by Eleonora Boreyko
IROHA of Tokyo
12953 Ventura Blvd (Coldwater Canon Ave.), Studio City 91604
Don’t miss this small in size, but huge in success restaurant sitting a few feet off Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. Iroha of Tokyo has been welcoming its clientele for twenty years. Impressive, considering many other sushi places in the neighborhood. Valet your car and make your way into the cozy Japanese home with high ceiling and a large mirror on the wall - one way to make a room bigger. Framed with red lanterns, the bar area suggests an intimate feel and an opportunity to make new friends while taking a pick at their choice of house specialties like spinach salad with 5 kinds of sautéed mushrooms. Belissimo, the chef is inspired by Italian cuisine. He has prepared a melting-in-your-mouth Sushi Pizza 1000 (spicy tuna & shiso leaves on top of crispy rice with miso paste). For lunch, tasty sashimi or Iroha boxes await to spoil anyone’s taste buds. Visit this rare eatery with well-kept traditional Japanese cooking “art.”

by Elenora Boryeko
HAMA SUSHI
213 Windward Ave. (near Main St), Venice, CA 90291
(310) 396-8783

Not only does Venice’s most acclaimed sushi restaurant offer the ocean’s breeze, but also a chance “to inhale” Japanese delights, arranged by the expert chef. Akinori Yokoyama has long perfected his “craft” of preparing sushi/sashimi an addition to the special kitchen menu that changes everyday. No need to study it carefully - each dish is exquisite. Be hungry and ready for something new to taste as the selection is extensive. Just to whet your appetite, order steamed asari clam with sake garlic butter or fresh asparagus with spicy mayonnaise. To complete your dinning experience, ask for an empowering dessert like banana fritters with chocolate sauce. After dinner, take a walk on the famous Venice boardwalk to see the sun slowly fall into the darkening sky.

by Eleonora Boreyko

EN
11651 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 477-1551

West Los Angeles is bustling with great sushi eateries, each offering fun atmosphere along with fine Japanese cuisine. The several months- old En, has its own appeal. Above the bar area, an enormously large red symbol of En (sushi party) restaurant welcomes numerous guests. If you’re looking for an intimate feeling, several tables near the windows could be the right choice as the artificial waterfall adds peacefulness to the modern décor. A large variety of sashimi, hot garden, cold ocean, and land appetizers are for you to enjoy. Their Tofu salad (sweet fried tofu & tofu with sesame oil dressing) is creatively presented and exceptionally flavorful. A neat martini menu is a welcome surprise at the sushi restaurant. Premium cold sake is available as well to accompany any delicacy you desire. Are you ready to party?

by Eleonora Boreyko

HAKATA SUSHI
2830 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 828-8404
I think it is uncommon for a sushi restaurant to be open on Sunday at 10am? Indeed, the chef’s of Hakata have passion for the outstanding sushi as well as the football. Come to see your favorite team play while gulping oyster shooters or the celestial crab sushi with sweet sauce. A large room has three televisions and a square bar area in the middle with a giant dinosaur hanging from the ceiling, holding a bottle of Kirin. If commercials during the break seem a bit boring, look around: the walls are crowded with posters and pictures, some of which are signed by legends of showbiz. Just to name a few: basketball player Reggie Miller, musician Brian Zetzer, skater Michel Kwan, comedian/actor John Candy. As energy builds up, ask Riki, a.k.a. crazy sushi man, to make lobster tempura with a sauce that adds a spiky taste to it. Don’t let the fun slip away even if your team is losing.

by Eleonora Boreyko

THE HUMP
3221 Donald Douglas South Loop
Los Angeles, CA 90405
(310) 313-0977
By all means, The Hump just could be the best sushi restaurant in town, presenting the most reliably fresh sushi, sashimi and other Japanese delicacies “to live for.” With a fireplace in the room and over looking the Santa Monica Airport runway, even with your eyes open, you might find yourself “flying.” Begin by inhaling the airy Hibachi sashimi or the spicy yellow tail/tuna, accompanied with “silky smooth” sake. Another unique specialty is live sweet shrimp; notice the bodies wiggle even after the heads have been cut off. If you’re really an adventuresome person, request the heads to be tempura fried. The waiter will seem a bit sloppy when you observe him over pouring cold sake into the glass and onto the small dish underneath. Don’t be surprised; that’s the way they serve it. Your wallet will look visibly thinner, but have no regrets as The Hump’s sensational delicacies are like precious stones. The service is better at the Sushi bar than at the tables.