Friday, November 13. 2009
Great Eats: Wakasaya, Los Angeles, CA
I am a big fan of Japanese cuisine. In particular, anything within the sushi / sashimi paradigm is a green light for me. So when I took the Six Taste Gastronaut food tour in LA three weeks aback and tried only a sample serving from Wakasaya restaurant in Little Tokyo District of Downtown Los Angeles, I was convinced that I would be a routine customer.
The restaurant serves up a menu of calico delight. From sashimi platters, to chirashi / donburi (rice bowls with sashimi), various types of Japanese beers and sakes, and sea food udon or ramen. The unique feature of this eatery is that the food combination is virtually endless. Diners are presented with a menu of 12 different topping, ranging from ikura (salmon roe), negitoro (shredded tuna belly), uni (urchin roe), shrimp, unagi, anago, tuna, yellowtail, salmon and more. From here, the diner can pick 3 toppings (or more at added cost). So literally, there is a total of 479,001,600 possible combinations! In a jam and don't know what combination to select? The menu, including the walls of the restaurnt, both inside and outside, are plastered with popular combinations to which a beginner chirashi / donburi diner can easily select from. Some combinations call for an amalgamation of iridescent presentation:
Food quality is superb, providing some of the freshest raw fish cuts any localized LA Japanese restaurant has to offer. For the daring and hungry diner, a "bikkuri don" challenge awaits them. It's a giant bowl of rice with multitude of toppings, much larger than the regular serving-sized bowl. If the diner can finish the bowl and the included miso soup in 15 minutes or less, the meal is on Wakasaya. If not, then it will cost the diner $45.00.
If you're an LA native, or planning to visit LA and love Japanese cuisine, give Wakasaya a try.
Wakasaya
335 East 2nd Street
104-106 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
