Subject:

Japanese Food and Cooking

  • Blogs

    April 9, 2012

    VIDEO: Ramen Gets Set on Fire at Kyoto Restaurant

    I just returned from an awesome trip to Japan, home of sakura blossoms, crazy vending machines, maid cafes, kawaii adorableness, Pocky and ramen--so much ramen. I slurped my weight in noodly goodness. Oh, pork broth and soft-boiled soy sauce egg, how I love thee. The most unique ramen experienc ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 30, 2012

    10 Great Japanese Restaurants in Orange County

    ​For this list of Japanese restaurants, we intentionally left out the sushi bars, because, well, we already did that list. We also shut out the ramen joints, teppanyakis, and yakinikus because, well, we still want to do those lists. But you can certainly have ramen and sushi, even a Californi ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 14, 2012

    On the Line: 'Sushi Dave' Fernandez of Sushi At the Venetian Gentlemen's Club, Part Two

    ​Our conversation continues, as Dave craves corned beef and pastrami across the street at Roscoe's Famous Deli. I realize this is probably his breakfast, lunch and even dinner (based on how busy he was in part one). If we didn't have places to be, I probably would've asked about the next destinati ... More >>

  • Food

    February 23, 2012

    Ramen Yamadaya Offers Oink Noodle

    The first OC restaurant of this LA titan simmers the piggiest soup in Costa Mesa

  • Blogs

    February 10, 2012

    Q&A With Jiro Dreams of Sushi Director David Gelb

    Magnolia Pictures​The other night, I had the chance to attend a Los Angeles screening of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, the documentary about 85-year-old Jiro Ono, who is considered by many to be the greatest sushi chef in the world. In a way, the film can be described as 81 minutes of food porn (that fatt ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 6, 2012

    10 Great Sushi Restaurants in Orange County

    ​You don't put out a Top Ten list of sushi joints in OC and not inspire some discussion. I'd be disappointed if this one didn't. So the comment board is open for objections, inclusions and even agreement on the ten we've chosen.Without further ado, the list:

  • Blogs

    January 5, 2012

    On the Line: Chris Kim of Rolling Sushi Van, Part Three

    ​Our luxe lonchera love for Rolling Sushi Van ends with langostino. Ask Chris Kim for his sushi rice recipe, and you're good to go. If you would like to see a particular chef featured in On the Line, drop us a line note, and we'll see what we can do. To check out more of our interview, part two ca ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 4, 2012

    On the Line: Chris Kim of Rolling Sushi Van, Part Two

    ​Our sushi entrepreneur continues rolling out answers as we learn more about Chris Kim's biggest influence, as well as how honey factors into a perfect dish. His no-nonsense interview begins in part one. If you're curious about his recommended dishes, stick around tomorrow for some langostino.Hard ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 29, 2011

    Introducing Mitsuwa Irvine's Other Food Court Vendors That's Not Santouka

    ​As you compete for seats at the new Irvine Mitsuwa Marketplace's tiny, tiny excuse of a food court, there are three other food vendors who hope that you're not just there for the ramen at Santouka.Here is a brief rundown of who they are and what they offer.

  • Blogs

    December 22, 2011

    Excellent Sushi in Yorba Linda--Yes, Yorba Linda

    Dave Lieberman​One of the best things about writing about food in Orange County is the discovery of something great in a really out-of-the-way place. If you'd asked me what there was to eat in Yorba Linda, I'd have stammered something about the Wild Artichoke and are you sure you can't get to Plac ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 20, 2011

    Anthony Bourdain's Comic Book Now On Pre-Order! Yes, I Said Comic Book.

    Amazon.com​Anthony Bourdain. Chef. Author. Travel show host. Novelist. And now a comic book creator?! The man who seems to say everything and do everything (His new show The Layover premiered a month ago) has written a graphic novel about "a renegade and ruthless sushi chef, known to decapitate pa ... More >>

  • Food

    November 24, 2011

    Yosuke Sushi Says Yes, No, Amaebi

    This Anaheim Hills Japanese restaurant has it all, from live sweet shrimp to teriyaki served in hubcap-sized combo plates

  • Blogs

    October 20, 2011

    Fast Food Sushi vs. Supermarket Sushi

    Edwin GoeiSushi Boy's Sushi​ Fast food sushi. If there's a better food oxymoron out there, I think it'd have to be "veggie burgers". But that's disingenuous of me to say. I've actually enjoyed more "fast food sushi" than veggie burgers. Most of the time, it's Sushi Boy; not usually for the sushi, ... More >>

  • Food

    September 29, 2011

    Sushi Box Is Teriyaki-rific

    [Hole In the Wall] Elevating the placing of grilled meat on top of rice to an art form

  • Blogs

    September 14, 2011

    Mitsuwa's Hokkaido Food Fair Starts Tomorrow

    Edwin Goei​ I went to lunch at Costa Mesa's Mitsuwa yesterday and saw booths already being set up for the market's annual Hokkaido Fair, a veritable celebration of Japanese food (particularly those from Hokkaido).

  • Blogs

    September 6, 2011

    Five Things You're Doing Wrong with Japanese Food

    ​I'm just as guilty of butchering foreign word pronunciation as any American, but there are times when the media perpetuates mistakes that will make you look like a schmuck. This week--five things for you to avoid sounding like one in a Japanese restaurant.

  • Blogs

    May 24, 2011

    Japanese Gourmet Fair at Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa This Thursday To Sunday

    Edwin GoeiMitsuwa during their Autumn Japanese Food Festival​I was browsing Mitsuwa for exotic Kit Kats when I noticed booths being set up inside the store/food court for something big this week. Then I realized it's about the time of year for Mitsuwa's Umaimono Gourmet Fair.The food event starts ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 11, 2011

    Ranchan Ramen & Slapfish: Lots of Luxe Loncheras Launch Lately

    ​Two new food trucks, Ranchan Ramen and SlapFish, have launched in Orange County recently.SlapFish serves sustainable seafood (they are in cahoots with the Aquarium of the Pacific) and Ranchan serves pizza Korean tacos ramen, sliders, okonomiyaki (!) and yakitori. Both showed up at Anaheim's Noble ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 7, 2011

    On the Line: Owner Daniel Woo and Chef Greg Ong of Sushilicious, Part Three

    Kevin LaraChef Greg Ong​To conclude our time with Daniel Woo and Greg Ong of Sushilicious, today the two gents share a recipe.  If you missed the interviews, click here to read owner Daniel Woo's answers from yesterday, and click here for Chef Greg Ong's from the day before.

  • Blogs

    April 6, 2011

    On the Line: Owner Daniel Woo and Chef Greg Ong of Sushilicious, Part Two

    Kevin LaraChef Greg Ong​Yesterday we heard from Chef Greg Ong of Sushilicious.  Today, for Part Two, it's Daniel Woo's turn at the mic as he talks about iPods, marketing, and how the name Sushilicious came into being.Tomorrow, the guys share a recipe!Proudest moment as a restaurant owner:The ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 17, 2011

    Nuclear Meltdown Might Cause Sushi Shortage

    ynetnews.com​With as many sushi restaurants as we have in Orange County, the possibility of a sushi shortage after the tsunami disaster hadn't crossed my mind until this story in Israel's Ynet Business News. It's true that nearly all the hamachi sold is farm-raised and most likely routed through J ... More >>

  • Food

    March 10, 2011

    Habuya Represents the Perfect Prefecture

    This Tustin dive dazzles as the first Okinawan restaurant in Orange County

  • Blogs

    February 4, 2011

    Naked Sashimi Shunned in South Africa

    Flickr user Ko_An​ South Africa's ruling party has proclaimed that eating sashimi off a semi-nude model's body is officially offensive. Known in Japan as nyotaimori, the practice involves a nude female model lying supine, her lady-parts covered discreetly with leaves or other garnish on which raw ... More >>

  • Food

    January 27, 2011

    Bistro Anju Has an Iron Chef

    Hideki Saito weathers drunkards and the clueless alike at his Laguna Niguel eatery to deliver greatness

  • Blogs

    November 30, 2010

    Get Your Bukkake On In Fountain Valley

    Dave LiebermanPrior to toppings...​I have a confession to make. I only ate at O-Udon because I happened past their menu online and saw bukkake udon. I know what they meant, and it's a perfectly normal, non-perverted usage of the term, but the inner thirteen-year-old Mike Judge character in me ("ah ... More >>

  • Food

    November 11, 2010

    O Fine Japanese Cuisine Pleases

    Visit this Laguna Beach sushi place for rolls and traditional Japanese food

  • Food

    October 14, 2010

    No Sushi, No Problem at Izakaya Meijiya

    Another (delectable) attempt to make a small-plates Japanese eating-and-drinking concept work in OC

  • Blogs

    September 13, 2010

    #20. Hakata Ramen at Shin Sen Gumi

    ProfessorSalt.comNot the ramen from your college days​Just as New York, Chicago, Naples, and Rome have evolved their distinct styles of pizza, different parts of Japan have regional styles of ramen, distinguished primarily by their soups. Did you know Orange County has adopted its own ramen style?

  • Blogs

    August 19, 2010

    Dueling Dishes: Sushilicious vs. Kaisen

    Edwin Goei SushiliciousOn this episode of Dueling Dishes we pit two revolving sushi houses. Sushilicious is the newcomer; Kaisen is the long-established contender. But this week, we're not comparing just a single dish between the two of them. Since one dish can literally constitute just one b ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 10, 2010

    Drunk After Work: Sagami

    Edwin Goei​The Place: Sagami, 3850 Barranca Pkwy. Ste B., Irvine, CA 92606, (949) 857-8030 . The Hours: Monday to Thursday, 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. The Deal: Sapporo on tap for 50% off ($1.88 for a frosty mug). Hot sake, also 50% off. $4.95 sushi rolls (Rainbow, Spicy Yellowtail, Salmon Skin, or S ... More >>

  • Food

    June 10, 2010

    Buy Me Some Sushi and Cracker Jack

    [Summer Guide] A rundown of the best non-chain eats at the Big A

  • Food

    April 22, 2010

    Mizuki's Openly Flamed Ramen

    Is the Irvine noodle restaurant as overpriced and underwhelming as the Yelpers and Chowhounds make it out to be?

  • Blogs

    April 20, 2010

    Okazu Ramen House to Open in Orange

    Signs went up recently in the Target Plaza on Tustin St. and Meats Av. in Orange for Okazu Ramen House, at 2143 N. Tustin St. #A1, at the far southeastern end of the plaza.avlxyz @ flickr.com CC BY-SA 2.0​

  • Blogs

    April 15, 2010

    Battle Supermarket Sushi

    It'd be nice to be able to eat Bluefin or Shibucho every time the sushi urge strikes, but sometimes lunch is grabbed on the way between two meetings; sometimes dinner needs to be a quick pick-up before drinking the bulk of one's daily calories (other people do this, right?) and that precludes a real ... More >>

  • Food

    January 14, 2010

    Get In With the In Crowd at Ohshima Japanese Cuisine

    It'd be nice to be able to eat Bluefin or Shibucho every time the sushi urge strikes, but sometimes lunch is grabbed on the way between two meetings; sometimes dinner needs to be a quick pick-up before drinking the bulk of one's daily calories (other people do this, right?) and that precludes a real ... More >>

  • Food

    November 26, 2009

    [Hole In the Wall] The Cheap Japanese Fare at Miyabi-Tei Is Your Chopstick-Ready Stimulus Plan

    It'd be nice to be able to eat Bluefin or Shibucho every time the sushi urge strikes, but sometimes lunch is grabbed on the way between two meetings; sometimes dinner needs to be a quick pick-up before drinking the bulk of one's daily calories (other people do this, right?) and that precludes a real ... More >>

  • Food

    October 22, 2009

    Kula Offers Sushi Not As Art, But As a (Still Tasty) Commodity

    It'd be nice to be able to eat Bluefin or Shibucho every time the sushi urge strikes, but sometimes lunch is grabbed on the way between two meetings; sometimes dinner needs to be a quick pick-up before drinking the bulk of one's daily calories (other people do this, right?) and that precludes a real ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 17, 2009

    Full Moon Sushi to Open in Tustin at Old Haru Izakaya Spot

    Edwin Goei​I can't say I'm surprised. The spot previously occupied by Haru Izakaya -- the Korean izakaya I reviewed for OC Weekly and chronicled when it folded -- is being reworked into a sushi joint.

  • Calendar

    May 28, 2009
  • Food

    March 19, 2009
  • Food

    February 19, 2009
  • Blogs

    February 6, 2009

    Recession-Time Sushi at Kappo Suzumaru

    You know times are tough when even a standard like Kappo Suzumaru in Tustin, still one of the better examples of serving serious Japanese food and sushi, was near empty on a Thursday night like yesterday. I've patronized this place for years, usually Thursdays for purely coincidental reasons, and ha ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 19, 2009

    Yoshinoya Now Does Sushi?

    OK. I'll admit it. I go to Yoshinoya....a lot.  As a kid, my parents decided that their beef and teriyaki chicken bowls were a better alternative than McDonald's or Burger King. And as with anything one grows up with, it's a comfort food that's hard to shake.  Also, it's cheap. It has ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 8, 2008

    The Only Ponzu Sauce on Earth that Matters

    Everything that Edwin wrote about Hamamori in South Coast Plaza earlier this year is true--the sushi is creative and stunning (and, quite frankly, worth it), the sashimi a bit pricier but also divine, the entrees decadent. One appetizer he didn't mention, however, were the rock shrimp tempura with a ... More >>

  • Food

    October 16, 2008

    Tokyo Table Pops the Culinary Cherry of Irvine's Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center

    Everything that Edwin wrote about Hamamori in South Coast Plaza earlier this year is true--the sushi is creative and stunning (and, quite frankly, worth it), the sashimi a bit pricier but also divine, the entrees decadent. One appetizer he didn't mention, however, were the rock shrimp tempura with a ... More >>

  • Food

    October 2, 2008

    Chef Cody Requejo Shreds With Both Sushi Knives and Stratocasters

    Everything that Edwin wrote about Hamamori in South Coast Plaza earlier this year is true--the sushi is creative and stunning (and, quite frankly, worth it), the sashimi a bit pricier but also divine, the entrees decadent. One appetizer he didn't mention, however, were the rock shrimp tempura with a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 1, 2008

    Izakaya is the New Sushi

    Have you noticed something lately? Izakayas -- the Japanese equivalent to the gastro-pub, tapas house, and neighborhood bar all wrapped up into one -- are popping up all over O.C. So many izakayas have opened lately, in fact, that the trend is obvious: Izakaya is the new sushi. Last year, Takashi ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 16, 2008

    Update: Tokyo Table Opens Wed. Sept. 17 (and Special Offer)

    Tokyo Table, the first restaurant of many at the new Diamond Jamboree in Irvine, will have its grand opening tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17, at 5 P.M. The restaurant's already got two outlets in L.A. County (Beverly Hills and Arcadia). Other than the usual roster of rolls, teriyaki and tempura, ... More >>

  • Food

    September 11, 2008

    OC's Rock-Star Chef Takashi Abe Does San Clemente at Sea Smoke

    Tokyo Table, the first restaurant of many at the new Diamond Jamboree in Irvine, will have its grand opening tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17, at 5 P.M. The restaurant's already got two outlets in L.A. County (Beverly Hills and Arcadia). Other than the usual roster of rolls, teriyaki and tempura, ... More >>

  • Food

    March 27, 2008

    The Slow Food Movement Infiltrates Huntington Beach at Slowfish

    Tokyo Table, the first restaurant of many at the new Diamond Jamboree in Irvine, will have its grand opening tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17, at 5 P.M. The restaurant's already got two outlets in L.A. County (Beverly Hills and Arcadia). Other than the usual roster of rolls, teriyaki and tempura, ... More >>

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