01/31/08

Creamy Sea Urchin Over Rice .. DELICIOUS!

by finedine2008

HIghly recommend the sea urchin rice. The creamy sauce and the texture of sea urchins blend perfectly together. Adding that to the risotto is just the best risotto recipe ever.

08/17/07

Undercooked food, horrendous service

by nabisco

The waiters appeared devoid of all social skills ? when taking our order, our waiter didn?t bother to introduce himself or ask what we would like to order. He just hovered while looking bored and expected us to initiate the conversation. Our food was undercooked and had to be sent back to the kitchen by a clearly irritated waitress who wore extremely too much make up and whose English was hardly perceptible.

I have never written a review for any restaurant on citysearch but felt compelled due to the service (or lack thereof) that we received at Blue Marlin. Needless to say we won't be back.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Rude service, uncomfortable seating, bad food, no parking, rated B

Playful surf-and-sand decor reflects this Japanese-Italian-French cafe's unique take on food.

by Contributor

In Short
With a great white shark protruding from the left wall, and guys and gals swim trunks marking the restrooms, the playful sea-themed decor complements the eclectic menu. Featring traditional Italian and French cooking with a Japanese twist, the unconventional menu includes spaghetti with spicy Pollack caviar, creamy sea urchin over rice, Hamburg steak with teriyaki sauce, Japanese curry and seafood gratin.

02/27/07

tasty curry, bad service

by gracemiles

The food is pretty tasty here but not always consistent. I especially like the curry although they have a lot of interesting dishes that are good too. However, the service is bad. The servers don't even acknowledge you when you walk in, and even after waiting 5-10 mins, they still won't. Pretty rude.

• Pros: good and interesting food
• Cons: service

02/22/07

great pasta and om-rice!

by juju13es

I think the specialty for this restaurant is their om-rice dish... which is pretty much an omelet on rice with sauce. Their pasta dishes are really tasty and come in decent portions too. And I love their side salad that comes with the tangy, orange sauce. Though the service was pretty slow (we had to wait outside for a while) and unfriendly, the food made up for it.

• Pros: great dishes, nice atmosphere
• Cons: long wait, mediocre service

02/14/07

Italian Dishes with a Japanese Flavor

by lwmango

An interesting Mediterranean-Japanese fusion restaurant in the middle of a strip of restaurants on Sawtelle, the Westside's answer to Little Tokyo. Try their pork cutlet or chicken curry or the om-rice dishes, a take on the omelette that features rice tucked inside a layer of egg. You also have the freedom to assemble your own spaghetti dishes by picking out the type of sauce, protein, and vegetables to include. Pasta dishes come topped with dried seaweed, giving it an unexpected Japanese taste. Great for a quick lunch or a more leisurely weekend dinner.

• Pros: Large Portions, Good Value, Parking Lot
• Cons: Slow service

11/29/06

Yummy fusion dishes - definitely not boring.

by cocopuff80

I love the salad dressing (it tastes like carrot+ginger+miso) & the innovative pasta dishes. I'm sure you can get better curry elsewhere, but you won't find these pasta dishes anywhere else!

The prices are reasonable & service is friendly.

11/22/06

Didn't care for the curry

by dmenkes

With so many other Japanese curry options right around this mini-mall and across the street, this was my least favorite place. Their curry just wasn't as flavorful as other places, and their seating was cramped.

08/08/06

third time's the charm

by sidandsophia

we live right down the street and have plenty of choices for lunch/dinner. i'd been to blue marlin a couple times before and wasn't really that impressed - sawtelle kitchen is nearby, too, and the obvious choice. but since that's closed for remodeling, we thought we'd give blue marlin another chance and i'm glad we did!

salad and miso soup are standard, but always good. i had the seven spice salmon over brown rice and it was amazing! the salmon was crispy on the outside but moist on the inside and i could definitely taste all seven spices. my bf had the chicken katsu, which was good as well, esp the sauce. our friend had hamburger curry - the curry here is much better than curry house and hurry curry (also nearby). pretty satisfying meal, all in all.

• Pros: choice of brown rice, good price, high quality
• Cons: a little slow with the check, service could've been a bit more attentive

03/14/05

Japanese western

by chains007

Interesting mix of Japanese food with an American twist. Common in Japan, this is a good place to experience it stateside. Spaghetti with uni (sea urchin) is good - but this is no ordinary pasta dish - uni is definitely an acquired taste. Curries are decent as are the other rice dishes. A little expensive for what you get, but worth a try at least once.