Honda Ya-Tustin

sashimi bowl

takoyaki

synchronized eating

steamed crab shumai

chicken salad with mayo cod roe dressing

seared tuna with ponzu

zaru tofu

ika sashimi

When asked what cuisine I couldn't live without, my answer comes out pretty readily. It's Japanese. I mean, Spanish is pretty exciting, French is wonderful, Vietnamese is my idea of comfort food. But when it comes down to it, if not for Japanese food, there would be a great big gaping black hole of culinary misery in my life.

What I find really great about Japanese food is that there is a duality about Japanese cuisine--the elegant minimalist side most obviously embodied by sushi and sashimi, which is probably what it most popular. Whoever first decided that fish can be eaten raw, well that person is just miraculous.

But just as wonderful is that Japanese food also includes saucy fatty gluttonous foods that often include all sorts of mayo, deep frying, and big flavors. I'm not sure but I think a lot of Japanese bar food may have developed with the onset of Westernization (think: mayo).

And also presentation: Japanese food is just so beautiful to look at. Japanese sweets are unbelievable. I can hardly eat them, they're so delicately made.

That's not true. I can eat them.

When I was in Japan last Winter we saw these tiny candies (the size of a pinky toenail) with really detailed faces painted on each one.

My family loves Honda- Ya because we can get both sides of Japanese food at once.

We always order takoyaki there, which I think can be qualified as Japanese street food) are these doughy balls of octopus and bonito flakes. I have fond memories of going on a road trip in Japan with my mother's side of the family and stopping at the Japanese equivalent of a truck stop and ordering takoyaki from a street vendor and passing around the styrofoam plate around the car.

My mother always orders the chicken salad at Honda-Ya, which is okay but I think the mayo cod dressing is a little heavy on the mayo for my taste.

Sashimi, of any kind: always good.

Anything with ponzu sauce I will inhale.

Not pictured:

bitter melon, bacon, and stir fried tofu

tanuki udon

side note: it looks as if I may be going to Japan this coming Winter! It's my grandmother's 80th birthday and to celebrate she wants to take a trip to Japan with all her daughters and their daughters. no boys allowed. We're still trying to decide between Vietnam and Japan. I might be rooting for Vietnam since I've never been.

Honda Ya

556 El Camino Real

Tustin, CA 92780

714.832.0081

ronin, revisited

local wild mushrooms with gnocchi with plum wine sauce

seafood trio carpaccio-scallop, ahi, tuna

shoyu ginger salmon

blue crab cake

chicken lemongrass dumplings

spicy agedashi tofu

ahi tuna shimi

I've been meaning to take Saeyoung to this restaurant since I went with my parents when I first moved to Los Angeles.  And as I am living off of student loans, I've been doing some babysitting and saving all the money  for Saeyoung's Thanksgiving visit.  The money was well spent.  on food.  It might be of some interest to note that the other parties of two surrounding Saeyoung and me ordered three dishes-we ordered 9.  In general, everything was excellent.  The seafood carpaccio was served chilled, which felt really great after eating the saltier dishes, good palate cleanser.  I wouldn't recommend the chicken dumplings-they were more or less just dumplings.  I also wouldn't recommend the blue crab cake because it was on the salty side.  I think the winner of the night may have been the spicy agedashi tofu.  They make the tofu in-house and the broth was flavored with jalapenos.  We were craving rice to mix in the leftover broth.  I also recommend the gnocchi.  I was a little skeptical about Japanese style gnocchi, especially with the plum wine sauce but I really wanted the wild mushrooms.  It was pretty delicious though.  The gnocchi were thumb sized and a little denser than their Italian counterparts.  I was sad that this was our last dish and was too full to eat all of it.    

Ronin Izakaya

359 N. La Cienega blvd

West Hollywood, 90048

Ajisen Ramen

hiyashi ramen

miso ramen with bbq pork

beef and tomato ramen

My family and I went out for ramen today and we all had conflicting opinions.  I ordered the Hiyashi ramen, which is what I always get because ramen broth tends to be too salty for me. Again, hiyashi did not fail me.  Doc got a the beef and tomato ramen with a tomato soup base-completely a new idea for us.  It wasn't bad.  Saeyoung got the miso ramen and it was too salty.  Plus the pork was mostly boiled fat.  Overall, the ramen was passable, though probably not some place i will frequent.  

Ronin Izakaya

One of my first meals since moving to Los Angeles, my family and I went to Ronin upon reading a review-though I can't remember from where.  The idea was upscale izakaya, kind of Euro-Japanese.  The restaurant was small, sterile-in that black pebble, minimalist way.  We ordered the New York steak skewers with blue cheese, somen checca, ginger shoyu salmon, taco shimi, crispy chicken and jumbo scallops.  The crispy chicken was somewhat forgettable, though it came highly recommended.  My parents liked the somen checca, though that seemed too much like something anyone could replicate at home for me to rave about-though it was quite good.  The taco shimi was interesting and probably my favorite, but certainly not for those who are opposed to fusion-y inclined foods.  I liked it though, so there.  The corn salsa on the scallops was especially excellent.  

On the atmosphere side of things, Ronin projects Japanese movies on their wall.  My family felt divided about this.  While it is an excellent distraction, the film they were showing that night was a little violent/bloody for my appetite.  

I wouldn't go here for a casual weekday dinner, it's a bit pricey for that but still surprisingly reasonable.  Our party of three ate to satisfaction for under $80.

Also, it is worth mentioning that they generously gave us a free dessert for being first time customers.  We ordered the flan with the yuzu granita and then they brought us the chocolate bar with the mint milkshake.  

359 N. La Cienega Blvd

West Hollywood, Ca 90048