YAY!! Glad to see the Foo Foo Tei is still delivering it! OMG. It’s been at least two years since I last visit, bit it’s the place that made me fall in love with curry! For completely curry gluttony… I recommend The omelet curry rice. The omete is not as lucious as the ones in Youtube… but still expertly prepared. It’s so delicious… heavy… but worth the effort to try for curry and omurice fiends.
Thanks for the report on Midoh! It’s been on my list and now I’m even more excited to try it! They just opened one up in Sawtelle… as I haven’t been headed east as of late…
@Chowseeker1999 next time at Midoh try the hamburg steak. That is one of their specialties. Midoh is a gem.
If you are deep in the OC keep Yoko on Beach Blvd on your list. They are a Korean-Japanese place focusing on tonkatsu and soba/udon. That’s basically the whole menu. They bring out the sesame seeds for you to pound out as well.
I been going to/know of Diamond Plaza for years and never thought once to go there! It’s just when I am thinking of Japanese food I am thinking of South Bay, Sawtelle, Little Tokyo, Ventura Blvd, Costa Mesa/Tustin
I don’t want to make you blush @Dommy, but the breadth of your food knowledge is pretty awesome. You take great advantage of living in this great food city. I always learn something. Thanks!
I’ve actually heard really good things about Ootoro from friends - as in high quality fish selection and preparation and not “OMG, they used both eel sauce and sriracha on my California roll!! So innovative!!”. A place to try in 2021.
Noguchi is our favorite in North OC. The only other ones we go to in the area are Ohshima and OMG.
Costa Mesa/Newport/Irvine have a lot of better sushi options but driving there is almost the same amount of time as driving to DTLA. Guess which option we usually choose?
Looks like you are in for a treat when Kaneyoshi opens fully in Little Tokyo.
Well after a nice sushi dinner in Costa Mesa the beach is close by for a nighttime walk. Laguna is not too far away. That’s a bonus for me as a single guy!
The Sushi Temples seem to be all near the Westside
Glad you enjoyed Midoh! It truly is a gem for Yoshoku style cuisine. I love the chili paste they give you to make the curry spicier. Also do not miss the hamburg w/ cheese curry, the hamburg is so soft and flavorful. Thanks for info on the katsu-sando, it has eluded me thus far.
And yes, that gyu-tan is so luscious with that rich demi glacé.
Kagura (Gardena)
Inside the Tokyo Central Market food court is the Kagura stand…and the only location doing katsu. I had read that the Torrance location was not doing katsu takeout…just their other menu items.
After reading @Chowseeker1999’s epic curry/katsu post, I noticed that Kagura hadn’t been included in the update. And I was in the neighborhood for some shopping anyway.
The katsu curry set comes with miso soup. The katsu is bento-boxed on top of rice with compartments for finely shredded cabbage, miso-ginger dressing, pickles, and hot mustard. The curry and soup are in separate containers. I knew this was going to have to be eaten in the car, so I immediately opened the box as soon as I was back in the car.
The katsu was still so crispy and crunchy! I poured the curry on top of a quarter of the katsu to keep things crispy. The curry was rich and tasty. I don’t know if they make the curry themselves, but I thought it was balanced…not too garam Masala-y. It was nice to have the salad and pickles to add acidity and a different kind of crunch in between bites.
It was warm so I saved the miso soup for later. It’s the same miso soup they serve at the restaurant. It’s not to salty or too miso-y and I love all the seaweed pieces in it.
I think this is a worthwhile katsu curry set. So hop on by if you happen to be in the neighborhood.
