At first, the temperature of the galbi jjim was too lukewarm, but once I cranked up the burner to the max, it began to simmer nicely. The broth is lighter than Sun Nong Dan’s, but has a nice spice level that kicks in late. Along with the veggies shown, there was also a couple of handfuls of thin rice cake inside and glass noodles underneath, very similar to the ones at Bongchu Chicken.
Bonus points for the Korean IPA in pint size cans.
Shunji Japanese Cuisine: After two weeks of bartering a few pieces of nigiri each night from Shunji-san in exchange for my for backyard mulberries, I had finally had enough of the flirting, and booked a whole she-bang late Spring omakase last night (not comped).
New dish alert: Not one, but TWO new large format rice creations!
First, Sakura ebi and takenoko gohan: This is as spring as it gets. Gentle, and glorious.
Second, kani, kani miso, spring peas, and steamed bafun uni gohan. Utterly, devastatingly delicious. The rice was redolent of the crab tomalley. The steamed bafun uni rounded out all the great flavors in this bowl.
FTC all-star sightings at Shunji last night: Chef Jon Yao (Kato), Chef Mei Lin (Nightshade), @matthewkang, and the irrepressible @CiaoBob (who enjoyed the very last JL mulberry of the season).
n/naka’s springtime modern kaiseki… Chef Niki and Chef Carole are simply remarkable in their commitment to caring for every customer. The signature baby abalone spaghettini at n/naka keeps knocking it out of the park on every visit. I dined with a friend who flew 5,000 miles just to eat here.
Can I just say how lucky we are here? Let me see if I can name them all…Costa Mesa/Fountain Valley, Cypress, Torrance/Gardena/Lomita/South Bay, Little Tokyo, Sawtelle, Ventura Blvd in The Valley, pockets of places with Japanese food and culture.
Kappo Sui is in a pretty random hidden spot. At night you would drive by it and not realize it.
The decor feels very dated! But I assure this is place is very Japanese!
Beef Stew under the Specials menu. Looks Western but has Eastern ingredients but tastes like a good homemade beef stew on the lighter side I am not making any sense
Wow! That looks amazing! 
