According to USA Today, the average lifespan of a restaurant is five years and by some estimates, up to 90 percent of new ones fail within the first year. Chef Yuichi Natori bucked the trend by working for the last 25 years at Chaya Venice. He recently went out on his own and opened N Café in Gardena.
N Café is a casual spot located in a strip mall on Vermont Ave just west of the Harbor freeway. Due to the pandemic, the dining room was closed and take-out or delivery was the only option available. I placed my order one day prior using the ChowNow service and scheduled my pick up time.
They are best known for their bento boxes. These are not only works of art that, but are comprised of a nice variety of items. Standard is steamed rice, a protein such as beef or broiled fish, pickled vegetables, and a salad. It is a balanced meal that provides a multitude of taste sensations.
The Steak Bento ($16.50) includes Angus ribeye steak, onion kakiage (onion tempura), green beans, potato salad, Japanese pickled vegetables, and a large scoop of steam riced with a pickled plum seed on top. The steak was tender and juicy and the pickled vegetables paired well with the rice.
A beautiful serving of salmon graced the Fish Bento box ($11.50). It was packaged with the same options and I suspect that these were the standard options that day. Prepared with shio koji, a mixture made with fermented rice and salt. This imparts a mildly sweet and salty flavor into the salmon.
Spaghetti is popular in Japan and there, they can find some non-Italian versions. One such variety is filled umami-rich flavor over tomato sauce. Japanese Mushroom Spaghetti ($12.50) includes organic Japanese mushrooms, shiso, parsley, garlic, crushed chile peppers, and soy sauce.
If you’d rather not have rice, they have salads such as a shrimp cobb, Angus steak, and one with seared ahi. The steak salad is the most interesting as it includes avocado, onion, cucumbers, fried egg, and sriracha ponzu. Risk-averse eaters can select a Wagyu Cheese Burger or a Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich.
N Café, 16814 South Vermont Ave., Gardena CA
ncafegardena.com