What a small world. I had gone quite often to Toshi's restaurant in Silverlake on Hyperion right next to the Say Cheese store. In fact, I first met Toshi when he was working as Sushi chef at the long gone Zen restaurant also on Hyperion in the early 1990's.
I missed going to Toshi's when he was on Ventura Blvd, but have accidently but pleasantly met up with him in his North Hollywood/Valley Glen "hidden gem" on Van Owen.
This is a down home, informal, kick back place. There is no classic Kappo-/haute cuisine formality nor ritual. You can scarf down on rainbow, caterpillar, dragon rolls, but Toshi can change gears to a more authentic Edomaè (eh doh mah eh)/traditional Tokyo style Sushi at the drop of a hat.
I tend to be a Sushi purist so I asked Toshi to facilitate mostly Nigiri (nee ghee ree)/hand shaped Sushi rice w/ seafood on top or a Temaki/classic handroll without mayonnaise, sweet "eel sauce", or non-traditional sriracha garlic chile sauce on every order.
Toshi pulled out good quality:
1) Engawa/halibut fin muscle that was pleasantly chewy w/ a bit of fattiness. Green onion, Shiso/Japanese Basil.
2) Hiramè/halibut whIch had a bit of sweet sea Umami w/ touch of Yuzu Kosho-/puréed Japanese citrus zest & green chile. Green onion & julienned cucumber.
3) Hotatè (hoh tah teh)/scallop Temaki/handroll was off white creamy, soft, velvety, plush w/ ocean kissed sweetness. Masago orange fish roe was a nice colour contrast as well as upping the sweet Umami.
4) Ika/squid: flat sheet of pearly white scored to cut fibres in order to soften the meat w/ underlying emerald green Shiso.
Toshi also thoughtfully added small steamed whole baby octopus to include octopod as well was decapod offerings.
5) Chu-Toro: medium fatty Hon Maguro/bluefin tuna was meaty, soft, fatty, bit beefy. Wasabi & Sho-yu/soy sauce to accentuate the meaty, beefiness.
Green Kaiwarè Daikon sprouts on the side added a peppery vegetal tone as well as a contrasting green & white to the pink rose colored dawn of the Chu-Toro.
6) Shiro Maguro/albacore: soft, sensuously soft,.pillowy, lightly sweet meat. Bit of funky green onion & crispy fried sweet onion.
7) Lastly, dessert: Temaki of sweet Unagi/fresh water eel baked w/ a hint of sweet Sho-yu eel sauce. Slice of oily Aguacate/avocado, green onion, Kaiwarè Daikon.
1-7a) Brought my own premium Sakè (sah keh), Katsuyama Akatsuki Junmai Daiginjo from Sendai City Miyagi Prefecture. Scents & tastes of fully ripened summer Japanese pears, bit of honey dew, touch peppery, mildly acidic, smooth, silky, coolness. Nice refined, elegant pairing to the overall meal.
You can bring your own bottle of Sakè , wine, beer, and also bring your own crystal for Sakè or wine since Toshi doesn't have a big selection of appropriate glasses in order to appreciate them.
Toshi pulled out some magical Sushi tricks to allow me to experience a more pure Japanese Edomaè style which is probably not the typical way his usual customers order.
Really enjoyed his skill at creating Washoku/classic Japanese cuisine at a moment's notice without any prior warning. 4 Yelp stars for going out of his way to cater to a Sushi purist. read more