Celiacs dream of completely dedicated gluten-free restaurants and this one will not disappoint you! The menu reads like many Japanese/Sushi restaurants, offering tempura (!), ramen (!) and so many rolls stuffed with fried yumminess and plenty of sauces. Not to mention GF beer (!) on the menu as well as a nice selection of sake and wine. I wanted to cry I was so damn happy that I was going to be able to order anything I wanted from the menu with confidence that I was not going to be cross-contaminated and therefore sick. I only wish I could have tried more things than my stomach had room for. I guess I'll have to visit L.A. again, soon, just so I can come back here for the stuff I missed the first time. And next time I'm bringing people with me so that we can try more things on the menu. Sometimes I just need a taste of something instead of eating the whole thing myself.
I enjoyed the crispy rice sampler, the rainbow '17 roll, and then because I loved the crispy rice sampler so much I stuffed down another 4-piece crispy rice with spicy tuna (although I struggled with that choice or getting the vegetable tempura or dessert but the food was just too tempting).
The crispy rice sampler was 6 pieces (or was it 8 pieces? I forget!) of deep-fried brown rice with two each topped with spicy tuna, salmon, and yellowtail. The crispy rice was indeed very crispy on the outside and fluffy and chewy on the inside. Also it was very hot, right out of the fryer, with the minced cold fish on top and a slice of jalapeno. I tried the first two pieces just dipped in a bit of tamari sauce and to tell the truth I felt like it was missing a bit of something. Wasabi and ginger! I had to ask for it, which I thought maybe the server forgot, but then I heard two other diners ask for it as well. I like to mix a healthy bit of wasabi into my tamari and then soak the ginger in it, scoop it out and place the bit of soaked ginger on top of my sushi. That did it for me. Big time! Sooo yummy. I quickly dispatched the crispy rice sampler and went to work on the Rainbow '17.
The Rainbow '17 roll was cut into 8 pieces. Fresh brown rice, very lightly seasoned and rolled with cucumber and shiso with bluefin tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and albacore on top (I had them hold the avocado). The fish was really fresh and worked well together. The rolls were cut in a manageable size so I didn't feel like I was unhinging my jaw to get the thing in my mouth.
At this point I should have stopped eating but I kept thinking "the whole menu is gluten free - take advantage while you're here!" Now I wish I would have tried the vegetable tempura or a bowl of ramen, or a dessert (!), but instead I went back for more crispy rice rolls. I ordered an additional 4 pieces of the spicy tuna. I asked for just two pieces but they only offer 4 pieces so I made the sacrifice and downed the extra pieces. They are very generous with the fish. If this was something I could make at home I would have used half the amount of fish for my rolls but I was pretty full at that point and kind of regretting my life's decisions.
Another regret is that I didn't have room for dessert and knew I wouldn't want to eat anything later so I didn't order to go. They had some really yummy looking desserts on the menu and I love that they share the ingredients list because in addition to my problems with gluten and avocado I also can't eat corn or corn starch, etc. and often times GF desserts have corn starch in them. None of the desserts here have corn starch, so another reason I need to come back!
Rice, I hope you stick around forever because I will come back for you! Also, can you open a location in the Bay Area? Pretty please?? Just not in San Jose - that's too far of a drive :-) Love you!! read more