Three years ago, one of the most popular sandwiches to appear on Instagram was the katsu sando from Echo Park’s Konbi. In fact, Bon Appetit featured the recipe for their pork katsu sando. While I haven’t frequented Konbi, I recently visited Katsu Sando, a restaurant located in downtown LA’s Chinatown. If you aren’t familiar with…
Japanese
Izakaya Hachi Delivers Amazing Japanese Tapas
Prior to the pandemic, Izakaya Hachi was one of the busiest restaurants in the South Bay. Their brick-and-mortar is located on Carson St near many Japanese eateries. Reservations were required and sometimes you had to book a couple of weeks in advance. As an izakaya, they operate similar to a Spanish tapas bar. Izakaya restaurants…
Kotosh – Japanese Peruvian Done Well
Kotosh originally opened with the name of Kotosh at Kamiyama and is a Japanese Peruvian fusion restaurant. Knowing how important restaurant naming is, I wondered about having a long name that isn’t easy to remember. Fortunately, they are thriving 15 years later. Today, they are simply known as “Kotosh”. Kotosh is located in a strip…
The 10 Days of Take Out in the South Bay
According to Bloomberg, more than 110,000 restaurants have closed permanently or long-term across the country as the industry grapples with the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the South Bay, the situation is the same; many restaurants are temporarily closed or operating with only a small fraction of their normal business. South Bay restaurants…
Yess Aquatic Delivers Innovative Japanese Seafood
Editor’s note: Yess Aquatic ceased its food truck operation in Oct 2021. Owner Yamasaki is working on opening a brick and mortar in that same location. Date TBD. Despite the pandemic taking place, some LA restaurants are taking steps to prepare for their opening. One such restaurant is located in downtown LA’s Art District. Since…
Tsurumaru Udon Honpo – DIY Udon Kit
Toshikoshi is a celebration for the New Year in Japan, which means to cut from the old year to the new year. They do this by eating Toshikoshi soba, a “year-crossing noodle” to cut from the old year to the new year. To aid in the celebration, Tsurumaru Udon Honpo created DIY Nabeyaki Udon kits. …
Okayama Kobo Bakery Turns To Popups
Okayama Kobo is a popular bakery in Japan and is named after the Okayama prefecture where they operate. The owner/baker Tsunetaka Kawakami learned and perfected the art of baking during his tour through many bakeries in Japan. Leveraging his success in Japan, he opened his first bakery in the US in 2018. Due to the…
Rakkan Ramen Scores With Delicious Broth
While ramen was invented in the early 1900s, it didn’t make its way to the US until 1976 when Hiroshi Yamauchi incorporated it as part of the menu of his restaurant, Koraku. The movie, Tampopo, introduced and popularized it to many that weren’t familiar with it. Since then many ramen shops have opened across LA….
Curry Plus, A Japanese Curry Paradise
After setting my post on Champion’s Curry, my foodie friend suggested that I try Curry Plus, a new Japanese restaurant in Torrance. I had seen some of their social media posts and it didn’t make an impression on me. Since I respect my friend’s opinion, I placed this on my bucket list and finally visited…
Champion’s Curry Serves Rich Japanese Curry Offerings
Many are unaware that curry has a diverse international history with many permutations. In the 19th Century, the British developed their own roux-based curry. This style was well received in Japan and spawned off different varieties in the many prefectures of Japan. One such curry entrepreneur is Yoshikazu Tanaka, the founder of Champion’s Curry. With…