Shunji - Spring 19' Omakase

A5KOBE · March 31, 2019, 7:48am

Stopped in to Shunji for omakase as I was craving some fish lately.

Started off with some cold appetizers.

Bloomsdale spinach and hon shimeji mushrooms - excellent flavor and expertly prepared

Baby eel w/ ginger - eye balls and all, this was light and refreshing and a mellow flavor

Bunch of cold appetizers that I forgot the names of, the takenoko fish cake was easily my favorite. It is that square cake behind the shrimp that is barely in the picture.

Oyster w/ satoimo and black truffle - super buttery oyster, nice flavor of the satoimo, the black truffle added a mild earthy flavor but not very prominent

Clam w/ seaweed, cherry tomato and cucumber in vinegar - nice crunchy yet semi tender clam, slippery seaweed and a bright flavor bomb from the marinated cherry tomato.

Shirako “tofu” - super smooth, mellow flavor, I would definitely come back for this.

Sashimi course, honmaguro akami and the saba stood out, but of course my favorite being the akami

Ankimo “pate” served with wasabi and nori - wow was this fucking great, eaten by itself is already tasty as fuck, but add some wasabi and it gets better, then make some little nori sandwiches with all three ingredients and it comes a super complex, super rich flavor bomb. Probably one of the best ankimo preps I have had.

I forgot the name of this fish, but it was meaty and served with baby kale and a super fragrant dashi. The dashi had that smokey quality that I certainly covet.

Kinki (Idiot Fish) - appeared to be broiled with a faint sweet glazed. The fish was buttery and couldn’t have been cooked any better. The skin was nice and crispy. The dish was served with yam and baby kale.

Had a boatload of nigiri, not even sure how many courses. And for the sushi enthusiasts, Shunji is still using the akazu vinegar with great results, one of the best sushimeshi in the city.

Standouts:

Kusogodai (baby red snapper) - first nigiri course, POW!!! Excellent flavor and texture. Served at the perfect temperature and the sushimeshi was good well.

Sakura masu (cherry blossom trout) - in season right now, this was excellent, super smooth and went down the hatchet with ease.

Shirauo (ice fish) - paired with excellent nori of Shunji-san, this one was a just awesome.

Saba handroll x2 (off menu) - since I was craving one of my all time favorite handrolls, I asked Shunji to prepare one for me, although his version differs from what I am used to. Shunji cubes the saba like other handrolls, however his version uses finely sliced and diced shiso and pickled ginger in addition to the sushimeshi and wasabi. Excellent! Doubled up on this bonus round. Never had this version before and I will definitely be ordering this one again. I usually don’t take pictures of my sushi as I personally like to eat them right away, but I took one of this anyways. BTW, Shunji said that he only uses his own personal gari for this roll.

Overall, Shunji is continuing to deliver top notch sushi in Los Angeles.

J_L · March 31, 2019, 8:08am

Shunji is still killing it.

Tai (sea bream) simmered in clam broth.

That ankimo pate is brilliant, isn’t it?

catholiver · March 31, 2019, 3:11pm

Well, this certainly should have sated your craving

A5KOBE · March 31, 2019, 5:20pm

Thanks for confirming that fish, I was intoxicated with the scent of the broth while they were explaining the dish. Also, it was a packed house.

What a truly exceptional way to serve ankimo to showcase his skill and ingredients!

CiaoBob · March 31, 2019, 6:01pm

Agree 100%.
Great dish.

beefnoguy · March 31, 2019, 6:20pm

Damn I miss Shunji so much.

I love his spin of modern kappo washoku, he blends several elements together and does it so effortlessly (needless to say a lot of work went into it). All those wonderful small dishes beg for a great sake, or a sake pairing course. Especially when quite a few incorporate dashi (that is one of the core sake pairing components).

Baby sea eel larvae (noresore) is in season now, and it’s in very short window. Cute little “cellophane noodles” with eyes and dots haha. Enjoy them quickly and now.

There is probably some dashi mixed in with the satoimo (and oyster), but just enough to get it to the right consistency. Great stuff! I’d rather have this than Michelin porridge…

The seaweed in the clam, cherry tomato and cucumber in vinegar is mozuku. The clam looks like aoyagi (?). What a great combination, super refreshing with all the right textures, and the tomato must give it a nice umami kick! A super upgraded sunomono. Imagine using the remaining vinegar in that dish and doing a nanbanzuke with it (e.g. baby aji) or heck just adding some cold fried small fish inside…

That ankimo pate definitely needs a nice umami rich / dry sake. I bet it will be fantastic with a little bit of takuan mixed in.

Google_Gourmet · March 31, 2019, 7:02pm

We ate what I was told (by my wife) were small tiny fish. Now that you mentioned it, they were more likely baby eels. Can you advise?

As you mentioned, they are available during a short window. We gave them a fair try, three separate venues. Aside from the novelty factor, not an item that I would crave during the off season (that’s probably just us).

Same with the Sakura Ebi. I do like the Sakura Ebi dried and used for added umami in stir frys and soups.

JeetKuneBao · March 31, 2019, 7:32pm

You had me at Ankimo Pate!! And Saba

Sgee · March 31, 2019, 9:42pm

Those look more like “Shirouo” aka icefish.

J_L · March 31, 2019, 9:47pm

Shirauo (icefish) can look very similar to shirasu (whitebait). I believe the photos show shirauo.

Google_Gourmet · March 31, 2019, 9:49pm

@Sgee
@J_L

Thanks, I googled and that should be Shirauo. There was a third white fish (not translucent) in one of the combinations. Either of you know what that might be? Could that just be cooked Shirauo?

A5KOBE · March 31, 2019, 11:12pm

Shunji-San himself even said the pate is good food for sake.

Any recs? I am a sake noob.

Chowseeker1999 · March 31, 2019, 11:26pm

Great report @A5KOBE. I need to go back soon!

beefnoguy · April 1, 2019, 12:48am

The clue to Google Gourmet’s question and answer lies in the name, from the menu, then the geography (or sea terroir)

The second picture of the donburi is listed on the menu as 駿河三色丼 (Suruga Sanshoku Donburi / Suriga’s Three Colors Donburi, usually referring to three items from the sea). If you followed GG’s post on the Japan board, he visited Shizuoka recently. Suruga Bay in Shizuoka is one of the major sources for Shirasu (one mention here: https://shizuokasushi.com/2007/04/10/shirasu-shirauo/ , where the blog also mentions shirauo are exclusive more to Kyushu and Kanto).

Shirasu has a short life after fishing from the ocean, so there are also industries that treat/process them to turn them into chirimen or sansho chirimen (dried fishlings) that can be super delicious pan fried to crispy (or deep fried) for beer or sake snacks. So it is a great pleasure to have it at the source. It would make no sense for the restaurant to bring in shirauo from other sources around the country for a 1300 yen donburi. It should be all local fish.

Next clue: entering the Japanese name of the donburi in another google search (probably the search result for another restaurant in the area serving the same specialty)

Scroll down to the picture towards the bottom where a pair of chopsticks is holding a load of raw little fishies: the caption:

桜えびもシラスもたっぷり入ってます！

“There are plenty of sakura ebi and shirasu!”

As for as the other white fish that is not raw, it’s still shirasu, likely steamed or parboiled. So shirasu two ways + sakura ebi

As a side note you can also find fresh shirasu in shirasu donburi or shirasu donburi with other sashimi at Enoshima Island, about 50 mins SW train ride from Shinjuku (a local delicacy).

beefnoguy · April 1, 2019, 12:54am

I can tell Shunji likes to drink! He probably tailored his food to match with the right sake.

If you or anyone has pictures of the latest sake menu and can upload it here, I’d be happy to suggest some. I don’t have any idea what he has these days.

But I can think of one immediately that would work…though you may have to buy a whole bottle (if they sell by the glass hopefully it was opened the same day). Born Muroka Nama Genshu Junmai Daiginjo assuming he still has it on the menu (he did when I first visited 3 to 4 years back). High viscosity, a bit sweet, dry on the finish, and a crap load of umami in one fell burst around the mid palate. I actually tried this with a little foie gras late last year, so I’ll bet it will work with that ankimo pate provided it also has enough moisture, fattiness, umami, and both savory and sweetness. The problem is that the Born has a short sweet spot where it is most optimal, so keep it chilled at all times but not too chilled when you drink it (between very chilled and lightly chilled is the best moment). Once it hits room temperature, it becomes sugar water and loses a lot of complexity…so be careful. If you get a bottle, hopefully bottling date is at least January 2019.

Google_Gourmet · April 1, 2019, 4:16am

Thanks for your insight to this delicacy. Trying a specific item at its very source, at its very peak time, is a prime reason to travel. We tried it at Namazu Fish Market.

As well as the Shizuoko Fish Market.

Also at Enoshima Island. Which was a tourist zoo. That’s ok, I live in North Beach San Francisco.

Just like in Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco on a sunny weekend day, there were Hog’s (and Hog wannabees) showing for the crowd, along with some NICE Slowriders. 64’ (?) Impala. CHERRY.

A5KOBE · April 1, 2019, 4:45am

Thanks!

I just made a note for the rec.

JeetKuneBao · June 2, 2019, 5:23am

Early Summer 19 Omakase

I forgot what greens this was.

So happy to try his Tomato out! This blew my mind in flavor, and texture.

Interesting pieces for me: the squids. The firefly, my first time trying this and I love the burst of liver flavor. The other squid was so creamy. The baby sardines, kohada, and shrimp were also highlights. The ankimo pate was also pretty good. The ikura was just bursts of ocean!

And that ginger honey ice cream!!

The rice is wonderful…airy, and slightly more savory than vinegary. The quantity is slightly less too.

1st time with Shunji but I’ll be back. Would like to go back and do the bare minimum omakase than go okonomi

Edit: trying to upload on my poverty iPhone 8. Not going to post all 15-16 pieces.

J_L · June 2, 2019, 4:31pm

Welcome to the Shunji Fan Club!

CiaoBob · June 3, 2019, 12:15am

His ankimo mousse should be in a museum or something.