Omakase at Sasabune

On Monday night, a fellow sushi epicurean and I finally found time in our busy schedules to dine at Sasabune, Santa Monica: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-sasabune-west-los-angeles

Upon entering, we were instantly urged to go omakase. Yes, obviously omakase is the only prudent action when dining at one of the most revered sushi establishments in the world.

Here are our thoughts as we tasted: pure, unadulterated.

Sake: Akita Daiginjo


1st course: baby tuna sashimi 2 ways.

Home-made soy sauce on one, light teriyaki glaze on the other. In addition to the the fact that there were 9 pieces for each preparation, the fresh taste was absolutely sublime.

2nd course: Maguro- homemade Sasabune sauce & Toro (both Nigiri)

3rd course: Halibut- perfect temperature while the sauce was also the "perfect compliment" to the taste of the fish & Spicy halibut

4th course: Hamachi nigiri & Sake nigiri topped with sesame seeds

SIDE NOTE: The ginger was so thinly sliced; it provided a good palette cleanser between courses

5th course: Scallop & golden eye nigiri

6th course: Seared butterfish topped with sesame seeds & halibut fin (tasted similar to hamachi kama)

7th course: Albacore & Kampachi

-The albacore was a stunningly perfect piece of fresh fish; unfortunately, the taste and texture of the Kampachi (very tough and tasted more like Ika than anything) left us with an oddly disappointed feeling.

8th course: Crab Roll & Toro

-After a little bite of the crab roll, we opted to leave it on the plate, as it had too much mayonnaise. Alternatively, the toro was absolutely perfect from the moment it entered our mouths.

**A word of warning: if you are an uni lover, be warned. There was no uni on the omakase menu and, as these two diners often frequent sushi establishments to simply indulge in their fresh Santa Barbara uni, we were disappointed**
…once we did order the uni, the fresh ocean taste took us back to days of yesteryear and, in fact, created the desire within us to open up our own uni farm in Santa Barbara.

Overall, we gave Sasabune Santa Monica an 8 out of 10. A very pleasurable dining experience. Food came fast, amazingly fresh fish, disappointed that we were treated like second grade sushi diners. But, they did allow us to take our bottle of sake... Next time: 10 pieces of uni sushi and miso soup will do.