One of my co-workers handed me a business card. He said, “It’s the real deal”. Since he is married to someone from Thailand, I trusted his acumen on Thai cuisine. I wasn’t sure of his knowledge of Japanese food. The business card was from Wadatsumi and the restaurant is located in Torrance.
Wadatsumi is located in a strip mall on the corner of Carson St and Western Ave. in Torrance. A very good sushi restaurant is located there as well as an 85°C Bakery. I recently dined there for both lunch and dinner (not on the same day!)
I knew the restaurant was popular, but what I didn’t know is that reservations are essential. I entered the restaurant when they opened and they immediately asked for my reservation. I replied that I didn’t make one and they paused and said that I could sit at the counter overseeing the kitchen – they led me to the last seat on at the counter, next to the wall.
That didn’t bother me because I had a nice view of the kitchen operation.
Kagatobi Ginjo Sake
I like to pair sake with sashimi and sushi and selected the Kagatobi Ginjo. The sake was served with a wood sake box and poured from a huge 1.8L bottle. It was smooth with a nice balance of acidity making this a very food friendly sake.
Grilled Duck
“Roasted Duck Loin Meat” – perhaps it was a language barrier, but I watched my duck as it seared on the charcoal grill. It arrived with topped with black pepper and accompanied with a small spice mix. The charcoal grill gave it a nice flavor and the duck had very little fat.
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- Grilled Sea Bream Collar
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- Chu-toro don with sushi rice
One of their specials was sea bream collar. I also got to watch as the fish head was grilled in front of me. It was served with daikon oroshi and a slice of lemon. The exterior was crunchy and the interior meat was juicy and tender.
Customer that order don can order them with sushi or regular steamed rice. I selected sushi rice to pair with the chu-toro don. This dish was beautifully presented and the fish was so tender, it almost melted in my mouth.
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- Chirashi – made with premium fish
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- Australian Skirt Steak seared on the grilll
The harami beef don is marinated skirt steak made from premium Australian beef. Think of this as being a gourmet Japanese beef bowl. It was accompanied with a swab of wasabi.
Despite not growing up eating chirashi, it has become comfort food for me. This was probably one of the best chirashis I’ve had. The fish was beautifully presented on a bowl of sushi rice, but surprised me was how tasty the tamago was. (Japanese omelette).
During lunch, reservations aren’t essential and when I recently visited, I was surprised to see the number of people already in line before Wadatsumi opened.
Since this is not far from where I live, I will likely become a regular. While Wadatsumi doesn’t have items tempura and nigiri, there are plenty of seafood and meat items to choose from. The fish and meat are high in quality and the service is friendly and efficient.
My opinion of my co-workers food acumen has just been raised a notch.
Wadatsumi, 1757 W Carson St, R&S, Torrance, CA 90501