little Tokyo

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back in stock

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Tsubaki Bento

While they’re waiting for the next round of stimulus so they can bring back the rest of their kitchen staff, Ototo put together a couple bentos for takeout this weekend. I went with the Su-Buta version, description from top left.

Kabocha Sarada - Japanese pumpkin salad, sansho
Renkon Kinpira - stir-fried lotus root, calabrian chiles
Yuzu Daikon Pickles
Sakura-masu Sashimi - ocean trout, ikura, yuzu, wasabi soy
Nasu Age-bitashi - Japanese eggplant

Yakisoba - pan-fried noodles, Chino farms Tokyo negi
Chino Farms Happy Family Broccoli
Su-Buta - Japanese-style sweet + sour pork, balsamic, bell peppers

Every bite here was great. The kabocha salad was super creamy, and the knife work on the Japanese eggplant allowed the flavors to penetrate deep into the flesh. The ocean trout sashimi pretty much melted in my mouth, while the deep fried chunks of pork provided an addicting crunch.

Miso Shiru - prawn broth miso soup
Kuri Gohan - dashi-cooked rice with chestnuts
Uzura - soy-cooked quail eggs
Umenshu Jelly

I really wish I had more of this miso soup. The prawn broth added this extra umami that made it stand out from others I’ve had in recent memory. Rice can sometimes be forgettable to me, but this had a nice flavor to it, and with the egg and chestnuts it felt like a dish they had put as much thought into as the other components.

Matcha Tiramisu

I’m not really a big tiramisu fan, but the matcha actually turned this into a really nice ending to the meal.

I can’t wait for them to get their bag so I can keep getting fed like this :joy:

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So confused about what’s Ototo and what’s Tsubaki thses days.

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From my understanding Ototo is the daytime operation and Tsubaki is what takes over at night for dinner service. (When they have the staff for it)

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:headstone: no more!

Though this was for the Ototo x Perilla pop-up… which was slammed.

But first we start with the Ototo Chicken Katsu Sando

Banchan (power ranked)
Cold Tofu - Meiji Soft Tofu, Gochujang Meat Sauce
Bay Scallop Chomuchim - Cucumber, Radish, Minari, Chogochujang
Yuba Salad - Sugar Snap Peas, Fava, Yuzu Doenjang Dressing
Scallion Muchin - Toasted Nori, Sesame Oil
Romanesco - Toasted Sesame Powder, Maesil Chung
Dandelion Namul - Garlic, Doenjang, Gochugaru

Kalbi Jjim - Soy Braised Boneless Short Rib, Roasted Carrots, Potatoes, Sesame

Coconut Rice Pudding - Shikhae, Harry’s Berries, Yuja Preserve, Seed Granola

All around it was a fantastic meal. I was so happy to see Ototo packed to the gills and people waiting over an hour to snag a seat. Even though it was a one off, I’m hoping to see some of these dishes show up at Perilla when it opens in the neighborhood.

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In case anyone isn’t on IG and missed it, Ototo is doing a brewer dinner this Monday 5/2 featuring Heiwa Shuzo sake. $150 and reserved via Tock for either 6 PM or 8:30 PM. Thought this might be interesting to share for any of the sake enthusiasts on the board.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc_qYybvzF9/

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From the Heiwa Shuzo brewery dinner.

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Otoro Sashimi - always an easy like.

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Bamboo with Asparagus and Ikura in a yuzu miso dressing - quite good! really like this combo

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Dungeness crab salad - some fairly good sized chunks of crab here; not bad

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Sansho soft shell shrimp (from TransparentSea for those who know) - quite tasty!

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Grilled black cod with yuzu daikon - solid black cod

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Spring pea rice - didn’t expect to actually like this but ended up loving this! I’ve never had peas with rice before and this was a really good combination for me

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Clark street baguette with Leonara goat’s milk cheese and kinzanji miso - the miso really made this for me with the sweetness really balancing out the strong cheese flavors (which weren’t quite my favorite)

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Harry’s Berries with house plum wine and fresh whipped cream - an awesome dessert! but how can you go wrong with some of the best strawberries in LA? I also placed a previous rendition of the house umeshu as one of my favorites and was really happy with seeing it and enjoying it with the strawberries. :drooling_face:

Overall, an actually quite good dinner! For me, Ototo is usually more for the sake. But this one-off made me wish they had this kind of cooking served normally. It was also way better than the fixed menu take-home dinner I had during the pandemic. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next time they do a dinner like this.

Of course, they also served plenty of sake since its a brewery dinner but I wasn’t at the counter and forgot to take pics of most of the bottles. Heiwa Shuzo does pretty good sake and they included an umeshu as part of a lineup that they might be bringing to the US soon.

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Risi e bisi is a great classic Venetian dish

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