DETAILS:
Sushi Sasabune: 12400 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025-1043 (310) 268-8380
Open: Lunch and Dinner. Accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Cash.
Price: $$$$ Expect to pay around $70 pp including tax and tip.
Won: 2007 Best of Citysearch award and there is a reason for it.
Person to Take: Perfect for the sushi lover in your life that doesn’t need hype or crazy decor. Great for the person who is willing to try anything. Be ready for your wallet to be a little lighter.
While it wasn’t my intention to start our first review with a pricier place, it just happened that way. My sister and I met for lunch last week and she treated me to lunch at this little gem. Sushi Sasbune is a Japanese sushi restaurant that used to be housed…literally…in a small house on Sawtelle Boulevard. My sister mentioned the first time she went there she sat among the likes of Brad Pitt and Jack Nicholson as the sushi is fresh and the place small and secluded. Indeed, you only knew it was a restaurant by a small neon sign that read “Sushi”.
Sushi Sasabune has since moved to Wilshire Boulevard near Brentwood in Los Angeles. Their new spacious, airy home has lost the charm of the old house and the decor is nothing to write home about, but the tall windows and white walls coupled with lively chefs and servers create a unique ambiance among a busy commercial setting. There is table seating or seating at the busy sushi bar where you can see the chefs at work.
Sushi Sasabune - 12400 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025-1043 (310) 268-8380
We walked in and were promptly greeted and asked if we had been here before. They ask this for two reasons. First, if you sit at the sushi bar, you are required to order omakase.
No Rolls!
Second, there is no fancy rolls, or hot dishes meaning if you want that delicious tempura or spicy tuna roll, this is not the place for you. This place is meant for the fish lover…the person who wants fresh fish and an adventure, not the person who can only eat fish if it’s fried and covered in layers of sauces.
Chef Nobi Kushuhara
Chef and Owner Nobi Kushuhara learned from sushi master Kazunori Nozawa that having a large fresh fish selection to choose from is the most important thing…a tradition he has carried on. The omakase menu consists of many delicious daily specials of the freshest fish and the Japan omakase features rarer delicacies like abalone, monkfish liver and sweet shrimp. Signatures include an array of warm rice, and delicious infused sauces like ponzu, chile and miso, and accents of rice paper, kelp, and sesame. The chef insists that the warm rice sushi won’t travel and forbids anyone from a single take out roll.
Drink Menu
We were quickly seated where ever we wanted and decided to order the chef’s menu or Omakase style. This expression essentially means leaving the selection to the chef who presents a series of plates that are expected to be innovative and surprising in the selection. While ordering like this can be a gamble, both because you do not know the price or what you can get, Sushi Sasabune delivers exceptional freshness. We were immediately asked if there was anything we were allergic to or didn’t prefer so we would avoid those things. The staff immediately brought us our drinks and our first dish. There is several red and white wines offered and a better sake list but we stayed with green tea as it we still had to go back to work. The service continued to be attentive and prompt throughout the meal but the tea was always too hot to drink and required an ice cube from our water glasses.
While I cannot remember everything we were brought, these were some of my favorites. First was the Blue Fin Tuna and Toro…delicious and super fresh.
- Blue fin Tuna and Toro
There was a scallop that was perfectly cut and honestly melted in my mouth. YUM!
The Scallop was amazing
The Hamachi was perfect and the addition of the pickled rice paper and sesame seeds on the Salmon was a nice touch.
Salmon and Hamachi
We ended with Oysters that were cool and had a blend of spices in a sauce I can’t put my finger on. We were so full by the end and the waitress could tell, but told us we had to have the crab roll. So she kindly requested light rice for us. The best part being the lack of rice meant more crab. It was honestly fantastic.
Oysters
Crab Roll
The fish was fresh and fantastic and I definitely did not go hungry. When we got the bill, I remained thankful for my wonderful sister for footing that bill. It was a pricey lunch to say the least. I would guess eating the chef’s menu plus tax and tip will cost you about $70 per person. This is definitely a place I will be treating myself to on a rare occasion, but for sushi that is fresh, unique, and an adventure, this is he place.
Bon Appetite!
Lady Fatty
Lady Tubby
