Mori Sushi
Average user Rating: 94
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Chef/Owner Morihiro Onodera practices sushi as an art from the focus on fresh fish to the uniquely hand-crafted plates. He even grows his own rice and makes his own tofu. This is not to say his cuisine is completely traditional; aspects of Californian cuisine show through many of his dishes.
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93
11/14/2008
All photos are up on my blog: http://tinyurl.com/5ot7d5
Sushi omakase for lunch on a weekday. I probably shouldn't have done it - such an indulgence for a weekday lunch, don't you think? But too late now.
Mori was marked with a fish sign on a small street corner of Pico and I had to loop around until I was kinda sure that was the right place. On a weekday lunch time they're fairly empty. I sat at the sushi bar and ordered omakase - but told the sushi chef (not Mori) that we would like mostly sushi - maybe just one kaiseki.
1. He started us off with some tofu and tomatoes in vinaigrette.A nice, light way to start off. The tofu was smooth and silky and the tomatoes were fresh and flavorful.
2. We had some soup with seafood
Pretty standard, too much soup for one person, in my opinion, and were antsy for the sushi, so we didn't finish this. I had this at Sasabune also and was never very keen about it. The one at Mori is better, but either way, I want to hurry and eat my sushi.
3.We also had a nice little platter with eggplants, beets, and a caviar gelee.
The eggplant with miso (yellow) was great, and the beets were flavorful. Everything was well prepared and we had a good variety of cooked appetizers this way.
4. We started with some red snapper marinated in seaweed
Really fresh, the subtle taste from the seaweed is amazing. Great first impression!
5. big eye toro
Again, very fresh. The big eye toro had a very smooth texture but it's not as oily and fatty. I personally prefer the fattier one but for those more health-conscious you might like this leaner big eye toro :P
6. Next is an interesting one I haven't had before: wild eel tail
So far I've only had unagi or anago, cooked with eel sauce, so this is new to me. A little fishy and chewy, but it has a nice flavor and texture.
7.apanese mackerel
8. fresh octopus with yuzu chili
I was quite impressed by this one. I normally don't like octopus that much, but this one was delicious. Nice crunchy texture.
9.We also finally got some bluefin toro.
I think all three of us agreed that we like the bluefin better - it's oilier than the big eye, but hey, we're eating toro here, of course we want oil and fat :P
It's definitely very fresh, but it's not the best toro ever as far as the texture and taste though - although this preference of mine can't be very healthy for me ...
10. Another interesting piece we had that day was this baby barracuda:
It was seared and had a very nice seared flavor. The fish itself is a little fishy but it's very2 tender. First time I had this as sushi and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
11.I finished the meal with some spanish mackerel
Again, very fresh fish, but the flavors are pretty subtle.
12. They served us some fresh fruits with azuki paste for dessert
Great fruits, although the mangoes weren't particularly ripe (then again I always compare mangoes to the South Asian mangoes, so ... ). Loved the azuki paste, a nice simple ending to the meal.
After tax and tips I came out of there for $102. Kind of a lot for a quickie lunch (less than 1 hour)! The sushi was definitely very fresh, no doubt about that, but it's definitely pricey. I think Sushi Zo is on par with Mori and for a bit cheaper, so I would be coming back to Zo more than Mori. That said, there's no denying the quality of fish at Mori. I don't think I can justify another $100 lunch anytime soon, but I'll come back one of these days!
Recommended Dishes
Omakase
96
Pure, refined Japanese sushi
6/26/2008
If you're looking for the latest Matsuhisa-inspired trendy sushi joint and like spicy spider rolls, this is NOT your place. However, if you want pure, traditional Japanese-style sushi using only the freshest and finest, including hand-grated wasabi, then it's hard to best Mori.
Eating at Mori is like going to a Zen retreat. When you finish, you realize that less is actually more. It forces you to focus on what's most important, as opposed to covering up flaws.
But even though this place is incredible, it somehow still doesn't feel entirely comfortable. Not your typical bustling neighborhood sushi joint, though it is crowded. I can't fully explain, except that after eating there, I feel a bit like I've achieved a higher level of consciousness.
89
1/1/2000
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