09/12/09

BEST SUSHI IN BRENTWOOD

by EG24

it's not fancy, not trendy ...but hands-down the best (and most reasonably priced) sushi in Brentwood! I recommend sitting at the Sushi bar. It's a great way to venture beyond the spicy tuna roll and explore great treats like Spanish mackerel fresh from Japan, plus we always have the best time chatting with the sushi chef's!

• Pros: great sushi bar, great price,
• Cons: interior design is a little outdated

12/14/08

Food is great!!!

by trojanfromoregon

I would ignore the review below this. Yes the service is spotty. I will be completely honest with that, but if you are honest with your frustrations they will honor them by doing what they can in terms of taking care of you.

Come here for the food and casual, comfortable atmosphere. This place is not cool by all means at all, but it is cozy. Yes the Black Cod is absolutely fantastic. It's slow grilled and marinated overnight. The Kama is always very popular and people even have to call in advance to reserve them. They have fantastic early dinner specials every night from 5 to 7. They also have good lunch deals as well. The three handrolls and spicy tuna donburi cannot be beat for the price of 13 bucks.

The spicy tuna and spicy scallops are very good on the sushi side. I even like their version of the California roll. No mayo! They have an unlisted roll called the Awesome Roll that is very good. A mix of sashimis wrapped in cucumber. I also get a kick outta watching the chefs rip the heads off of amaebis in front of you.

There are a ton of Japanese people that come here and the clientele looks like they have been coming since prohibition. I've heard there's a sushi chef there that's been there for over 20 years. You should check out this little jewel atop a mini strip mall and judge for yourself. Booze is reasonably priced too.

• Pros: Black Cod, Authentic Sushi Chefs, Comfortable Atmosphere

02/11/08

Could Asakuma on Wilshire and Barrington be the WORST Japanese restaurant in LA? I think Yes!

by Easycritic

Could this be the WORST Japanese restaurant in LA? I think yes. I have been to dozens and dozens of Japanese restaurants in LA--both high end and low end. Asakuma is the worst I have eaten in LA by far. Terrible food and service. After being ignored for half of an hour while they served all of the business lunches around us, our terrible food finally arrived. Shoe leather steak for my daughter and pieces of unidentifiable fatty cod sprinkled over too salty rice for me. Top it off with super greasy soggy tempura that took about a half hour to soak up the oil in the kitchen, and my stomach is still hurting just thinking about it. My daughter needed to return home immediately after the meal because she felt so ill as well. I don't think I have ever left a restaurant without tipping before, but after being completely ignored because I happened to be in shorts and a shirt with my daughter rather than attending a business lunch I felt that no tip was warranted. Rude services, terrible food. Need I say more? Don't go! I prefer Hide and Hirozen, which are much cheaper and much much better. I wish Hide was open on Mondays.

• Pros: Open on Monday
• Cons: Terrible food and service and so loud it hurt our ears. My stomach still hurts!

10/22/07

please be patient, you WONT be sorry!

by cheeselouise

ok this has been my typical Asakuma experience from start to finish: (recommended to me by my japanese friends, who rave about the BLACK COD. I have found that many japanese ppl eat there, which speaks to the authenticity of the cuisine. i'd say the place is 80% regulars, plenty of which are japanese families.) Ive never gone here and waited more than 5 minutes for a table, despite them looking very busy on several of those occasions. although the manager may not be present at the hostess stand to seat u when u walk in, as soon as she gets to u, u'll find she's got a peculiar accent & hearty guffaw.

the servers are very friendly & willing, i think its actually the kitchen/sushi chefs that are a little slow during peak hours (& which - ive also had explained to me - is due to a new and ocassionally faulty computer system). Sometimes the food comes out very fast though! Despite the speed of the service varying, not many ppl seem to mind considering the food! Black cod never sounded good to me but as promised, it was marinated and cooked to perfection, melted in my mouth. It's an incredible bargain during lunch but even for dinner, its a great price considering the cost of COD elsewhere. Also addictive: the Chilean Seabass, Teriyaki Steak, all the House Special rolls & everything on the Sushi Specials Menu. Sometimes we order a lot of sushi, & the platters come out beautifully & the fish looks fresh even to the most discerning eye. The servers were often busy but no harm in asking a busser to refill your tea or pack a to-go box. They're very accomodating for large parties as u will get plenty of attention from the server. Other reviewers seem to speak of hiccups in the service here and there but we've never noticed a problem when inspecting our bill, nor has there ever been any unapologetic servers if their service wasnt lightning speed. Basically, if youre not the pushy impatient type, there's no reason u shouldnt try the place out! i cant wait to go back

• Pros: well priced Black Cod, Sushi specials, friendly service, good for business crowd.
• Cons: Can be fast, can be not-so-fast.

09/18/07

Asakuma sets the standard for Japanese cuisine-

by hungryhippoyumyum

I was introduced to Asakuma just recently by a friend. Let's just say... I've been back on my own probably a dozen times in the last 2 months. This restaurant is by far the best Japanese food in the Los Angeles area. I only wish I'd discovered it sooner (as they have been in business for close to 20 years). Their menu is versatile. It offers a wonderful variety of sushi and sashimi for true raw fish afficionados as well as a delectable fully cooked food menu for those who prefer a more traditional meal. You MUST try the marinated black cod. They are famous for this dish. Even if you don't like fish, you will love this dish!

And while sushi is not hard to find nowadays, so many of these newby sushi bars are so focused on appearing trendy that they neglect to realize the importance of the actual food itself. I am glad there is still a restaurant out there that clearly channels all its efforts into the food they serve. Perhaps the atmosphere is not as fancy as some of these other newby Japanese restaurants, but it is more important to me to be able to enjoy my meal than to sit on a trendy couch and look at an abstract painting during my dining experience. Try it. I'm certain you'll love it, as did I.

• Pros: Great food- decent prices- excellent service. Black cod is amazing!!
• Cons: The restaurant is addicting so you'll have to keep on going back.

08/20/07

amazing sushi!

by sporter80

such an amazing sushi find. their black cod is absolutely amazing. can be a little noisy but other than that the service and food are excellent!

• Pros: black cod
• Cons: a bit noisy at night

05/04/07

just great.

by faeriedreemer

the food is simply delicious.

definately try their glazed black cod

as well as their spicy tuna rolls.

all their non.sushi and sushi is consistently delicious

and though my mom hates the very idea of sushi,

but she simply loves their spicy tuna.

definitely recommended.

03/06/07

Best Miso Cod I've Had, Good Sushi, Decent Service, But SHADY BUSINESS PRACTICES

by runner0382

I could go on about how Asakuma should have more reviews here, how they have found a way to glaze a miso cod in a delicious way while cooking an imperfect fish to perfection, or about how their sushi is consistent and good.

Instead, I feel the need to comment on a disturbing trend that me and all of my friends have noticed. I dine at Asakuma 3 or 4 times a year. Each time, miraculously, our bill is tabulated incorrectly. It appears that they are very much in the habit of adding items to the bill since plenty of folks on this side of town don't check it.

It's dishonest, cowardly, misleading, and offensive. I go for the Cod and order minimally - the food is too good to stay away from in this instance, but the owners should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. Everyone I know has had this happen on multiple occasians and it appears to have become standard practice. The outward and obvious greed is horrifying, and cod and sea bass are cheap at their prices.

Asakuma is good, but with this misery, it will NEVER be great. Make an honest living and don't bilk people of their earned money, even if they are rich. They should be happy to be making money in one of the toughest industries out there. Shame on you, Asakuma.

• Pros: Miso Cod, good sushi, "free" valet
• Cons: Deceptive business practices - SHAME!!!

Upscale business crowd mixes with jeans-clad regulars in a chichi Westside setting.

by Contributor

In Short
The mundane strip-mall exterior gives way to a dining room split into two sections: a formal sit-down area with sleek, honey-toned wood paneling, and a more casual sushi bar. Entrees are prepared with artistic twists in both areas. Menu highlights include buttery soy-marinated cod fillet, and crispy deep-fried catfish. Of the rotating menu of sushi specialties--some large enough to be full meals--the caterpillar roll is a perennial favorite.

10/22/05

A special sushi place

by jennysurber

My wife and I had a great experience here. We've heard about it for a long time but finally went ourselves. We shared the house specialty glazed black cod and a sushi plate. Both were fantastic. The cod is melt in your mouth delicious. The sushi plate was a perfect variety and everything was fresh and delicious. Big pieces of tender fish. To top it off, we finished with a scoop of green tea ice cream. We'll definitely be back!

• Pros: Quality, Freshness, Portions