now open, review forthcoming @formersushichef?
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the website menu is awful
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I didnât make it out there this weekend sadly, but excited to try it!
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Are they open for lunch? Iâm looking for an amazing place (or at least decent) for a business lunch on the Westside. Amazing and lunch on the Westside seem to be an oxymoron. Before it closed, I would have said Kiriko. In the olden days, even the old Mori Sushi on Pico was open for lunch.
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I encounter plenty of business lunches at Takao on San Vicente. Very high quality and delicious. They also have a couple amazingly priced lunch specials, though that may be less relevant for a business meal. Baltaire right across the street is also open for lunch if you are looking for something more flashy.
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Google Places claims they are open for lunch, but I just called the number listed in Google to confirm and it just rings and rings and rings. I wasnât actually expecting to get a live person on the phone (even though it is about dinnertime), but thought it might go to a voicemail that recited their hours.
And Google Places claims they are closed on Wednesdays, which is a more unusual day to be closed.
To say that this restaurant is under the radar is an understatement, but maybe that means itâs great. 
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I literally walked by the storefront a few days ago. Zero activity. If they are doing business, then it is in complete and utter soft-open, speakeasy, invitation modeâŠ
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I was in the neighborhood on Wednesday and was going to drive by to see what was up, but ran out of time. But, in any case, according to the Google listing, Wednesday is the one day of the week they are closed.
I do think they are not open yet. I just called the number again listed on Google and no answer. Also on my phone ID, the number comes up as Sushi Tsujita, which I assume is the space they took over?
Anyway bummer. I was looking forward to trying it next week for lunch. Unless the grand opening is next week.
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When I ate at Sonoritas on Sunday, there seemed to be no indication that they were ready for businessâŠ.
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Grand opening January 29th
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Looks more like tonkatsu and gyukatsu according to their insta.
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Starting to see a lot of social media buzz for the opening. Has anybody been yet? I usually give it a couple of weeks for things to settle before visiting.
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Itâll be a while before I try it out. I found a price list for Kyoto Ten no Meshi - Los Angeles at Toast https://www.toasttab.com/local/order/ten-no-meshi and understandably itâs significantly higher than my go-to Kagura stand in the Tokyo Central Market Gardena food court.
Hoping the prime Sawtelle location, food quality and hospitality will justify the prices and be a âheavenlyâ experience when I go. (A rough English translation of the restaurantâs name is âMeal from Heavenâ).
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Absolute madhouse tonight at Grand Open. Youâll need a Yelp app to sign in (I refused to do so). They (politely) turned people away at 8:30pm, citing inability to handle the crush. The need to use an app on the mobile device was a turnoff in my book.
I ate at Noma insteadâŠ
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Howâs the new Noma spot? Havenât been yet. Were they able to maintain some of the charm of the original location?
How come youâre so opposed to using an app to join a waitlist? Itâs convenient - you can go bugger off and track your place in line in real time (at least thatâs how itâs worked when Iâve used Yelp Waitlist in the past). You may know this, but most restaurants are using Yelp or OpenTable or Resy waitlist on the backend but abstract it away from clients. Thatâs why they ask for a phone number - it goes straight into their reservation management system and connects to your diner profile. Therefore I imagine your objection is not one of privacy concerns as itâs all the same really.
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You werenât asking me, but Iâll give my opinion. 
Iâve only been to the old Noma once (or twice?). The new location is still very self-consciously Japanese, it looks very nice (and obviously new), and doesnât have the sort of nostalgic 1980s Japanese-restaurant feel. The side area (to the left when you enter) feels a bit like an afterthought, design-wise, although our server was there often enough. Quite busy when we went 1â2 wks ago.
I wouldnât say itâs charming, but I think itâs a lovely upgrade.
Do you mean you need to use Yelp or you actually need the app? My vague memory is that Iâve used the waitlist (assuming thatâs what youâre referring to) on my computer, although Iâm not 100% sure.
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The new Noma location is many things - new, clean, spacious - but it is most definitely not nostalgic. Food-wise it was a fairly mid meal (order the Dynamite, avoid the anago), but the old âcharmâ from its previous location has been replaced by a sleek interior. Not all bad, but itâll be a while before I go back.
And as for Ten No Meshi, there is no communal Yelp tablet to check in (such as the process at Din Tai Fung Century City which, for the record, I am fine with). No, no - At Ten No Meshi, one needs to have a smart mobile device AND possess the Yelp app. And just accessing Yelp from a browser will still not allow a person to sign up for the queue. This just rubs me the wrong way. Why mandate everyone to download the Yelp app just to be able to eat here? It feels cumbersome at best, nefarious at worstâŠ
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Oh, having to download an app would be a turnoff to me, too. Pizza Fling requires an app to access its coupons (so I never get a âdealâ on their food b/c I also refuse to download apps).
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Is it just me, or are those prices kind of eye-watering???
There was also a long a$$ line at lunch today (as in, running the entire length of the storefront). Partner and I were in the area for Daruma, which we enjoyed (as always).
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Nope. I was 
inside but bit my tongue and practiced restraint in my post.
I was at a place in SGV on the weekend and it used a POS waitlist management system only requiring a cell number.
Maybe Yelpâs POS system is cheaper than Open Table and they anticipated long lines in advance and want lotsa Yelp reviews.
Gloves off, too rich for my blood and Iâm getting too old to stand in long lines for a pricey meal thatâs gonna be shortened by waitstaff pressuring table turnover.
YMMV - I still hope customers enjoy their time there
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