Here’s the latest entrant to the LA high end edomae-style omakase arena. Hailing from Toronto, Yasu Beverly Hills is the first branch of the acclaimed sushi-ya Yasu Toronto by Yasu Yasuhisa. Strangely, there seems to be very little publicity other than the odd LA Times article. But no matter, given the flagship’s seemingly great reviews by Yelp and critics alike, along with its relatively low price point at a mere $130 per person for omakase, the restaurant caught my attention and off I went.
Decor: Minimalist, understated, dark, and moody. There are 10 seats at the sushi counter and 14 other table seats.
Service: Although no oshibori (hot towel) was offered and our server was friendly but slightly awkward at times, service overall was on point and rightly so given that the staff to guest ratio was greater than 1 for our 8:15 seating. Hint: There were only 3 guests.
Itamae: Two itamae were there with Zac-san (formerly of Shiki) and Hatsuno-san? (formerly of Zo). Yasu-san, the founder/chef of the Yasu was also present at the restaurant, but he wasn’t serving anyone nor did he greet my party of 2. He simply went in and out of the back kitchen all night.
Shari: Well seasoned and very neutral tasting with akasu being the only vinegar used. Texture of the rice wasn’t as toothsome as I would like but that’s merely a personal preference. Temperature of the rice was consistent throughout (since the same batch was used for the entire meal) which was a slight problem at Inn Ann and even SGO. Overall, I would put the rice at the level of Inn Ann.
Summary: I see lots of potential but this night fell well short of the top tier sushi-yas in LA. Zac-san’s sushi formation was great with obvious “sigh” on every piece of nigiri he formed, but somehow, many neta felt somewhat muted. On the other hand, I had two main problems. Firstly, the restaurant’s neta selection was sorely lacking…no saba, no kohada, no nodoguro, no tako, no no kinmedai, no menegi, no kanpyo, nothing marinated, nothing aged (because they’ve only been only for 2 days)…you get the idea. Secondly, texture variety was equally lacking throughout this night’s omakase. Piece after piece, Yasu went for the “consumer friendly”, as @Sgee put it, neta in maximizing the melt-in-your-mouth texture and nothing else…BUT I was told that they’ll have more selection down the road. Overall, at only $130pp, or $161 after bonus round before tax and tip, it’s still a very solid and enjoyable option unless you’re willing to venture out to Encino or pay an extra $60+ before t&t for top tier LA sushi.
sashimi platter
seattle fanny bay oyster, san diego uni, ikura
uni is overwhelmed here but loved the briny fanny bay oyster
amaebi / spot prawn
amaebi is firm and sweet but why didn’t they fry the head or make a soup out of it?!
amberjack / kanpachi
chutoro / bluefin medium fatty tuna
unctous but has a slight gristle problem
pickled ginger time…you know the drill
hotate / hokkaido scallop
is this any good? @beefnoguy
ankimo gunkan maki/ monkfish liver battleship sushi
relative smooth but who am i kidding? ankimo ain’t the same anymore after SGO’s transcendental experience. need to MAGA…make ankimo great again
shima aji / stripped jack
sake / king salmon
rich, smooth, firm flesh…best bite of the night
uni sampler
bafun uni / hokkaido sea urchin
still rich but oddly muted…perhaps I’m used to a higher uni to rice ratio
san diego uni / san diego sea urchin
not as sweet as the santa barbara varietal…but higher level of salinity
aji / spanish mackarel
let’s just say it’s a great time to have aji right now
Gindara / black cod
slightly seared…very clean and mild tasting
red snapper miso soup
an odd time to offer soup?
tuna sampler (from R to L)
a. maguro / bluefin tuna - no gristle
b. chu toro / medium fatty bluefin tuna - slight gristle problem
c. o toro / fatty bluefin tuna - extra gristle
zuwagani, kanimiso / snow crab with tomalley
love the kanimiso
hirame, engawa / halibut with halibut fin
anyone ever have them together? there’s definitely a texture contrast but i would prefer to have them one by one
negitoro donburi & ikura / chopped fatty tuna and ikura over sushi rice
anago / sea eel
slightly too soft for me
tamago / grilled egg
like a sponge cake
yuzu sorbet
with the sorbet being so broken up and icy, they should’ve called it a granita…
Bonus Round:
iwashi / sardine
love these fishy hikarimono…wish they had more
maguro maki
slight problem with the slanted cut
anago temaki / sea eel handroll
ankimo / monkfish liver
hotate / hokkaido scallop
ugh! brandless!
Yasu Beverly Hills
265 S Robertson Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
