Takumi- Just Go

I’ve been craving Asian food ever since returning from Santa Fe (I hope to post my food stuff from our trip soon), and boy, did this hit the spot. I wanted sushi, but sometimes Sushi Gen is kind of overwhelming with the crowds. Also, I didn’t feel like sitting at the counter and the sushi is never as good at the tables at Sushi Gen, which is really wack by the way. So anyways, Miguel and I decided to go to Takumi in Little Tokyo and see if they treat their customers seated at tables any better. OH MY GOD, you have to go there.

First of all, the restaurant is very modern and sparse with tables that are well spaced out and many 12 seats at the counter. So it’s way quieter than Sushi Gen. I’m not sure if we arrived after the crowds (at 9 pm on a Friday night?) or if they aren’t getting the patronage they deserve, but it was almost empty save a few couples at the counter. We sat at a table in the middle of the room, and I just felt too uncomfortable to take pictures. It was so serene in there with the jazz playing and the white walls. I didn’t feel like detracting from my or anyone else’s relaxation. And as soon as I tasted the sushi, I abandoned all thoughts of anything but the sublime tastes and textures in my mouth.

We started out with fried calamari and grilled shishito peppers topped with bonito flakes. Both were excellently prepared, and I especially enjoyed the calamari since it was all tentacles which is my favorite part. Next we ordered some sushi: uni, toro, tuna, mackarel and an eel/avocado roll. Holy shit. I can’t even remember anything about the presentation, my eyes were closed. The fish was unbelieveably good. I think it might have even been better than omakase at Sushi Gen, but certainly better than what you’ll receive at a table. First time I tried mackarel, maybe I was worried it would be oily. It was fantastic.

I was still hungry so we ordered miso soup with clams, enoki mushrooms in butter, crab nigiri and some yellowtail. Don’t ask me why I ordered yellowtail, I don’t usually like it. I was beginning to put all my faith into Hiro the sushi chef at this point. Anyways, he recommended the amberjack, aka kanpachi, instead. (From what I learned on wikipedia, yellowtail served in sushi restaurants is usually the cheaper buri or hamachi). Of course, it was excellent. Crab nigiri I can do without, but that’s more of a personal preference as I like eating crab hot and out of the shell. The miso soup was delicious and complex. We couldn’t finish the mushrooms, but they were good. I didn’t want the meal to end so I ordered some green tea ice cream. It was good.

I have to say, we were treated really well at Takumi. We were certainly the youngest people in there and it may have been obvious that this was a special treat for us (it certainly was the most expensive dinner we’ve ever shared but well worth the price. I mean, it’s no where near the price of Urasawa, but we wouldn’t be able afford to go to Takumi more than once every couple of months.) Both sushi chefs were friendly and engaged us in conversation even though we weren’t at the counter. And our waitress was very sweet. I can’t wait to go back…in two months.

Takumi
333 East Second St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Sushi Gen and the sumo wrestler

Dude, I cannot stop going to Sushi Gen. Every since my omakase birthday dinner, I start salivating when I think of eating sushi and no subpar sushi will suffice. So I’ve been twice in the past couple of weeks, but I didn’t get the omakase unfortunately. Gotta pay rent ya know.

Miguel loves miso soup. He says it tastes like sausage juice.

I ordered some decadent sushi for myself: toro and uni. Miguel enjoyed his California roll made from real crab. You can see the cucumber with soy paste I ordered in the background. This was recommended when I asked for a salad type item from the waitress. It was not really worth $5.

Tempura is very tasty. We don’t like the shrimp ones so we ordered all vegetables. As you can see this was a light meal. But I noticed the next table over had ordered the sashimi dinner. I must come back muy pronto!

But why must Rebecca be leaving us? Atlanta is a lucky city, but it is landlocked. Therefore, she must eat all the sushi possible before she’s off.

Rosa and Rebecca.

Our dinners come with miso soup, seaweed salad and some pickled cabbage.

Here’s a close up on the sashimi dinner. I didn’t even take a picture of the tempura that was also included. How can one person possibly eat this much? I didn’t love every single piece of this although it was a great sampler. From now on I think I know what to order ala carte to maximize my experience at Sushi Gen. And it doesn’t include tamago. I know this is supposed to be the yardstick by which sushi chefs are measured, but it’s too sweet for my taste.

Guess who this guy is? The world champion of sumo wrestling, Byambajav Ulambayar. I didn’t even notice him sitting at the table next to us, but Rebecca and Rosa kept stealing glances at him throughout the night. Frankly, I didn’t even think he was big enough to be a sumo star, but I guess an Asian dude of this size is pretty unusual. His handler, who happens to look exactly like our old landlord, told us he would finish off our leftovers as we were paying the bill. And then he tried to recruit us to attend Byamba’s match on Saturday at the LA Sports Arena. Who knows, maybe we’ll attend. He was nice enough to take this picture with us. And you can tell he’s a fellow sushi lover!