Wakasan
Average user Rating: 83
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Wakasan serves izakaya style dishes only in omakase. The sake menu is extensive.
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85
Wakasan (Los Angeles, CA) [2]
3/27/2009
Unlike the sushi-focused Japanese restaurants I normally frequent, Wakasan serves up more rustic, home-style, izakaya-type fare. I'd been here before, but a friend of mine wanted to return, and I was game. The way to go at Wakasan is omakase, of which the restaurant offers four choices: $35, $55, $75, and $95. I didn't even know about anything but the $35 until recently, and as you might expect from me, I wanted to go all out and try the $95. The problem was that when we called, we were told that the $75 and $95 options usually require a week's notice, though it'd be possible to do them in one day. Not wanting to compromise the quality of the food (we were going in two days), we settled on the $55. Regarding my first visit, I wrote that the $35 omakase was a "downright steal" and that I "wouldn't feel out of place paying twice as much." It'd be interesting to see how much of an "upgrade" the $55 would represent.
1: Appetizer Quartet
• Sansai - The first item I tried were the simmered greens (or sansai--"mountain vegetable"), flavored with bonito (skipjack tuna) broth, katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings, specifically the thinner hanakatsuo variety), and shiitake mushroom. The sansai had a slightly crunchy consistency, not unlike spinach. Its mild flavor was contrast sharply by the smoky, savory fishiness of the bonito. Very similar to the first dish on my last visit.
• Ankimo - I then took a bite of the ankimo, or monkfish liver. Paired with scallion and a sweet ponzu sauce, it reminded me of the superb ankimo I had at Shibucho. It had a great, firm texture and its mild, delicate flavor was deftly complemented by the sweet ponzu and zest of the scallion. Very nice--my favorite of the quartet.
• Kinpira Gobo - Gobo, also known as burdock, is root vegetable known for its mildly sweet, vegetal flavor and crunchy texture. Kinpira gobo is shredded burdock and carrot, traditionally cooked with soy sauce, mirin (sweet rice wine), and sugar. I'm not usually a fan of burdock, but thought that this preparation was quite tasty, with the sweetness of the root taking center stage.
• Ikura - The salmon roe was served over daikon oroshi, or grated daikon radish. My dining companions didn't care for this, though I didn't have a problem with it. I felt that the daikon tempered the brininess of the roe, but they found it overpowering.
2: Sunomono
I believe this would be considered a sunomono, or vinegar-marinated dish (lemon and mirin were used as well I believe). The ingredients were hotate, tako, uni, wakame seaweed, and cucumber. I first tried the scallop; it had a great texture, but the taste was a bit too fishy; fortunately the wasabi helped temper this. Next was the octopus, surprisingly soft, with a rich flavor alternating between sweet and savory--not bad. The uni, meanwhile, was good on its own, excellent with the wasabi. Overall, this was a middling course.
3: Sashimi
I loved the beautiful, rustic presentation of the sashimi here. We were given binnaga maguro (albacore), hamachi (yellowtail), and two types of tai (snapper). I first tasted the albacore; it had a distinctly creamy texture, uncharacteristic of the fish, but its flavor was curiously absent; the soy was a necessity. Next was the yellowtail, which I found much more flavorful. It had a noticeable, but not overwhelming fishiness to it, and exhibited a soft, but not overly fatty consistency--pretty good. As for the two types of snapper, the first was alfonsino, a.k.a. Tasmanian snapper or red bream. It was my favorite of the bunch, with a wonderfully crisp, snappy body paired with a mild, delicate flavor. The other tai was identified solely as being "from Japan." It wasn't nearly as good as the alfonsino, being tough, stringy, and nearly flavorless--soy didn't help much.
4: Kani, Ebi, Tamago
Though a relatively straightforward course of grilled crab legs and shrimp, this was easily my favorite of the meal. I first tasted the crab; wonderfully tender, the legs had their signature sweetness in spades, accented by a bit of brininess. This was perfectly contrasted with the savory flavor imparted by the grilling. The end result was fantastic. As good as the crab was, the shrimp was even better, with the natural flavor of the crustaceans highlighted by the use of garlic and spice, giving the shrimp an almost Chinese flavor. It was simply the best shrimp I've had in recent memory. To finish things off, the egg omelet was a relatively mild contrast to the power of the rest of the dish, but even it was augmented by a bit of savory eel stuffing--very nice.
5: Duck Nabemono
Nabemono, or nabe, can be thought of as a hot pot, along the lines of a sukiyaki or shabu shabu. Here, the featured ingredients were beautiful slices of ruby red duck, complemented with greens, tofu, enoki mushroom, leek, and scallion. The cooking vessel itself was powered by a petroleum-based solid fuel, and heated an intense, savory broth (I'm thinking soy and/or dashi based) held in a paper container; the whole setup was similar to what I've had at Urasawa before. We had great fun cooking the various items, and I really savored the interplay of all the different ingredients, trying out different combinations. The duck itself took on almost foie gras-like flavor, steeped with the rich flavor of the broth. A delicious, heartwarming dish.
6: Uni-Maguro Don
This was a bowl of nori-infused rice, topped with tuna, uni, and wasabi. The lush, fatty tuna and sea urchin were great on their own--creamy, luxurious, decadent--but even better when accented by the spicy tang of wasabi. They were tempered by the rice, which was slightly sticky, and embedded with a nori, giving it an absolutely delightful seaweed flavor. This was served with pickles (daikon and cabbage), which added a lovely sour crunch to complement the dish.
7: Cream Pudding
This was similar flavor-wise to a crème brûlée, but without the hard caramelized top. The custard had a rich, creamy flavor that was quite in-your-face; its intensity was fortunately mitigated by the fruit. Not a bad dessert, but I would've liked something more inventive.
All in all, this was a solid meal, but not necessarily better than the $35 version. Indeed, the ingredients were more luxurious, and the preparations more involved, but the whole experience wasn't really more satisfying. And let's not forget that we only had seven courses here, versus the 13 last time. Nevertheless, I do want to return sometime and see how the $95 version compares.
Full review with photos:
http://www.kevinea ts.com/2009/03/wakasan-los- angeles-ca-2.htm
89
Wakasan on a Sunday Night
2/13/2009
Wakasan
1929 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 446-5241
Sunday we were in the mood for an excursion. We planned to pack up the hounds and head out, bound west, for a constitution and a new dining experience. We continue to tighten our belts, and the westside places I know of are all pretty high profile. So, I enlisted the help of a blogger acquaintance of mine, Tangbro, who writes the delicious Only Eat What Feeds Your Soul. This guy has great taste in food, and he really gets around. He steered me in the direction of Wakasan. Thanks, Tangbro. It was delicious.
Wakasan is a busy little Japanese restaurant. Tiny, and by the time we left, crowded.
It is rather beautiful, in a Japanese minimalist way. I mentioned somewhere else recently that it is the one restaurant I have been to in the states that really reminds me of Tokyo. Not the Tokyo of Lost in Translation. But the Tokyo I know from strapping on walking shoes and walking from neighborhood to neighborhood from dawn til dusk several days in a row. The little streets in between the high streets, that twist and turn through residential areas with strolling schoolgirls, postmen, and mothers with carriages or groceries. In these streets are tiny unpretentious restaurants that remind me very much of Wakasan.
They offer you only one menu. The drinks menu. The omakase is $35, and they didn't offer me any other options. There is a sign in the ladies' room that seems to suggest three levels of omakase, $35, $55, and $75. But I am not sure because I don't read Japanese.
They started us out with three beautiful dishes. Even before the sake arrived. One was sardine with sesame seeds over a daikon salad. Lovely and light flavored. A second was spinach and bonito flakes. The bonito flakes add a definite fishiness to the dish, but are so light they aren't overpowering. The third dish was my favorite but I could not get a good picture of it. It was 2 seaweeds mixed together with lots of tiny mushrooms. One of the seaweeds seemed to be darker, dried and slightly chewy, while the other was fresh and juicy.
This was actually our second sake of the night. We started with a hot sake that tasted like honeydew melon. It was amazing. This one was lighter and a little more dry, and very cold. My mouth is watering.
The next dish was a trio of sashimi. Yellowtail, tuna and something else...I have no idea what this was. I ate it and didn't ask.The sashimi was definitely Japanese style, small bite-sized pieces.
Out walked the crab next. This was a beautiful portion. Simplistic perfection. Generous portion.
This was delicious but not my favorite dish. Fried oysters with BBQ sauce. The oysters were delicious, but the breading was really very heavy, drizzled with a dark BBQ sauce. I ate the oyster from inside its fried shell.
The next dish was deliciousness personified. Or foodified? A beef soup dish. Beef with green onions and a huge chunk of what I thought was ginger in a miso broth. Hot and lovely. The small amount of noodles was tied in this little knot. How cute is that?
Next came miso broiled salmon. The flavor was nice but I thought the salmon was overcooked. It was overcooked for my preference, anyway. Underneath the bed of greens was a surprise. Lots of mushrooms in a gelatinous sauce. It reminded me of Chinese food. I love the mushrooms, hated the sauce. I don't like Chinese food as a rule. Just so you understand my perspective. You might find this delicious. D delighted in it.
Next came a Japanese egg custard. So light, so hot, with surprises at the bottom. A treat! At the bottom of this one was shrimp, mushroom and one lotus seed. So good. It feels like you are eating something good for you.
I found the order of food to be curious. After the egg custard came and egg drop soup. I don't care for egg drop soup. And I found it to be strange following egg custard. It was extremely simple. Ka Ga Yai serves you a bowl of noodle soup at the end of a meal as well, so perhaps this is customary. I would like to know.
Hands-down my favorite food of the evening was a bowl of uni with salmon roe over rice. I wish it had come at the beginning when I was still starving. I understand that its strong flavors were meant to be the piece de resistance of the meal...but I was almost too full to finish it.
And fresh fruit to end the meal and cleanse our palate. What a wonderful meal. Thank you, Wakasan. And thank you, Tangbro! I ate what feeds my soul.
Review with photos here: http://foodshethought.blogs pot.com/2009/02/wakasan-35- omakase-and-worth-every.html
Recommended Dishes
omakase
85
Great Deal
11/26/2008
Wakasan is one of my favorite recent discoveries. Why? Well, 1) they're open late - 11:30PM M-Th, and 12:30AM F-Sat. I don't know if you remember my ordeal on finding late night places on Mondays, but, well, this about fixes it all! 2)It's a great deal. They prefer you to do their prix fixe menu that's $35 - when I did, I ended up getting 12 items and was stuffed - probably too much so for 11pm on a Monday ...
Photos of all 12 dishes are here: http://tinyurl.com/57twms
T hanks to Mattatouille for pointing this place out to me!
1. Cold bean sprouts
2. Bean curd - before it's formed into tofu with vegetables, and
3. Ankimo with ponzu sauce, cucumbers and salmon eggs
The tofu curd had a very interesting texture and the dish overall was great.
The ankimo was also good, and I really like the combination with the cucumbers!
4. Sashimi: Tuna, old yellowtail, red snapper
They're not the best quality sashimi, although it wasn't bad. I wondered why the "old yellowtail" - because, yes, it tasted pretty "old". Anyway it wasn't bad and for $35 for this and a lot more I wasn't going to complain.
5. King crab legs
Yum. They're king crab legs, I don't know what else you want me to say O:)
6. Grilled items: Miso salmon and green beans wrapped in wagyu beef
Pretty standard, salmon's a bit overcooked and hence, dry, for my taste, but overall everything was solid, even though not remarkable.
7. Braised Skate wings
This was my first time having skate. It was pretty fishy, but also pretty meaty. The braising has made it tender, so it was quite tasty - although I wasn't able to finish it because I was full and also because it was too fishy for my taste.
8. Shrimp with sweet potato fried rolls
This was served with cocktail sauce, which I wasn't too keen about. Overall this was pretty bland in my opinion, although it did have nice textures.
9. Chawanmushi
With ginkgo, small shrimps, etc, this was one of the best chawan mushi I could remember having.
10. Miso soup
11. Chirashi with tuna, scallops, uni.
Again, the fish quality is not the best, but the uni is not bad. I didn't really like the scallops as they were not fresh, but I thought the other two were decent.
12. Vanilla ice cream
I can't say for sure but this tasted very much like Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream. Which meant it was good :)
Overall we had a great variety of dishes, and some of them very interesting ones I've never had before, and all for $35. Plus they're open late daily. I'll be back here, and I think you know when :P
Recommended Dishes
$35 Omakase
85
Twelve Courses for $35
7/24/2008
The non-descript exterior made it easy to miss. I'm still curious why the sign says Japanese charcoal cuisine. Of my twelve course, only one may have been grilled. There's a podium outside that explains their omakase-only philosophy. However, when I think izakaya, I also think that part of the fun is having a choice. While getting a sampling of many things is good, there were some things I wouldn't have ordered given a choice. I would probably come here again with my Japanese friends and seeing how they like it.
Recommended Dishes
omakase, live shrimp available for extra
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