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 construction is taking longer than expected, owner/chef Junya Yamasaki decided to begin his operations in a food truck platform. The result is Yess Aquatic.
Conveniently, the Yess Aquatic food truck is parked in front of their future brick and mortar home across the street from Guerilla Tacos. The front door was partially open and I could view the progress of the construction. Dark and dusty, it was hard to imagine that this would end up being a cool venue to visit. Alfresco dining will be available in their rear patio.
Born in Japan and established in London, Yamasaki has settled in LA. He now spends much of his time working to understand the local marine life. At the same time, he has been working with local fishermen, teaching them Ikejime, a traditional Japanese fisherman’s technique to kill and bleed the fish with no stress. Yamasaki has applied this technique to local species in a way to maximize the quality of the fish.
With Yess Aquatic, Yamasaki creates innovative dishes using local seafood with a Japanese lens. Some of the regular dishes include a smoked black cod bowl with pickled cucumber, sashimi salad with sliced almonds, and a fish katsu curry to name a few of them. Yamasaki partnered with Sommelier Yukiyasu Kaneko to create their beverage menu. “Aquatic Waters” are healthy fruit beverages infused with Japanese kombu.
The Ridgeback Prawn Sandwich ($14) is made bánh mì style using fresh-baked housemade buns. The prawns are caught in west coast waters and resemble jumbo shrimp. Pâté and sambal hot seasoning paste are applied to the bun. It also includes the traditional Vietnamese pickled daikon/carrot cucumber/cilantro dressing.
French Bouillabaisse fans will likely enjoy their Sauteed Fish Curry. The thick curry is made from fish bones and had a pleasant but not overpowering curry seasoning. The fish changes based on their daily catch and that day it was Vermillion Rockfish. The rockfish is lightly breaded and fried.
The Sashimi Salad is definitely worth ordering. Not only is the fish ultra-fresh, but with the combination of mixed greens, toasted sliced almonds, and sliced citrus rind, this creates a dish that even non-salad eaters would enjoy.
Expect to find lingcod on this weekend’s menu. U.S. wild-caught lingcod is a smart seafood choice because it is on the list of sustainable seafood. While lingcod is an ugly fish, it is a deliciously mild fish with a slightly sweet flavor.
Yess Aquatic, 2001 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
yessaquatic.com