Warrior: Shibumi is a DTLA gem. Some dishes today—particularly the corn soup and the nikogori (seafood and vegetables in gelee)—were outstanding. Very refined and classy stuff. Usually I’m a traditionalist when it comes to sashimi (I just want hunks of fish or squid and salt or soy sauce on the side), but I liked Shibumi’s preparation of hirame and engawa with cured tomato and shiso. Great textures, and the flavors worked well together. The wagyu was excellent as always. The eel was meatier and more well-done than what you would usually get in Japan, but it was good. The chinmi starters were tasty as always. Both desserts were good, but the almond custard was especially delicious. The beverage omakase was superb as always.
Peony: We’ve been to Shibumi for several years. I’ve noticed significant improvement of the dishes during this period. The most impressive time was right after their reopening during Covid. The staff there even told us they had tested and improved dishes during Covid. This time, I really liked the corn soup and the chinmi. They were just right. All the other food were all tasty, although not impressive like last time. I feel this restaurant has potential to do better. I like that the chef is being creative and always trying to do new dishes, so I look forward to returning.
