Katsu-ya has a reputation. They apparently also have a following. It is so popular that you have to book in advance to get straight in. We waited for an hour. This is usually not a problem, because it just makes you that more hungry, and you can also treat yourself with watching the head sushi chefs do their wonders behind the sushi bar. We finally got our table and got ourselves ready for some good and tasty fish… But.
Most people are in general quite concerned with what they eat these days, and some people seems to be on a constant diet. So - what about our precious sushi in regards to calories? Is it healthy or not? I found this overview over calories in the different types of sushi. I don’t know if this is important to you, but it might still be useful information. Here goes.
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This is a website that keeps on popping up whenever I am looking for something about, on or regarding sushi. As the name of the website says it really is SushiFAQ, and I love the way he is really into his sushi and have tons of experience with it. It is not the easiest website to navigate on, usually I get there by searching on Google.
He says:
“I have spent years studying the nuances of Japanese dining and have learned many of the rules for eating sushi in a traditional restaurant.”
And on this website he lets all of us in on some of the secrets of sushi. I am very grateful.
He covers topics like:
- What is sushi?
- What are the different kinds of sushi?
- What is sashimi?
- What are those things other than fish I see on my plate?
- How To Use Chopsticks.
- What do all these words mean? (i.e. terminology)
…to mention a few. As I said - pretty much everything I am wondering about, this guy has something on.
There is a chain of sushi restaurants called Kabuki in California. They have restaurants in Burbank, Pasadena, Hollywood, Huntington Beach to mention a few. They say on their menu that they have the best sushi in town, so that did get our hopes up. We went there for lunch, and tried out just a few things from their quite extensive menu.
Fish
Traditional sushi is based on a variety of fish. Maguro or tuna is perhaps considered the most important sushi fish (but we are boycotting it, are we not?), being both soft having a fatty consistency and a meaty taste and look. Other traditional fish include hirame (brill), hamachi (yellowtail), and suzuki (sea bass). Oily fish such as aji (horse mackerel) and saba (mackerel) are served with the skin on. Sake (salmon, pronounced sha-ke) is not a common sushi fish in Japan, but is popular elsewhere in the world. All of the above can be found as nigiri sushi or chirashi sushi, with maguro also used in hosomaki to make tekkamaki.
>> Continue reading ‘Types of fish, shellfish, fish roe and seafood’
The word sushi actually means seasoned rice - a mix of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, and making it proper takes sushi chefs years to master. They often mix different varieties of rice, similar to how barristas mixes coffee beans to make their own perfect blend.
A’Float Sushi is a guru guru sushi place in one of my favorite places in LA, Old Pasadena. We walked by here for lunch, and it was packed. I can understand why. The food is cheap and quite good, and it is a lot of fun!
>> Continue reading ‘A’Float Sushi - Old Pasadena, Los Angeles’
I am going back to school… More exact - I am going to take a class on basic sushi at the California Sushi Academy! According to the website, this is what I am in for:
“This course is a hands-on class for anyone with love of sushi and big appetite. Come as individuals or groups for fun Saturday morning of sushi making. Learn how to make cucumber rolls, California rolls, rainbow rolls and spicy tuna hand rolls. Best part is that you get to enjoy them all at the end of the class. The course covers how to prepare sushi rice, how to make cucumber roll, California roll, rainbow roll and spicy tuna hand roll.”
Well, I will tell you how it goes, and also try to document my hopefully steep learning curve…
Wonder what life as sushi on a conveyor belt looks like? Well. most people smile at you. 
Downtown LA in Little Tokyo/Japan Town you find a Japanese supermarket called Marukai. We went there to go shopping, but stopped by their sushi ya on the third floor for some lunch. It supposedly is one of the best in town, and they have received a lot of sushi awards (Winner - 2005 Sushi Pioneer Award, Best sushi - 2005 Best of Citysearch, Best sushi - 2006 Downtown news) according to their business card. We sat down in the bar and let the chef treat us with what he thought would suit us.
>> Continue reading ‘Sushi Go 55 - Little Tokyo, Los Angeles’
I needed sushi (or more wasabi and ginger!?) from being airborne for hours going to LA , so we dropped by the first place we found. I should have gone by my nose that told me that it as a bad idea to eat there…
The restaurant was messy, dirty, the people were rude towards each other, customers were yelling and telling the staff they would never come back. Just not the place to stop. Why am I so bad at just leaving a restaurant when every senses tell you it is a bad idea… Hmm.
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