World of WordPress…let me proudly introduce you to my favorite Japanese Sushi restaurant in all of Los Angeles, California, and likely the world. Irori.
http://irorisushi.com/
Not only does this restaurant have a soft spot in my heart because it was the first restaurant that Chris took me to for a date, but it has consistently outshone all other Japanese restaurants I have ever been to, including when I visited Tokyo.
Now I know that there are certainly sushi “purists” out there that say that sushi isn’t “traditional” or “good enough” unless it’s prepared by a Japanese person and all I have to say to them is: Haters gonna hate. If a Korean man working behind a sushi bar and trying to speak Japanese for your sake of an immersive experience AND makes delicious sushi on top of it, then what right do you have to complain about it?
(The above rant was brought to you by haters on yelp.)
ANYWAY! Irori has been my favorite sushi restaurant for about a year…or ever since I was introduced to it. Much like the name (if translated) implies, you get an almost authentic Japanese dining experience at this restaurant. When you walk in you are prompted to remove your shoes and place them in the provided cubbies before setting foot into the main dining area of the restaurant. Germaphobes have no fear! You are provided with optional disposable socks if you don’t want your bare feet touching the ground.
After your shoes are removed a server will then guide you to your seat–you have the option of sitting at a table or at the sushi bar. All the seats in the restaurant are “irori style”. The word Irori refers to Japanese table/chair style where seats go inside the floor and creates a sitting-on-the-floor effect with much more comfort. So you can feel traditional like you’re sitting on the floor without any of the numb legs. Chris and I prefer to sit and watch the chefs work in the sushi bar. A fun tip if you ever visit this place, if you sit at the bar they’ll give you a free amuse bouche. For the past few months its been a small sample of their tuna, salmon, albacore and one other type of fish that I’m not sure of drizzled with a sweet yellow sauce.
We ordered our usuals–Fatty Tuna, Bluefin Tuna, Salmon and an Irori Roll. To change things up a little bit we also ordered a California Roll (Chris), Baked Lobster Rolle (me), Albacore Special, and an Uni (Sea Urchin) Shooter.
The Fatty Tuna is my absolute favorite cut of any fish that I’ve ever tried. Before Chris took me here I had never tried it before but now I can never come here without ordering it. I almost ordered two this time around. It is the most amazing flavor and texture of melt-in-your-mouth goodness that I have ever had the pleasure of trying. And even the Bluefin Tuna which we don’t always get was phenomenally tender. My mouth is watering just remembering it.
(Front) Bluefin Tuna, (Back) Fatty Tuna
You can tell a lot about a place based on the quality of their California Roll and for whatever reason, Chris felt like ordering a California Roll that did not disappoint! Unlike most places, the rice to crab to veggie ratio was perfect. I feel like usually people put way too much rice–that did not happen at Irori. I was even telling Chris they might actually use real crab as opposed to imitation crab and they didn’t skimp on the avocado.
California Roll: Cucumber, Avocado, Crab Meat
Chris’ favorite roll is the Irori Roll. It’s made with avocado, cucumber, a bit of other vegetation, and Bluefin tuna. It’s also topped with deep fried crispy onion strings!
Irori Roll
The Albacore Special which is albacore sashimi in a yuzu/ponzu-ish sauce with thinner shoestring onions is melt-in-your-mouth good! It was actually much softer than the toro with a smoother flavor. When I tried it for the first time I had a hard time processing what had just happened. My tastebuds were not prepared for it but they sure enjoyed it a lot!.
Albacore Special
I have had baked rolls before…but for some reason I just really wanted to try Irori’s version, knowing that they could do no worse than the baked rolls I’ve had previously and Salmon was on my mind. I was rewarded for my risk! It was delicious!! I didn’t know what was inside, it was either crab or some other kind of fish, but on top was the most amazing baked salmon topped with not-too-much mayonnaise and baked to perfection. And you can even see for yourself how beautifully garnished everything is.
Baked Salmon Roll (front view)
Baked Salmon Roll (Side View)
I always used to get salmon (sake) sashimi at my old favorite sushi place but for some reason after finding this place thought that it was too low-brow for me to order. Until one day when we took Chris’ best friend here and he ordered 5 orders of it and we tried it and fell in love all over again. I should have known that a higher quality restaurant would result in higher quality salmon.
Three of the Four Pieces of Salmon…Chris was too excited to wait for me to take the picture.
The only thing I forgot to take a picture of was the Uni (sea urchin) shooter because I was just so excited and eager to drink it. But I have supplemented it with a picture of two Uni Shooters from mine and Chris’ second day at Irori. A sea urchin shooter is very similar to an oyster shooter except for that–as far as I know–there’s no alcohol in it. Which is perfectly fine for me because even in my oyster shooters I feel like the vodka ruins it. Uni shooters are prepared with masago (fish eggs), lemon, ponzu, a quail egg, and garnished with a carrot. It’s a very strong and distinct taste and texture that is not for the feint of stomach, but for those who are brave, your daring will be rewarded!!
Uni Shooters for Two
I am obviously in love with Irori and am loathe to leave it for a whole rest of the year!! Alas, I must…or I’ll just keep coming here as an exception to maintain my “regular” status. We’ll see what happens when my next sushi craving strikes. Parting from here is such sweet sorrow…alas…’til next time, Irori!
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