Japanese Food and Cooking

Bistro Anju Moves From One South County City To Another

Bistro Anju--arguably the sushi joint to seek out if you happen to be a Central OC-er lost in South County--has moved from Laguna Niguel to Aliso Viejo. I reviewed them two years ago on a recommendation by Hiro Ohiwa, owner of Cafe Hiro, who is friends with Hideki Saito, Anju's chef and owner.

Full Moon Sushi: New Order

[Hole In the Wall] This mini-chain has grown without sacrificing its excellence

Umaimono Gourmet Fair At Costa Mesa Mitsuwa From Thursday to Sunday

We like our Costa Mesa Mitsuwa store for a lot of reasons. Find some of these reasons in our annual 100 Favorite Dishes countdown. They're also, of course, home to the venerable ramen purveyor Santoka. But then there's the reason why they always seem to grace the pages of this humble blog more often ... More >>

Another New Ramen Joint Opens in Costa Mesa; Replaces Peruvian Chicken Restaurant

Let's count them, shall we: Santouka, Yamadaya, Mentatsu, Kohryu, Jinya, Daikokuya. These are what makes Costa Mesa the ramen cauldron of Orange County. I don't think there is any other town within our borders with a higher concentration of ramen joints and I'm not even counting the restaurants tha ... More >>

Izakaya Ku Plays With Fire

This Fountain Valley restaurant resorts to pyrotechnics in a crowded market of Japanese pubs along Brookhurst Street

On the Line: Donald Williams of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, Part One

Donald Williams was careful to explain that the operation is a team effort. There is no designated chef at Coco Ichibanya. Sauce, protein, starch, and perhaps a veg. There's a certain amount of assembly (and a whole lotta curry) involved. He also mentioned their next location in K-town, opening in t ... More >>

New Seafood Restaurant & Fish Market To Open In Belmont Shore

On Second Street where Naples ends and Belmont Shore begins, there used to be a great hot dog joint called The Dog House, which was itself an offshoot and subsidiary of Barry's Beach Shack next door. The Dog House didn't last long and neither did Barry's after it folded.Now we see its replacement: a ... More >>

North Shore Poke Co. Has a Poke-Man

Shawn Gole's Huntington Beach restaurant finally gives the Hawaiian standard its full, undivided attention

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

​Sitting down for lunch at Twisted Vine in downtown Fullerton, Dave Fernandez and I talked about family, restaurant reviews and great wines. It wasn't quite a business meeting, more like two friends sharing a bite to eat. Of course, he periodically checked his iPhone for incoming reservations, men ... More >>

Sushi at Venetian Gentlemen's Club

​When a friend requested assistance with a project, I offered to meet close to their Anaheim home. As luck would have it, someone suggested a sushi place near by that I would find interesting. Last seen rolling on the radar in downtown Fullerton, "Sushi Dave" resurfaced about a year ago inside the ... More >>

Bear Flag Fish Company Opens in Crystal Cove

​As we reported last September, Bear Flag Fish Company, the seafood purveyor/restaurant established in 2007 in Newport Beach, was planning second store in Crystal Cove Promenade, which is also kind of in Newport Beach. According to reader Laliahma, who made a comment on our monthly restaurant r ... More >>

Hawaiian Revolving Sushi Chain Opens First California Store In Santa Ana

​As Dave reported back in November, Genki Sushi--the revolving sushi chain that practically owns the revolving sushi market in Hawaii (there are 10 on the small island of Oahu alone)--is now open, taking over a defunct Sanrio store at MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana. The restaurant, which by the way i ... More >>

Planned Irvine Shabu Shabu Bar Gets Name Change

​This is an update to an earlier post I wrote about a planned shabu shabu bar in Irvine's Trabuco Grove shopping center called OOii Shabu Shabu. The restaurant was to occupy the space where a Daphne's once stood in the Kohl's-anchored complex on Jeffrey near the 5.On this front, nothing's changed ... More >>

Is Kula Becoming The Walmart of Sushi?

​Some may remember that before it sold $2 sushi on moving belts, Kula's previous incarnation was as a high-priced, made-to-order sushi bar in Century City. When it failed to catch on after about one year, the restaurant made the move to the then still unproven Diamond Jamboree in Irvine. It was he ... More >>

5 Foods That Always Taste Better Made at Restaurants than Made at Home. Always.

If I hear someone pronounce EVOO i-vuu one more time, I'm going to shoot myself...​You. Yeah, I know you. Your knife skills are up there with the best line chefs in Orange County. Your knife block costs more than a month of my rent. Every time you watch Top Chef, Chopped, or Iron Chef, you come up ... More >>

First Taste: Ramen Yamadaya Costa Mesa

ProfessorSalt.comYamadaya's Kotteri ramen​They're finally open! Back in November we reported that Yamadaya's first Orange County restaurant was opening by the end of that month. They put up hand-written signs in their papered-over windows counting down the days. "8 Days," the sign promised, and ... More >>

Honda-Ya to Open In Fullerton

​Sharp-eyed Chowhound contributor and loyal SaFII reader OCSteve noticed that the old Sizzler on Yorba Linda Blvd. near the 57 in Fullerton is going to turn into a branch of the popular izakaya Honda-Ya. Honda-Ya's website confirms this and talks about a spring opening.

New Trailer for Anticipated Sushi Documentary Released

Magnolia Pictures​There is already a movie about ramen. It's called Tampopo, which isn't just one of the best food movies, but in my opinion, one of the greatest films of all time. Now there's a documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi where the central subject is Japan's other ubiquitous dish: sus ... More >>

Izakaya Ku Coming to Fountain Valley

ProfessorSalt.comOpening late November, maybe.​Watch out, Shin Sen Gumi and Kappo Honda! Another Fountain Valley izakaya is opening just down the street at the end of the month. Izakaya Ku takes over the good juju of a space that housed the long-lived Funashin sushi restaurant since 1989; Funashin ... More >>

The Six Most Disgusting Foods Offered at This Year's OC Fair

​Fair season is over, at least here in the County of Oranges. We set out to try the most gruesome foods from the darkest depths of the deep fryer. For the reading pleasure of those who survived the Fair, here's our casualty report in the food department: a nonexistent appetite for half a week; an ... More >>

Drunk After Work: Ra Sushi

Edwin GoeiOnly Saturdays at 3 p.m. is it this empty.​The Place: Ra Sushi, 2401 Park Avenue, Tustin, CA 92782;(714) 566-1700. The Hours: Mon.-Sat., 3-7 p.m. The Deal: $2 hot sake. $3 domestic beers. $4 well drinks, Corona, Sapporo, Stella Artois, and Tsingtao. $5 Kirin, Le Terre Chardonnay, Le Te ... More >>

Eat Here, Not There: Poke Bowls

Edwin Goei​This post is another one of our series under the category "Eat Here, Not There". But this time, I could also put this under "fast food guilty pleasures I shouldn't like". What I'm about to recommend comes from the chain known as Sushi Boy, which a typical sushi purist would never come n ... More >>

OC Weekly Intern Lunch! Extremely Student-Friendly Fare at Mitsuwa Market

Javier CabralSpicy Miso Pork Ramen and Curry Rice Soba Noodle Combo: Both for Under $20​ Being an (unpaid!) intern at any publication is really a selfless act into publishing martyrdom. Yes, the experience is invaluable for a blossoming journalist who refuses to let the grim realities of print j ... More >>

Ayame Now Ayame Shabu Shabu Hot Pot

​Almost didn't spot it because of the glare, but Zipangu's sister restaurant recently received a makeover.Located in Irvine's Orchard Hills Village Center, Ayame first appeared on the scene at the end of 2007. The sushi spin-off was considered a high-end departure from the usual Agran-preferred ch ... More >>

New Noodles: Battle Recently Opened Ramen

Flickr user camknowsCheap, cheap facsimile: reject this if financial straits allow!​It's difficult to write about ramen because the simple dish of yellow noodles in broth is fetishized by its partisans; ramen arguably inspires more heated discussions than any other element of Japanese cuisine. It' ... More >>

Warm-You-Up Lunch: Curry Udon at Chaya in Costa Mesa

Michelle Woo​On a cold, rainy day, a hot bowl of noodle soup is as comforting as a Snuggie and a rom-com marathon. (Hey, I'm a chick.)  All I seem to want for lunch in this dreary weather is some steamy ramen or udon for the soul. 

#12. Banh It Kep Banh Ram at Ngu Binh

ProfessorSalt.comIt's #15 on the menu​ You'll have noticed we're changing who writes this feature on a day by day basis: this is how you know we're getting close to the end of our countdown. Make sure to pick up a copy of our Best of OC 2010 when it hits the newsstands October 14! Hot, tooth-pul ... More >>

3hree Fairly Affordable Orange County Meals That I Miss Like Hell When I'm On Tour

Watch out for 3hree Things every Tuesday, where Riley Breckenridge, drummer of Orange County's favorite local alt-rock band Thrice, gives his take on life in Southern California, being an OC native and, of course, music. ​I've spent a healthy portion of the past decade in one of two places: On to ... More >>

Umami Teriyaki Opens in Orange

Dave Lieberman​As I was driving home from work one day recently, I saw a tiny sign on an empty storefront next to the 7-Eleven at Garden Grove and Lewis St., near the tri-city border of Orange, Garden Grove and Santa Ana. "Umami," it said, which piqued my interest due to the burger chain of the sa ... More >>

Tasty Teriyaki at Teriyami

[Hole in the Wall] The Tustin eatery offers some south-of-the-border touches with its basic bowls

Mizuki, New Ramen Restaurant, Opens Today In Irvine

Edwin Goei​ Today, you can add one more ramen joint to compete with Ajisen a few blocks away in Diamond Jamboree. Mizuki, with its 125 seats, is purported to be the "biggest" ramen restaurant in these here United States. I'm not sure about that claim, but I'll attest to never seeing a ramen ... More >>

The Stepson Also Rises the Sushi-Bar Stardom at Nana San

On the Line: Executive Chef James Hamamori of Hamamori

​An early pioneer of the sushi conveyor belt concept in New York, James Hamamori worked at Asakuma in Los Angeles before teaming up with entrepreneur Bronnie Lee and opening the first of several Wasa Sushi outlets. Hamamori, located in the satellite wing of South Coast Plaza, followed in December ... More >>

Recipe of the Week: Roy's Edamame

​This is another extremely simple dish to make, provided you can track down the ingredients. Some farmers' markets--including the Saturday one in Irvine--sell fresh edamame, while shichimi is available from specialist stores. But if you can't get hold of it, simply cook the beans and sprinkle them ... More >>

Nana San: A New Sushi Restaurant By The Family From Ango Tei

Edwin GoeiWhat you see above is a new sushi restaurant that is expected to open in the next month in Newport Beach. But if you think that it looks to be another run-of-the-mill mini-mall california roll, teriyaki bowl lunch spot, then you'd be wrong. Called Nana San, this one is from the same fami ... More >>

Sushi and Bulgogi Live Together in Perfect Harmony, Side-By-Side at Tustin's Haru Izakaya

The Humble Ramen Noodle Saves Edwin From Having His Face Burned by the Spicy Soup at Ajisen Ramen

In San Francisco: Sustainable Sushi

The San Francisco Chronicle had an interesting and informative article today on what's believed to be "the only sustainable sushi bar in North America." It serves no bluefin toro, hamachi, unagi, octopus or spider rolls (from Chinese blue crabs). It's called Tataki. Read about what they serve ins ... More >>

Shabu Shabu Lunch Special at Mitsu E in Fullerton

The weather's balmy. The sun attacks from above and below, heating the very ground you walk on. People are in flip flops, shorts and sunglasses. So what the hell am I doing sitting in front of a hot plate, cooking my own lunch over a steaming, gurgling vat of water? Because I can. Thanks to ... More >>

[Food Issue 2008] For Our Recessionary Times, 54 Orange County Meal Deals Between 99 Cents and $15

[Hey, You!] It's Time to Say Sayonara . . .

Blanca in Newport Beach Dishes Out Crudo, an Italian Spin on Sushi

an italian spin on sushi at blanca

What Rent Payment?

Hamamori is pricey, but worth every bite

This Hole-In-The-Wall Life

Working-class Japanese Grub: Bentoss

Sushi Revolution!

The chefs at Kaisen are masters of all they convey

Making Kimchi Chic

Hashigo Tofu makes Koreanfood cool. And delicious

Days of Beer and Ramen

Bachelors use their noodle

Mahe Wowie!

Sushi and meat, together at last

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