There are three Japanese restaurants all the on the same block of Ventura Boulevard that I really love. I know Ventura Boulevard is kind of a "sushi row", but none of these are any of the famous ones.
The first is
Daichan. I went here on a date last year and was wowed. Not by my date, but by the restaurant, and specifically by their signature dish, which is a poke bowl. It's just a big bowl filled with rice, seaweed, greens, green onions, raw fish, ginger and spice. I like to have it with a cup of this hot lemon ginger drink. It's the perfect rainy day food. It's also the perfect food for a sunny day WHEN IT'S FREAKING HAILING. Which it was last Saturday. Good God.
This is what we call Japanese soul food. Yeah.
The next place is just across the street--
Jinya Ramen. Jinya actually is a little famous now, because it's on Jonathan Gold's Essential 99 L.A. Restaurants. It's my #11.
I took my brother here when he visited last weekend. He loved it. But then again, he is kind of a ramen fiend. He had the chicken ramen (pictured above) and I had the vegetable (pictured below). Although it's "vegetarian," they've always made it with chicken broth. Until the night me and my little bro went in. The waitress said I was her first customer to order it with vegetable broth. She was excited. So was I.
The last place is called
Eggplant. This is once of those places that you drive by again and again, and it looks super cute, but you just never go and try it and you don't know why. So, I finally tried it. But only because I wanted to take the little bro' to Daichan, and it was closed.
Eggplant is ok. It's more of a traditional Japanese restaurant--super-minimalist and clean. The only thing that really intrigued me is that the menu is full of pumpkin dishes. Pumpkin sushi, pumpkin tempura, and what I had--the pumpkin miso soup.
If you're craving pumpkin in March or July, this is definitely the place to go.
But I'd say the sushi was just ok. Which doesn't mean I didn't eat it all.
There are three Japanese restaurants all the on the same block of Ventura Boulevard that I really love. I know Ventura Boulevard is kind of a "sushi row", but none of these are any of the famous ones.
The first is Daichan. I went here on a date last year and was wowed. Not by my date, but by the restaurant, and specifically by their signature dish, which is a poke bowl. It's just a big bowl filled with rice, seaweed, greens, green onions, raw fish, ginger and spice. I like to have it with a cup of this hot lemon ginger drink. It's the perfect rainy day food. It's also the perfect food for a sunny day WHEN IT'S FREAKING HAILING. Which it was last Saturday. Good God.
This is what we call Japanese soul food. Yeah.
The next place is just across the street--Jinya Ramen. Jinya actually is a little famous now, because it's on Jonathan Gold's Essential 99 L.A. Restaurants. It's my #11.
I took my brother here when he visited last weekend. He loved it. But then again, he is kind of a ramen fiend. He had the chicken ramen (pictured above) and I had the vegetable (pictured below). Although it's "vegetarian," they've always made it with chicken broth. Until the night me and my little bro went in. The waitress said I was her first customer to order it with vegetable broth. She was excited. So was I.
The last place is called Eggplant. This is once of those places that you drive by again and again, and it looks super cute, but you just never go and try it and you don't know why. So, I finally tried it. But only because I wanted to take the little bro' to Daichan, and it was closed.
Eggplant is ok. It's more of a traditional Japanese restaurant--super-minimalist and clean. The only thing that really intrigued me is that the menu is full of pumpkin dishes. Pumpkin sushi, pumpkin tempura, and what I had--the pumpkin miso soup.
If you're craving pumpkin in March or July, this is definitely the place to go.
But I'd say the sushi was just ok. Which doesn't mean I didn't eat it all.
1 comment
I go to dim sum with my family almost every sunday. I know that's not Japanese, but it's as adventurous as I get.
The first picture is downright intriguing by the way.
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