Asanebo Corp

10/18/10

Unbelievable sushi

by dtj2001 at Citysearch

Ate at Asanebo last night and had a fantastic meal! We sat at the bar and asked the sushi chef to give us the best choices for what was in season and we were not disappointed. Some very unique options including some smoked sweet fish, mackerel and conch that were very good. Also some wonderful marinated cherry tomatoes paired with blue fin tuna that was excellent. Of course everything tastes better with sake and the Asanebo brand was excellent.

One of the best (and filling sushi meals) I've had but those that eat to stuff themselves are missing out on some great food if all they want is quantity. I think the few bad reviews here all seem to be from people who are just ordering what they like to eat and were disappointed when they get authentic japanese sushi and it does not live up to their americanized-ideal of what sushi is. I've always found that when trying a new place you should try the house specialties, what is in season and especially what the sushi chef recommends. You can always try some of your favorites but why not try something new. I can't imagine someone not enjoying the food that I had last night unless you just don't like sushi.

Great place, great food and great service!

05/17/09

Overpriced and overrated

by californiafoodiegal at Citysearch

Having been to most of the Japanese restaurants in the area and in SoCal, I was very disappointed with the meal. We were a party of 4 and spent $400 on dinner and were all hungry even after dinner (we are skinny people too!). I have been here before, and the service and the food has definitely dropped in quality and portions. There are much better options in Studio City. We are planning never to return to Asanebo.

• Pros: good sushi
• Cons: microscopic portions, poor service

02/08/09

I Would Actually Rate It With Half A Star

by PrimeBeefLover at Citysearch

My wife and I love Japanese food and frequently passed by this restaurant vowing to try it one day. Sadly, that day was today.

It's a nice little place and we found the staff to be friendly and courteous. The menu was different than most Japanese restaurants we go to so we were looking forward to this nice change.

The portions were small and the quality of the meal we received did not warrant the high prices. The edaname ($6) portion was smaller than what you get as a freebie at Kabuki. The cucumber salad ($5) was good but you get a larger freebie portion at Sushi 101. The $6.50 we spent on the two miso soups would normally be funny to me but my entree eliminated my sense of humor. I ordered the "Free Range" Grilled Chicken with Sweet Soy ($16). It looked very good when it was served to me but biting into raw chicken doesn't exactly tickle my fancy. I sent it back and watched my wife eat her Chilean Sea Bass with a creamy pepper sauce ($18). If there was an award for the smallest portion in the culinary arena, this would definitely contend for it. She did not dislike it, but, she wasn't exactly doing cartwheels over it either. I know when my wife is really enjoying her meal- and believe me I had plenty of time to observe her while waiting for my chicken do-over- and this was not one of those occasions. After she finished, I waited a while longer for my entree. It was obviously cooked more thoroughly but very fatty and just not good. I ate what I could and conveyed my disappointment to our waiter. Thankfully I was not charged for it and received very sincere apologies before I left hungry.

• Pros: Friendly Staff, Sincere Apologies
• Cons: Food

05/05/08

Solid!

by filmbuff2 at Citysearch

Micheline Guide was right about them. Asanebo is a great restaurant. In my mind, they are one of the few restaurants in LA that have class. They are traditional but not pretentious in the way Nozawa is (I'm talking about their attitude, not the decor.) Asanebo chefs use fresh sozai (materials) and yet the prices are not so high as, let's say, old Ginza Sushiko. In terms of innovativeness, they try just about enough to surprise us but won't go into the degree of banality. I like Matsuhisa too, but I think you need to think of their food as totally different category from Japanese cuisine. And nothing wrong with that. But when you are really craving for Japanese food like I do sometimes (because I'm Japanese,) I'd go to Asanebo.

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Some dishes are better than the other, but isn't that the case with any restaurant?

05/29/07

Wouldn't waste my time or money, sashimi was not good, OVER PRICED

by aylebow at Citysearch

I went on a Tuesday night, so the restaurant was not very busy. After all the reviews I read, I expected an amazing quality of sushi. Well, I was extremely disappointed. The sashimi was sub par at best and for the price, it should have been to die for! I've been to all you can eat places where the quality of sushi was better. The portion sizes were terrible and the fish tasted less than fresh. I don't plan on going back. The valley has a wealth of sushi restaurants, where I can get top quality sushi, generous portions and not think I got ripped off. I don't recommend this place at all. The only positive thing I have to say is that my server was very nice.

• Pros: Service was ok
• Cons: Bad quality sushi, too expensive for type of quality and portion size