Best Sushi during Hibernation: Kobe Sushi

I blame everything on the rain –  the traffic (which takes an hour to travel mere three miles); decrease in productivity (cold weather makes me absolutely lazy), unexplainable hunger (well, maybe that’s everyday for me)… everything. Thanks to the weeklong rain-fest in Los Angeles, I consumed extra 50 cups of hot chocolate (just to stay warm and cozy), spent extra few bucks on takeouts for dinner (who wants to go grocery shopping in pouring rain?), and spent the entire weekend in my pajamas (I can’t remember when was the last time I took shower … sorry, too much info there). It was a total unproductive, completely useless weekend for me.

What kept me alive was this lovely and friendly (and virtually unknown) Kobe sushi restaurant that I can dash to and bring food to go. Without this place, I would have just stayed in bed and starved to death. I had absolutely no desire to stand in the kitchen to cook, or put on clothes to go out to eat, so the takeout was the only option to keep myself adequately nourished as I hibernated like a bear in winter snow.

Here’s what I brought home and enjoyed at a comfort of my own home as I listened to the rain drop from the window: saba (mackerel), salmon, yellowtail and ika (squid) sushi, and a spicy yellowtail hand roll (The usual. I’m a creature of habit). I’m not a huge fan of their rolls (say no to mayonnaise!) but the nigiris are simply amazing. Although noone seems to embrace this tiny, cozy place hidden in a corner shopping center as much as I do (maybe people just can’t find the place?), trust me when I say that it offers one of the best sushis around.

Okay, time to go back to bed now.

Kobe Sushi
22984 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367
★★★★☆

Flavor of Home: Spicy Albacore Hand Rolls

I had been away from home for the last few days and although I’d been fed pretty well during that time, my body was craving for something home-y, particularly something with soy sauce in it (I’m so Japanese). I remembered that I still had a piece of albacore that my boyfriend caught in a freezer so I decided to make spicy albacore hand rolls for dinner. It was perfect because the preparation was quick and simple, and it certainly satisfied my soy sauce and steamed rice cravings!

I absolutely adore mayonnaise and I put a dollop of the smooth, tangy mayo on pretty much anything but there’s one place even the heavenly spread is off limit and that is in a spicy fish mix. Many sushi restaurants prepare spicy tuna and other rolls by adding mayo to the fish mixture, and while it provides the rich creaminess to the overall texture, I find that the distinct flavor of the fish that makes the rolls so delicious gets lost in it. I even think it’s the restaurants’ ploy to disguise the flavor of the fish that are past the expiration date or close to going bad (I’m just saying). I think there are so many other ways to heighten the flavor of the mixture without jeopardizing its integrity.

I made mine by mixing finely chopped scallions, grated garlic and ginger, sesame oil, chili oil (ra yu), a dash of soy sauce and a bit of miso paste with chopped albacore. I smashed the albacore and incorporated all the ingredients by using the face of a knife. The chili oil should give enough heat but if you can handle more, a several squirts of Sriracha should do the job. My boyfriend is the one who recently introduced me to the idea of putting miso in it and it certainly stuck with me.
I made sushi rice by adding sweet rice vinegar to steamed rice and I wrapped the rice and the albacore with seaweed for a homemade sushi roll.

It sure is nice to be home : – )

An American Idol: Sushi Dan

I never understood why the public gets so outraged when pop stars are caught lip-synching. It seems like what people fail to distinguish is the difference between “singers,” and “performers.” For me, the Ashley Simpsons and even the Janet Jacksons of the pop world are “performers” who’s job is to entertain the crowd and not to wow them with their singing skills, so I naturally don’t put them on the same vocal standards as, say, Sarah Brightman, a songbird who makes bank on her ability to hold a tune. But that doesn’t make one better or worse than the other. Sarah can sing better than Janet, but Janet sure can move better than Sarah. They’re just …  you know … different, and it’s quite unfair to compare the apples with oranges.

For me, just like the music industry, the sushi world also has its own classifications. There are the “traditional” sushi establishments that are so hard-core that highly trained, extremely knowledgeable sushi chef will literally chop your head off with a Ginzu knife if you even think about ordering anything with mayonnaise (their names are usually Ken, Hiro, or Kaz). Then there are the “American” sushi places where cute, young sushi chefs (Peter, John, Mike — obviously made-up names) serve creative rolls and call them sushi just because they contain rice and seaweed. The truth is, the food served at both places are equally delicious in its own way, but they are two completely different genre of food and they should not be compared or be subjected to same standards.

I can see why people may think that I’m a sushi snob because I’ve only been able to find to a handful of restaurants that I think capture the true essence of the “traditional” sushi, even in this super sushi-dense San Fernando Valley.  This could be misconstrued as me being highly critical and super selective, although the truth is that I’ve been to many, many good “American” sushi places around.

Sushi Dan in Studio City, to me, is the quintessential “American” sushi establishment that serves creative and fun sushi rolls, like Shrimp Killer that has a log of cream cheese in the middle of a deep- fried, eel-sauce drenched roll. The clientale is mostly young, hip Hollywood-wannabe type and the atmopshere is busy and lively, even during lunch hours.  It offers traditional sushi menu but why bother when you can have the Yummy Crunchy and all the other interesting creations.  I was introduced to this place by my friends/colleagues only a few weeks ago, but we’ve been back for lunch already twice in a short amount of time.

Shrimp Killer, shrimp tempura, cream cheese and cucumber inside, topped with eel sauce

Yummy Crunchy, tuna tomato, house dressing on fried wonton skins

Salmon sashimi

Assortment of sushi that came with the lunch special

Philadelpha Roll

Would I recommend this place to hard-core sushi purists (alas my boyfriend)? Probably not. But would I recommend it for someone who’s looking for some fun, delicious “American” sushi? Absolutely.

Sushi Dan
11056 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604
★★★★☆